This question takes us to the distant 1966, when the American writer Harry Harrison published the short story “You, Homo Sapiens” (You Men of Homo Sapiens). In it, players (then - participants of desktop and electronic simulators) did not even realize that they were operating real space combat vehicles, and not just undergoing training.
Almost 60 years have passed since the publication of this work. The world has changed, but Harrison seems to have ingeniously anticipated our realities, as if looking into the future. Today, the skills of gamers — reaction, spatial thinking, attention, multitasking — have become key for modern cyberfighters, pilots of strike FPV drones.
In Dronarium, we see that even those players who have never played flight simulators master the control of FPV drones 60— 80% faster than the average cadet. Young boys who have just risen from the gaming chair have high cognitive readiness — the ability to quickly navigate and rebuild in non-standard situations — and a much higher resilience to stress.
Stanford researchers generally compare their stress tolerance to that of fighter pilots. And this is logical: hundreds of hours spent in full concentration at the computer, not “to tick”, but “to the fullest” is perhaps the best training that can be invented for a future operator.
However, the general combat qualities of young gamers should not be overestimated. In simulation scenarios, they are undoubtedly good. But take a step away from flight — into a real combat environment — and you often face a young man who is poorly oriented in a regular forest, is not very physically developed and, as a rule, does not know how to work in a team. Young gamers lack responsibility, and sometimes a drop of real, sometimes lifesaving fear. In real combat, it is impossible to “save” as in the game and pass the level again.A miracle did not happen: fighters completely ready for real operations do not come out from behind the game table. But the skills gained from hundreds and thousands of hours of play make gamers the best candidates for combat specialties related to remote control equipment — from DJI drones and NRK to FPV interceptors. If a young man with good gaming skills gets to our training, and then — to a specialized unit, where he will be instilled with the rest of the qualities necessary for a soldier, he has every chance to become an effective fighter and make a rapid career in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
We already see such examples: FPV drones from former gamers (for example, the Clear Eyes group) have become one of the most effective strike units in Ukraine, destroying targets with high accuracy. It is impossible to say that any gamer is guaranteed to turn out to be an ideal cyber pilot, but, according to our observations, the best FPV operators are people with serious gaming experience.
To summarize, the story about the perfect cyber soldier from the gaming chair is true, and what is a myth:
Advantages:reaction, motor skills, attention, adaptability, stress resistance — all this is useful for the drone operator.
Limitations: The gamer is not a ready operator. Teamwork skills, emotional endurance, ability to work with people, responsibility for life and property are required.
Pragmatic decision:We are happy to take gamers as a source of potential resource for pre-selection and training, but additional training and adaptation to real combat conditions is a must.
A few real examples of gamer pilots who have gained deserved fame:
1. Nazariy — nickname “Joker”
Pilot of strike FPV drones in the Voron Unmanned Systems Battalion. He first studied aviation and then mastered the control of drones, noting that his gaming experience helped significantly.
2. Pilot of the “Northern Eagle” battalion of the 151st OMB — call sign “Hyens”
Previously worked as a waiter and was a gamer. This helped him quickly master FPV drones, especially in conditions of difficult terrain in the Kharkiv direction.
3. Alien “Sam” — call sign “Bambi”
A 20-year-old gamer from Charleston (USA), a participant in FPV tournaments and simulations, joined the Ukrainian forces. He says that the skills of a drone pilot in competitions have helped a lot during real combat missions.
And, perhaps, it is the guy who is breaking records in shooters today, tomorrow will save his life by piloting a drone over the battlefield.
