April 24, 2009:
As Chine introduces more automation and technology into its military, it is discovering that training troops to use this gear is not nearly as difficult as expected. That's because so many young Chinese play computer games. Unlike in the West, where most gamers use game consuls (like PlayStation and XBox), in China, online games are more popular. There are nearly 60 million online gamers, and most are of military age (over 40 percent are in their twenties, and nearly as many in their late teens). As in the West, these kids get used to handling large amounts of information, and using control devices requiring lots of eye-hand coordination.