NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy is launching a novel online Internet game to generate innovative ideas on maintaining service capabilities in an era of budget restraints.
The game is for active, reserve and civilian Navy personnel and is called cap2con MMOWGLI, or Capacity, Capabilities and Constraints Massive Multiplayer Online War Game Leveraging the Internet.
"Some of the best ideas come from the deck plate," said Vice Adm. Robin Braun, chief of the Navy Reserve. "I believe this exercise will draw out ideas that can help the Navy best leverage the talents of our active and reserve component sailors."
The card game will be played in two phases. The first -- the idea discovery phase -- is for creative ideas to spread warfighting mission requirements across the active, reserve and civilian force. The second phase is to further develop those ideas, the Navy said.
Root cards start off the game, and players build on, counter, refine or seek further information by placing their own cards on top of root cards. Promising "card chains" then form the basis for action plans that further develop the participants' ideas.
The first phase begins Nov. 4, while the second phase starts Dec. 2.
"Internet crowdsourcing games are gaining traction helping the Navy to address some of its more challenging problems," said Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek, commander, Navy Warfare Development Command. "The Chief of Naval Operations' Reducing Administrative Distractions initiative received nearly 1,500 ideas, had more than 7,600 comments posted on these ideas, and 91,000 votes cast to help easily identify the top ideas.
"We are looking forward to similar collaboration in cap2con MMOWGLI to address this very serious challenge for all of us."
