For 48 hours in November, military training was all fun and games.
Local developers, designers, artists and others got a chance to design prototype simulations for the Department of Defense at the inaugural Armed Forces Jam in Orlando from Nov. 4-7. The competitive event was put on by Indienomicon, an Orlando-based independent gaming association, and hosted at the Central Florida Tech Grove, a simulation industry innovation facility in Research Park.
Armed Forces Jam is modeled after other game jams hosted by Indienomicon, such as the annual aerospace-themed game development competition Indie Galactic Space Jam. Central Florida Tech Grove’s goal is to make Armed Forces Jam a recurring event in Orlando, said Tech Grove Manager Kevin Mikalsen.
The event brought together Central Florida residents active in the region’s video game industry and its $6 billion modeling, simulation and training sector, which primarily serves Department of Defense clients. Despite the differences in purpose and typical clients, gaming and simulation use similar technologies and require analogous skillsets.
In fact, the active theme park and video game industries in Central Florida and their relevance to the immersive simulations the military tries to create are two reasons why the U.S. Navy’s simulation operations are based in Orlando, said Capt. Dan Covelli, commanding officer of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
However, the Navy and other military branches need the simulations they use to train service members to be higher quality, more accessible and more frequent to keep up with competitors, Covelli said. Tapping game developers in the private sector is key to doing that, he added.
Meanwhile, it's a big opportunity for those who work in or aspire to join the game development field, Tech Grove's Mikalsen told participants. “You’re going to change the way the military thinks, acts and trains."
Game development is a significant business in Orlando, which ranks the fifth-best city in the U.S. for gamers, according to a January study by WalletHub. Specifically, Orlando ranked No. 6 nationwide for game developer opportunities. The region is home to top gaming schools such as Full Sail University in Winter Park and the University of Central Florida's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) in downtown Orlando.
Plus, Central Florida is home to an assortment of game studios, including an 800-employee hub for Electronic Arts Inc. In addition to EA’s big presence, the region is home to Mount Dora-based Steamroller Studios, Chicago-based Iron Galaxy’s’ Orlando studio and some independent gaming firms based at coworking facility Orlando Game Space.
Tapping into the gaming sector is even more important for the modeling, simulation and training industry as the region deals with a shortage of engineering and software development talent.
For example, Orlando's tech talent pool grew 30% to 43,340 people between 2016-2020, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE Group Inc. However, it was not enough to keep up with the demand for new workers.
The local tech talent pool on average added 625 workers per quarter the past five years, but the region added 1,110 new technology job postings in the second quarter alone, according to a recent CompTIA analysis of Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights data.
Mick Golson, COO of Orlando-based simulation firm Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc., previously told OBJ his company and others in Orlando’s simulation sector face a tough time filling positions. “I don't believe that's going to be satisfied anytime soon. It's just incredible.”
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