Chinese Used Video Game to Train Policemen?

According to the bastion of VERY UNBIASED news, the state-run People's Daily Online, it seems policemen used the video game Counter-Strike to improve their counter-terrorism tactics. According to this article,

Keyboards ready, headphones on, Chinese police moved in for the kill.

More than 300 police officers in China's northern port city Tianjin were "mobilized" to an Internet cafe Wednesday for a three-day competition of the terrorism-themed computer game Counter-Strike.

I want to stop you and have you think about that first sentence there. This really seems to convey the fact that the police want to shoot first and ask questions later. The police officers whose keyboards were "ready" and whose headphones were "on" are all about firing indiscriminately at anyone who looks like a terrorist. I have an inkling that Chinese police are more likely to square off against their own citizens rather than Islamic-looking terrorists. Just a thought.

Also, let's be serious here. Counter-Strike just isn't a realistic game. You don't have to shoot someone twelve times with a Glock to be able to put them down. Also, things usually blow up a lot more devastatingly if you throw a HE grenade at it. And I'm pretty sure you can't jump down two flights of stairs in real life without injuring your leg. This article is so propagandized that it becomes absolutely laughable. Yes, folks, brace yourself for the Chinese police, they have military training FROM A VIDEO GAME. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE NOW.

Here's another snippet from further down the article:

Counter-Strike, played by hundreds of thousands of gamers worldwide, is a tactical first-person shooter video game and features real-world weapons.

This is an argument ad populum because it implies that it's a really good tool for law enforcement because it's been "played by hundreds of thousands of gamers worldwide". This article is correct that it features real-world weapons, but these guns don't do real-world damage. And I'm pretty sure that Chinese police officers don't run around with Desert Eagles or akimbo Beretta M92FS pistols.

And in the next paragraph, it just keeps getting better (emphasis added):

Han Zhen, a tactical instructor of Tianjin police, found the game very helpful. "Given its close resemblance to real-life scenarios, the game greatly enhances the terrorism awareness of our officers," the five-year veteran gamer said. "And it is very important as terrorism has become a global issue.

Um, first, I'd like to point out that take issue with the fact that there's no closing quotes on the last sentence of that paragraph. Apparently the People's Daily Online doesn't care very much about copy editing their great works of journalism. I also think it's funny that they keep repeating that it's realistic. They're playing themselves if they think that you can't potentially die from one bullet. And I don't see why terrorism being global necessitates the police to play video games. It's not a very well-thought-out idea.

And even the ending to this article is made of fail:

During the competition, a panel of referees were introduced to ensure no cheating, such as "peeking".

"In actual situations, you have no way to peek at the terrorists' position," Han, the instructor, said.

O RLY. You had referees. That's super. I bet that happens in real life terrorism scenarios too, right? A super high-tech way of preventing the police from screen-cheating.

By the way, if this post didn't convince you that Counter-Strike isn't like real life, maybe this picture might help:

Counter-Strike Source: Because Chinese policemen might have to defend against terrorists trying to blow up a European castle.