Training Sea Lions in Video Game Play is the Latest Exercise for the US Military

A new research program of the US Navy’s squad of sea lions, actual aquatic mammals, has trained them to play video games. According to the program’s scientists, the pinnipeds enjoy gaming just like humans do.

The US Navy’s Marine Mammal Program trains sea lions and dolphins to assist in reconnaissance and recovery missions while ensuring they receive the highest standard of care. To keep the animals engaged and happy, the Navy developed a video game called the Enclosure Video Enrichment system (EVE). The game sees sea lions use an oversized set of buttons to control a cursor on a screen, completing certain objectives in a simplified form of video game.

The EVE program not only proved that sea lions have the intelligence to play relatively complex games like guiding a cursor through a maze but also showed that the animals seem to enjoy it. In some cases, the sea lions have even completed gaming sessions without needing positive reinforcement of food.

Principal EVE researcher Kelley Winship says sea lions may even be better than humans at playing games, as they don’t get frustrated with the game when they’re not winning, and they quit the game simply because they are done playing. “You don’t really get a sea lion scoffing and throwing the controller down,” added Winship.

Dolphins have also been given a go at playing video games apart from sea lions, but the set up for the solely sea-dwelling creatures is extensive. Read about the program here.