By Michael Schindler

Confession time: I’m not much of a gamer. As a matter of fact, I struggle with Wii Dance and I’m just fortunate my daughters haven’t figured out how to take the videos they record of me dancing and upload them on to You Tube yet. But here’s what I do know about gaming: It is relevant, it provides hours of fun, and it is a tremendous training tool for our present and future service members.

So for those of you who classify yourselves as gamers, be sure to check out GovX.com. It’s the largest online shopping destination exclusively serving verified military, law enforcement and related government personnel and their families, and it’s partnered with Electronic Arts to offer the Medal of Honor Warfighter Military Edition, to be released on Oct. 23, 2012.

This will be the first time a major video game release will offer a special edition that will only be available to verified active, reserve, retired and former military personnel, not the general public.

What makes this very cool, outside of it being exclusive, is that a portion of GovX’s proceeds from Medal of Honor Warfighter Military Edition game sales will be donated to GovX military foundation partners, which include the Air Force Association, AFA Veteran Benefits Association, Marine Corps Association & Foundation, and National Association for Uniformed Services, among others.  They have also chosen to partner with Electronic Arts in contributing to the Navy SEAL Foundation and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. And as a Navy guy, this earns a sharp salute from me.

In full disclosure, I’ve not played the game – I’ve only been privy to the advanced PR releases. But after reviewing, this is a game that may pull me into the gaming world. Written by U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas and inspired by real-world events, Medal of Honor Warfighter delivers an up close and personal look at today’s battlefield and the fight against the ongoing global terror threat. From rescuing hostages in Abu Sayyaf’s stronghold in the Philippines to assaulting Al-Shabaab’s “Pirate Town” on the Somali Coast, Medal of Honor Warfighter puts players in the boots of today’s most highly trained and skilled warriors to experience missions that have a dotted line to real terrorist threats.

Powered by the ground-breaking Frostbite™ 2 engine, (I have NO idea what that means), Medal of Honor Warfighter introduces international Tier 1 Operators from 10 different nations in multiplayer, allowing players to show their national pride online. Medal of Honor Warfighter Military Edition includes the Medal of Honor Warfighter Limited Edition containing the U.S. Navy SEAL Tier 1 Sniper multiplayer unlock, as well as exclusive in-game unlocks, including use of the Project HONOR camouflage pattern.

Whew! All this to say, check it out. I’ve not ever been remotely interested in gaming until now. For more information, visit www.govx.com/mohw.

Michael Schindler, Navy veteran, and president of Edmonds-based Operation Military Family, is a guest writer for several national publications, author of the book “Operation Military Family” and “The Military Wire” blog. He is also a popular keynote and workshop speaker who reaches thousands of service members and their families every year through workshops and seminars that include  “How to Battle-Ready Your Relationship” or “What Your Mother-in-Law Didn’t Tell You.”  He received the 2010 Outstanding Patriotic Service Award from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.