Today@Dal

Students in Halifax may have created something that could save the lives of child soldiers around the world.

A group of 11 students at Dalhousie University have created a video game that will be used as a training tool for Canadian peacekeepers that have to face child soldiers in the battlefield.

There's already a handbook for these situations, but student Mimi Cahill says the game takes it to a new level.

“If you're spending 20 minutes on (the video game) versus reading a document, it might be a little bit more engaging,” said Cahill.

Children carrying real weapons in wars is a reality in modern conflict. Soldiers who face them on the battlefield are often plunged into a quagmire of emotion: shooting back is difficult, even when they're shooting at you.

Retired general Romeo Dallaire wrote the book on child soldiers and launched an organization to shut it down. Josh Boyter of the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldier Initiative says the best thing about the game is its flexibility to evolve and adapt, like modern warfare itself.

“Context is incredibly important,” said Boyter. “How a child soldier is used in Columbia is entirely different than how a child soldier is used in Somolia.”

The most recent child soldier statistics say there are about 250,000 child soldiers around the world. But the study is about 17 years old - long before the days of ISIS and other extremist groups.

The students are still tweaking the game, but it’s nearly ready for peacekeepers, offering important direction for soldiers and a deep sense of satisfaction at Dalhousie.

"It's really nice to be working on a project that I feel can make a difference,” said Cahill.

Watch interview (http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/dalhousie-students-create-video-game-to-save-child-soldiers-1.2815653)