Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 has powered fictional games like Gears of War 3 and Mass Effect 3, but now the technology is being used to assist real-world endeavors at government bodies like the FBI Academy through the just-launched Unreal Government Network. FBI Academy cadets will be trained using software created using the Unreal Engine 3.

Epic Games today announced a long-term Unreal 3 reseller agreement with Virtual Heroes, an interactive learning simulation company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. As part of the deal, agencies and units of United States and allied governments will make use of Epic's game engine for a variety of purposes through the UGN.

Numerous projects that are part of the UGN are already under way. The FBI Academy is using the Unreal Engine 3 to create a multiplayer crime scene simulator to train its cadets. Additionally, a "top-five defense contractor" and a "national laboratory" are using Epic's tech for custom-made model "integrations and visualization."

On top of that, the technology is being used by Virtual Heroes and Duke University to create an anesthesiology training application for Army physicians. A HumanSim platform aimed at medical education and training is also in the works.

Virtual Heroes put itself on the map with its contributions to the high-profile recruitment and training game America's Army, which runs on the Unreal engine. The studio and its parent company, Applied Research Associates, employ more than 170 at the company's office in North Carolina.