SOLVED. YA Sci-Fi, read 2004-2006 Dystopian/post apocolyptic future themes. Virtual wargames. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Tom]

Read this book in 8th grade english around 2005. futritistic novel about young prodigy raised in isolation training to compete in a virtual wargame where he control small hollograms of soldiers with hand gestures.

BEWARE SPOILERS IN PLAIN TEXT: Book is about young male main character who is trained to be some sort of "commander" for a virtual "war" that almost more resembles a game. Early chapters of book detail his life, isolated to his room doing virtual excersizes and training regimine. He has a tredmill that he runs on and it uses virtual reallity/projected images to make it seem like hes running through another location like a woods or something. Eventually he descovers that one of the "Computer" opponents he plays logic games against is a real person. They eventually let him out of his room and explore what I think I remember as an underground complex? It was very large and futuristic. He meets two other kids around his age, one boy and one girl, who will be his teammates for the competition.

The contest is a virtual battlefield where the MC controls 100s-1000s of tiny soldier holograms and must successfully navigate them through a battlefield with mines/traps and missles to a designated goal area. Team (representing country?) that gets the most soldiers into the final area before the time is up wins. They are competing for an island that is safe to inhabit. All the land was left inhospitable due to some event. Can't remember specifics but I think I remember them explaining that this island was purified and safe to live on because it rained there a lot and washed away toxin or something like that.

MC works together with his team. The girl and the boy on his team each have a different role in the wargame. I believe they both (or at least one) of them is a hacker who bends the rules of the game for the MC, makes it easier to control his units, stops missles from targeting him, messes with the other opponents. I believe the girl is the hacker, and she uses her hacking ability to contact the MC in the first place. Girl also serves as love interest in the story. ENDING: (view spoiler)[ When they get to the final area MC predicts the entire area is surrounded by mines (or is informed by a teammate) and he marches his troops through single file to minimize loses.They win the contest. I remember the MC is offered a reward for his performance and he asks to go live on the new island. I think the girl joins him, but unsure. (hide spoiler)]

[Ayshe]

Maybe Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski?

[Tom]

Ayshe wrote: "Maybe Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski?"

Based on the synopsis and comments on Goodreads, I think this is the book I was looking for. Thank you. This post can be considered solved.