Video Games & Military Recruitment

Another feature of "America's Army," however, is more remarkable. The reason it is free is that its association with the United States Army is not limited to the name; it was in fact designed and funded by the Army as a military recruiting tool. The military's interest in video games has not been limited to the development and release of "America's Army." It has also given support to the developers of other video games, such as "Black Hawk Down" and "Conflict Desert Storm" û much as it has provided support to moviemakers whose projects were regarded as conveying a positive impression of the military.

The interest of the military in computer simulations and games is not limited to arcade-style "shooters." Video game technology has been applied to developing training aids for junior officers, such as "Full Spectrum Command" and "Full Spectrum Warrior" (Irwin). These are complex simulations, invoving automated question and answer sessions and reviews of tactics, that wo

. . .
machine's name and artwork would not make it a "combat" game. This, as we have seen, is in striking contrast to modern video combat games, the game-play actions of which can be made to closely resemble the process of aiming and firing weapons such as tank guns. Carnival shooting galleries bore a greater (if still very superficial) resemblence to the most basic of combat actions, firing a rifle. Shooting galleries, however, were much more expensive even than pinball machines, and required staffing and prizes for skillful performance. (The common reward for skilled pinball or combat-shooter play, namely being able to continue playing, would have left other patrons standing in line, or wandering away.) Thus, entertainments of the sort available in the World War II era were poorly suited to the roles that modern video combat games serve for the military. There is, however, a much more fundamental difference between combat video games as recruiting and motivational tools and the type of propaganda represented by the Capra "Why We Fight" films. As their collective title indicates, the Capra films, and others of their type, dealt primarily with the reasons why the nation went to war, and why its young men were being called on
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
War II, America's Army, Air Corps, America American, NYPD Blue, Norman Rockwell, Iraq War, Desert Storm, Capra Fight, De Sa, video games, video game, video combat, america's army, viegas de sa, viegas de, de sa, combat games, video combat games, military life, world war, war ii, world war ii, modern video combat, positive impression military,
Approximate Word count = 2118
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Video Games & Military Recruitment