US Army and computer games?

One more comment and then I'll shutup.

Whether we like it or not, the world has changed. Death by push button is here. We don't storm beaches anymore. We need smart people to push those buttons. Our service branches need good people. The pay is low, housing is poor, and you are put in harm's way. Not very attractive to most young people today when they can earn 5 times the salary in corporate America.

If these computer games generate interest in the military, they have done their job. And as far as war being a game, it is IMHO. You win or you lose. And WE CAN NOT AND WILL NOT LOSE! People will die and yes, it takes a hard heart to kill. But that is how you know who wins. You kill him before he kills you. Period. Terrorists killed 3,000 in New York and they will kill 3,000,000 if they can. This is the reality of the world we now live in. I don't like it anymore than any of you.

Semp --
 
I have been playing this game since it came out (nearly 3 months) and I would like to say that the tax money was well spent. This is an excellent and highly realistic game and, in spite of the fact that I already planned on joining the USMC, this game has raised my respect for the Army. It reminded me that the Army has Rangers, Snipers, and Airborne soldier and made me say "Wow, being an Army Ranger would be cool." This really is an excellent recruiting tool, though I am still joining the Marines.
 
Semper Fi, Skeletor! And don't worry a bit about those sand fleas at Parris Island. They don't eat much. :D

Good luck and give 'em hell!

And by the way, welcome to the Cantina. :)
 
Here's my opinion as a lowly Private First Class serving in Korea (also coming off of a very unpleasant two week field exercise, which is definitely coloring my opinion somewhat). I guess that as a recruiting tool, it will probably be effective, which means to me that it will glorify all of the 'cool' parts of being a soldier and downplay the rough stuff. I read an article about the new game in Maximum PC in which they interviewed the creator of the game, a Major, I don't recall his name. I'll have to find the article so I can make sure I'm quoting accurately, but one of the questions I remember being asked was if the game was intended to prepare potential recruits for the Army. The Major's answer was yes, to a degree. For instance, the rifle range used in the game is "identical" to the one at Fort Benning, so when recruits who have played the game get to BRM at Basic, they'll recognize the range and already know all of the commands, making it that much easier for them. This kind of thinking is what I have a problem with. A game as a recruiting tool, fine. Actually thinking and promoting the idea that it will prepare you in any way for the Army, absolute and utter CRAP. There is no comparison between playing a game that shows tactical manuevers and actually doing them. Sure, you may "know all of the commands", but I can guarantee that you will be in an entirely different state of mind while laying prone in the sand with your elbow aching from the rocks it's resting on, sweat running in rivers down your face and dealing with the massive headache that your Kevlar helmet has given you than when you were sitting in your room playing 'America's Army'. Not to mention the drill sergeant breathing down your neck as you try to aim.

One other thing the Major said in the interview was that certain war-themed games like Rogue Spear were already in use at West Point as a training tool. I'm not saying that he's outright lying, but I sincerely doubt that plebes there are just chilling out in class playing Rouge Spear, as the Major subtly implies here. My guess is that they let them play the games as a reward, similar to the way that if at any point in your training you get to see a movie, it's going to have a military theme, like Men of Honor or Saving Private Ryan.

From the same article I found the cost for this, about seven million dollars so far. In reality that's not too much for a recruiting campaign. So do I agree with it or not? I'm noncommital. I'm not real happy with the Army as a whole right now, for various reasons. I really just think it's kind of laughable, and I certainly won't be playing it. I don't even have a choice on that one; our barracks here in Korea arent't wired for internet, so I couldn't even if I wanted to.

Also, for Skeletor, good luck with the Marines. Despite my negativity here in this post, it's true that the Armed Services really need people right now. I hope that you're one of those who does well in the military system, unlike myself. I'm just too much of an independent thinker to really fit into the Army well.
 
Yeah, I think those sandfleas are going to annoy the hell out of me (I will be going to Parris Island as I live in Virginia). I think I'll fit right in with the Marines. The few I have met seem half insane and only think about war and the Corp, and those are the type that I would prefer to be fighting with.
I think that this game is a bit more useful as a training tool than some of you may realise. Unlike other games (Medal of Honor comes to mind), Americas Army does show why some things would or would not work in a battle. As mentioned though it only focuses on the fighting part of the Army and there is no way for someone to be physically exhausted from playing the game, miss their family, fear death, etc. I would also like to point out that while this game does make killing seem somewhat normal, so does military training. Soldiers are trained to see a target and kill it without thinking twice.
 
Skeletor, good point about how training is supposed to desensitize. I remember when I did bayonet training, at certain points we had to reply to things such as "What is the spirit of the bayonet?" with "TO KILL, TO KILL, TO KILL WITHOUT MERCY!". There were others too, but you get the idea. I haven't done things like that since Basic, since I'm in Military Intelligence, but I'm sure that infantry and armor guys do stuff like that all the time. It's not a pleasant world sometimes, too bad people like Osama and Hussein have to make it that way.

eDited for garmaTicul arreRRs.
 
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