How the Army is using video games to recruit candidates

Posted by Jim Stroud

May 14, 2006

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Oregon Army National Guardsman Sgt. Matt Zedwick says his friends are eager to see him in the latest version of the U.S. Army video game “America’s Army.”

Winner of a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service in Iraq during 2004, Zedwick is a featured real-life member of the action game.

It is a shoot-’em-up adventure developed by the Army to simulate combat and life in the Army. The game was showcased at last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, highlighted by soldiers parachuting in outside the venue.

“I never thought I was going to be in a video game,” said Zedwick, 25, who is studying graphic design at a college in Oregon. “While out in the field, I got a packet about the video game, and I did a double take.”

Michael Aubuchon, one of the game’s producers, said that including authentic soldiers helps give gamers a true sense of life in the Army.

“If you are a potential soldier, why wouldn’t you try it?” Aubuchon said. “We don’t see it as a recruiting tool. This is an information tool to help inform the public.”

Some video-game industry officials argue that such games are an advertisement for the military. In November 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a study that showed, “the military is falling far behind in its effort to recruit and re-enlist soldiers for some of the most vital combat positions in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Video gamers who attended the trade show said it seems like the game, which was widely distributed for free at the expo, is a recruiting aid.

“I suppose I am comfortable with it being used as a recruiting tool,” said Eric Steele, a video game demonstration player for Namco Bandai Games. “The game is pretty cool. I like first-person shooter games, and the realism is nice.”

Click here for the rest of the story (or click here to play the game yourself) Fun!