Army turns to video games to attract recruits

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Sep 18, 2004 by TOM ROEDER THE GAZETTE

Instead of making promises about college funds or an opportunity to see the world, Army recruiters will let prospects blow each other up in cyberspace at a Denver video game tournament today.

It's a technique that's proving successful for the Army, which is exceeding its recruiting goals despite having more than 100,000 soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. By designing a video game that dramatizes Army life, the service has attracted an audience of millions eagerly battling on the Internet using a free computer program that's part video game, part infomercial.

"The young people are so enamored with it," said Debbie Cannon, a Denver spokeswoman for Army Recruiting Command.

The game, America's Army, begins where a raw recruit starts, the basic training complex at Fort Jackson, S.C. Players who make it through basic can choose a career from Airborne Ranger to M-1 Abrams tank gunner.

The latest version of the game is based on Army Special Forces combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The players use the weapons and the techniques of Green Berets to win.

That's the version being used at an Army recruiting event at DeVry University's Westminster campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

An Army expert on the game, Paul Boyce, said although America's Army is rated for use by teenagers, it's different from other violent, combatbased games on the market.

Boyce said this game forces players to learn about the Army and its values while letting them lob electronic grenades at the enemy.

John Pike, executive director of the Virginia-based defense think tank GlobalSecurity.org, said the game helps the Army recruit "combat- minded" teenagers, who seek warfare, not college cash.

"If it works, more power to 'em, because they need all the soldiers they can get," Pike said.

In the three years since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Army consistently has exceeded its recruiting goals. Through August, the Army had brought in 70,479 recruits, 812 more than its goal.

"We discourage people from signing up just because they like the video game," Boyce said.

"It should be the right choice for them, their families and for the nation."

Players of the game, which is given free by recruiters and can be downloaded on an Army Web site, can choose to remain anonymous. Logging in for battle doesn't result in a call from recruiters, Boyce said.

But the game has been a drawing card, Boyce said, with millions of people gaining exposure to Army life by battling on their computers. The game also reaches a key teenage demographic for the Army, he said.

People can join in the tournament by going to the DeVry University Westminster campus, 1870 W. 122nd Ave.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0240 or troeder@gazette.com

Those who want to download the game can find it at www.americasarmy.com.