America’s Army Extremely Effective Recruitment Tool
America’s Army Extremely Effective Recruitment Tool
November 17, 2009
America’s Army has proven a boon to U.S. Armed Forces recruiting, but opinions are still split as to whether or not gamers have any advantages in the arena of war, according to an article in today’s Washington Examiner.
In testimony to Congress regarding the success of converting virtual soldiers to real ones, the Army called the America’s Army game more effective than “any other method of contact.” This statement correlates with a study done in 2008 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which found that “30 percent of all Americans age 16 to 24 had a more positive impression of the Army because of the game and, even more amazingly, the game had more impact on recruits than all other forms of Army advertising combined.”
The story quotes an Air Force Colonel, Commander of a Predator drone squadron, as stating that the younger, videogame generation were naturals at piloting the remote-controlled aircraft; however he thought that the same group suffered when attempting to consider the consequences of their actions:
The video game generation is worse at distorting the reality of it [war] from the virtual nature. They don't have that sense of what really going on. It [videogames] teaches you how to compartmentalize it.
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Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: Honestly, the only thing I can imagine is the plaintiffs think it's their religious right to perpetrate violent criminal acts against homosexuals. Unfortunately, knowing some folks like that, it wouldn't surprise me if they did believe that.
Valdearg: Honestly, the only thing I can imagine is the plaintiffs think it's their religious right to perpetrate violent criminal acts against homosexuals. Unfortunately, knowing some folks like that, it wouldn't surprise me if they did believe that.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: @AE: I know, right? The only thing that law does is make a violent criminal act more severe if it was motivated by a hatred of homosexuals.
Valdearg: @AE: I know, right? The only thing that law does is make a violent criminal act more severe if it was motivated by a hatred of homosexuals.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:43am
Andrew Eisen: What's amazing is the folks at that Law Center can't seem to read plain English that states that nothing in the law restricts someone's right to think what they want or say what they want.
Andrew Eisen: What's amazing is the folks at that Law Center can't seem to read plain English that states that nothing in the law restricts someone's right to think what they want or say what they want.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:39am
Valdearg: But, hey, people are capable of anything when they use their religion as justification for their blatantly bigoted behavior.
Valdearg: But, hey, people are capable of anything when they use their religion as justification for their blatantly bigoted behavior.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:35am
Valdearg: It's amazing, that anyone with any humanity, whatsoever, would challenge a law that adds protections to a group of people who are excessively targeted for violent attacks, based strictly on who they are.
Valdearg: It's amazing, that anyone with any humanity, whatsoever, would challenge a law that adds protections to a group of people who are excessively targeted for violent attacks, based strictly on who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:33am
Valdearg: Essentially, he claims the law infringes on a Catholic's God Given right to express their beliefs. This is only true if he believes it's his God given right to use someone's homosexuality as motivation to assault, murder, or maim them.
Valdearg: Essentially, he claims the law infringes on a Catholic's God Given right to express their beliefs. This is only true if he believes it's his God given right to use someone's homosexuality as motivation to assault, murder, or maim them.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:32am
Valdearg: Catholic Zealot Tom Monaghan's Catholic Law Center challenging Hate Crimes legislation, a law that adds protection for homosexuals against violent, criminal attacks.
Valdearg: Catholic Zealot Tom Monaghan's Catholic Law Center challenging Hate Crimes legislation, a law that adds protection for homosexuals against violent, criminal attacks.
Posted 02/09/10 at 07:00am
Austin_Lewis: That Alabama school shooting is supposedly gang related, according to the shooter's lawyer.
Austin_Lewis: That Alabama school shooting is supposedly gang related, according to the shooter's lawyer.
Posted 02/08/10 at 10:22pm
JDKJ: Landrieu. That's a good Cajun name. I ga-run-tee.
JDKJ: Landrieu. That's a good Cajun name. I ga-run-tee.
Posted 02/08/10 at 09:36pm
BearDogg-X: New Orleans elected Sen. Mary Landrieu's brother, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as mayor Saturday night.
BearDogg-X: New Orleans elected Sen. Mary Landrieu's brother, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as mayor Saturday night.
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:22pm
Valdearg: J/K, btw, with that last comment. Just in case anyone was confused.
Valdearg: J/K, btw, with that last comment. Just in case anyone was confused.
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:21pm
Valdearg: This comes on the heels of Sarah Palin telling the Teaparty Convention to pray for Divine intervention to stop the Progressive tide. It seems she succeeded in recruiting the big man to offer some help. >.<
Valdearg: This comes on the heels of Sarah Palin telling the Teaparty Convention to pray for Divine intervention to stop the Progressive tide. It seems she succeeded in recruiting the big man to offer some help. >.<
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:20pm
Valdearg: @A_L: I'm hearing that, as well.. It seems the dems aren't just losing seats via elections... :(
Valdearg: @A_L: I'm hearing that, as well.. It seems the dems aren't just losing seats via elections... :(
Posted 02/08/10 at 02:04pm
DarkSaber: Did he design Big Murtha Truckers 1 & 2?
DarkSaber: Did he design Big Murtha Truckers 1 & 2?
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:50pm
Austin_Lewis: John Murtha reportedly deceased.
Austin_Lewis: John Murtha reportedly deceased.
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:04pm
Shadow D. Darkman: DarkSaber: (EDIT) IDC really, it's just good to see some new stuff here.
Shadow D. Darkman: DarkSaber: (EDIT) IDC really, it's just good to see some new stuff here.
Posted 02/08/10 at 01:02pm
DarkSaber: @Shadow If the on-going spat in China over WoW counts as "new" at least. Does anyone here REALLY give a shit about the state of chinas game industry anyway?
DarkSaber: @Shadow If the on-going spat in China over WoW counts as "new" at least. Does anyone here REALLY give a shit about the state of chinas game industry anyway?
Posted 02/08/10 at 12:59pm
gellymatos: Oh, we pro-life advocates have our nutjuobs to (ie, guys who shoot up abortion clincs). We can have worse ones than yours.
gellymatos: Oh, we pro-life advocates have our nutjuobs to (ie, guys who shoot up abortion clincs). We can have worse ones than yours.
Posted 02/08/10 at 12:58pm
Shadow D. Darkman: Finally, new articles!
Shadow D. Darkman: Finally, new articles!
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Comments
Its either effective or like a good bit of piracy those who were going to join anyway bought the game.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
Don't know, but AA3 was a complete failure. And the news of AA being an effective way of reaching out to recruits is rather dated.
This is one of my favorite games as a gamer. I used to play the original game all the time about 6 yrs ago. I still want to play it, but my comp. is soooooo slow for it.....need more memory. Going to get new comp. parts to rebuild a new one & then get the game. It is free to play though. & You do go through the classes of how to be a medic & save lives & take tests on it. It is pretty amazing. I still want to play this game. I am a huge fan of this game & it makes me feel like (when I was playing at the time) that I was a real soldier in this game or just me playing it & seeing what a soldier sees. But there is a diff. between action & saying & doing.
All in all, before my brother joined the U.S. Army, the recruiting station where he was had up the shooting range from this game to see what your score was & it would be the same in real life. My brother is still in the U.S. Army in Belgium right now. Over there for the next 3 yrs. Going to Germany for 3 wks training to get his SGT rank. It is basically leadership training/skills. He & I were in Army JROTC in HS. I loved it & so did he. He plays Counter Strike all the time & loves it. & a lot of soldiers do play it from what he says & WOW. So many games can be effective for gamers to be soldiers. Not just AA.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Well they're still making the game so it has to be effective at what is doing.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/