There's a video game, not unlike many of the first person shooters, called America's Army. You fight in military formation, you kill terrorists, you get points. It's very popular, and has made its makers a lot of money. Except that this video game was made by the Pentagon to boost recruiting, and it's working great. An informal Army study of the same year showed that 4 out of 100 new recruits in Ft. Benning, Georgia, credit "America's Army" as the primary factor in convincing them to join the military. Sixty percent of those recruits surveyed said they played the game more than five times a week. And a 2004 Army survey found that nearly a third of young Americans aged 16 to 24 had some contact with the game in the previous six months. It also might be a violation of international treaty obligations, at least according to the ACLU, but I'm pretty sure those are non-binding on the US because of the awesomeness of this country.
More on juvenile militarism after the flip.
We have all heard the stories about aggressive military recruiting in American high schools, shopping malls, racetracks, keggers, and wherever else young people hang out. High school dropouts, drug addicts, fat kids, whatever, anyone can join, because if our military efforts slacken for even a second, poof, there goes our freedom! With only about two million men and women at arms, and with the presidential candidates each promising further increases in troop numbers, we can't get these kids in fast enough. So what do American kids love most? No, not secret masturbation, silly, it's video games!
The Pentagon has already spent millions working on war games, video games, and finally realized that they should develop a cool video game that would glamorize the entire military experience, from boot camp to scrambling for promotions. The result is America's Army, a game which lets you go through basic training and then specialize in a military career that best fits your aptitude, as you play online against other players, build important teamwork skills, accumulate honor points, and the military monitors every stat you compile in a vast database that helps them micro target their new recruits. Heck, if you are good enough, maybe you can go straight into the Special Forces! This game is rated PG, much of the gore of combat is eliminated, you can get shot four times before you die, and the game is very popular with the kiddies.
An informal 2006 Army study showed that 4 out of 100 new recruits in Ft. Benning, Georgia, credit "America's Army" as the primary factor in convincing them to join the military. Sixty percent of those recruits surveyed said they played the game more than five times a week. And a 2004 Army survey found that nearly a third of young Americans aged 16 to 24 had some contact with the game in the previous six months.
Hell, this game is so good, the Pentagon is using it to train soldiers already in uniform.
The Army has designed weapons systems and training simulators based on "America's Army" simulations and gameplay and incorporated them into the game. Players are organized into groups of Army units to learn to think, act and work together, a key component of basic infantry training. With a system of honor points that can help or hinder a virtual career, players are rewarded for their teamwork and strategic thinking, and discouraged from acting like a lone Rambo. Weapons training programs are also developed from the game or incorporated into "America's Army." These include the Live Fire Virtual Targetry for Urban Combat, in which boot camp recruits fire live ammunition at huge screens with "America's Army" simulations projected onto it. Additionally, training software for the Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station, a remote control vehicle with automatic weapons, was incorporated into the 2.7 version of "America's Army." The Army has also used the game to test new weapons. The Army's weapons research laboratory, the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), uses "America's Army" simulators to create virtual weapons testing grounds that are so lifelike ARDEC can "try out a new weapons system before any metal is cut." In "America's Army" one can play and undergo real-world military training at the same time.
Awesome. So is anybody thinking what this is doing to the mentality of the generations of new Americans? Here's one thinker, Retired Marine Col. Gary W. Anderson, former chief of staff of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, who says:
Today's soldiers, having grown up with first-person shooter games long before they joined the military, are the new Spartans. Remember the days of the old Sparta, when everything they did was towards war?" says Anderson, now a defense consultant. "In many ways, the soldiers of this video game generation have replicated that, and that's something to think about."
Think about that for a moment, in between your IGTNT diaries and Netroots care packages for the soldiers, about how militaristic our society has become and how even the left is deeply involved in supporting and deifying the military. But who isn't happy about generations of young people doing nothing but practicing warfare online and then enrolling into the largest imperial army the world has ever seen? The commies at the ACLU, that's who. Apparently, this game and the whole approach to recruiting from the cradle might violate international law:
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has found that Army use of the game, and its recruiting practice in general, violate international law. In May, the ACLU published a report that found the armed services "regularly target children under 17 for military recruitment. Department of Defense instruction to recruiters, the US military's collection of information of hundreds of thousands of 16-year-olds, and military training corps for children as young as 11 reveal that students are targeted for recruitment as early as possible. By exposing children under 17 to military recruitment, the United States military violates the Optional Protocol." The Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, ratified by the Senate in December 2002, protects the rights of children under 16 from military recruitment and deployment to war. The US subsequently entered a binding declaration that raised the minimum age to 17, meaning any recruitment activity targeted at those under 17 years old is not allowed in the United States. The ACLU report goes on to highlight the role of "America's Army," saying the Army uses the game to "attract young potential recruits ... train them to use weapons, and engage in virtual combat and other military missions," adding that the game "explicitly targets boys 13 and older." In June, at the 48th session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee noted US violations of the Protocol and urged the United States to "ensure that its policy and practice on deployment is consistent with the provisions of the Protocol."
Can you believe these peaceniks? Do they even care about defending our freedom? Do they know the Mexican Army is massing near Tijuana as we speak? Treason is a strong word, but when Americans weaken the American war effort, by pointing to international law, of all things, what else can you call it? Do they even love our soldiers? So stick ito the ACLU, and next time you load up your Halo 2, or consider the next video game to buy for your kids, consider America's Army, it's free, it's awesome, and your kid will be ahead of the curve when he finds himself firing a .50 cal machine gun at some mud walled compound half way around the world which we can only assume is full of terrorists.