Throughout the history of the United States of America, each separate branch of the military had their own separate recruiting methods. From posters of Uncle Sam saying, “we want you”, to the Marine Corps utilizing their well-known slogan, “the Few, the Proud, the Marines”. As time progressed, and technological advancements evolved in daily life, the military had to adapt their recruiting methods to the changing times. While posters and billboards are still present, the military began creating television advertisements, highlighting the uniqueness and the benefits of each separate branch of the military. However, the Army in the early 200s were lack luster in their recruiting techniques. Before 9/11, recruiting quotas were down for the army, as not many people, especially the youth of the nation, had any interest in serving in the Army. However, this was about to change, when in 1999 Lt. Col Casey Wardynski the Director of the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis at West Point had a new idea to recruit young people to join the Army. This new idea was a video game, that would eventually become America’s Army.
Connecting to the youth of the country is one of the most important goals of an organization that wants to stand the test of time. The Army is no exception. Lt. Col. Casey Wardynski observed that young boys were becoming more interested and playing first person shooters. His idea, was to create a first-person shooter that introduced players to the life of a U.S soldier through unbelievable realism. While other first person military shooters, at the time, portrayed the military in a fun and unrealistic manner, America’s Army portrayed the Army in an unusual realistic light. According to an article on wearethemighty.com, “The focus was on immersion rather than spectacle. The game’s tutorial, for example, placed you with a virtual Drill Sergeant and gave pointers on real-world weapon etiquette — things more important to real life than to the game itself”. The goal of this game was not to sell as many copies as the Army could, as this game is available free to download, but rather to introduce the younger generation to life in the Army. “We want kids to come into the Army and feel like they’ve already been there. A game is like a team effort, and the Army is very much a team effort. By playing an online, multiplayer game, you can get the feel of being in the Army,” said Lt. Col Casey Wardynski.
Since America’s Army is free to play online and free to download, it does not retain a player’s personal information. While no statistical evidence has been documented to determine whether America’s Army has been successful or not, it has provided many benefits to recruiters. America’s Army has become a very popular game, with its popularity at its peak in the early 2000s, when it was first released. Since then, America’s Army has been featured in many video game tournaments around the country. This kind of exposure has created positive interactions between Army recruiters and video game players.
America’s Army has not been without its criticisms, however. Since America’s Army is used as a recruiting tool, it is funded the tax payer dollars. According to Wired, the game cost $32.8 million dollars over the course of eight years. The original scope of the project was $7 million dollars over five years.” America’s Army was not designed to still be in use today. Since the game has become popular over the last decade, multiple versions of the game were made. These versions not only updated the game, but also allowed the player to be immersed in another section of the Army, with one version focusing on the Special Forces soldiers instead of focusing on the standard infantry soldier. Despite these criticisms, America’s Army has had over 8 million gamer accounts be created.
America’s Army is the revolutionary recruiting device of the 21st Century. It not only created a new way to recruit people into the United States Army, but also opened the window to a new audience, the youth of this country. America’s Army was able to get young people interested in the possibility of life in the Army. It showed them, through uncanny realism, what life was like in the Army. An attribute not shared with other first-person shooters at the time. Despite its criticisms, America’s Army has been around and running for over a decade and a half, continuing to expose the younger generation of what life is like in the United States Army.
