The Army Experience Center (AEC) is a recruiting station for the US Army located in a mall in Philadelphia. The center—unlike the depressing and drab storefront recruiting stations often found in suburban strip malls—is shiny, comfy, and filled with Xbox 360s and gaming PCs.
The
AEC was featured in a segment on the PBS program, "Frontline: digital nation", showcasing its use of video games to attract teenagers, who hopefully later join the Army.
Frontline also focused on the pickets against the AEC, under the mantra
"War is not a game". Protesters interviewed accused the Army of using violent video games to deceive teenagers into thinking war is fun.
Now, I have my own bones to pick with Army recruitment practices, but I want to talk about why the protesters are wrong. I think they are simply making video games the scapegoat, once again.
Also, war IS most certainly a game. That's why it translates so well into video games. Let's look at the roster of video games that the AEC offers:
Halo 3
Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty 5
Gears of War 2
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
GRAW 2
Madden NFL '09
America's Army
World of Warcraft
All of these are war games. Yes, even Madden. Football is a war simulator. Most of these are ESRB "Mature" titles, i.e. 17+ years of age, but the Frontline video shows 14 year olds playing CoD, so whatever.
An Army recruitment center isn't going to put a veteran missing a limb manning a recruitment center. Taco Bell isn't going to show a depressed fat guy sadly snarfing 7-layer burritos. Microsoft isn't going to report the real statistics about Xbox 360 repair rates. This is marketing. Marketing is an industry of lies.
But what's most important is that these games are popular and free to play at the AEC. They get kids in the door and keep them coming back. Video games are fun. That's why the protesters want the place shut down. They think their kids are too stupid to not realize what being in the Army really means. What they don't realize is that if their kids are that stupid, they're doomed anyway.
I think it's summed up well by Maj. Larry F. Dillard, Jr. at the end of the clip: "I think [the protesters] are terrified that it'll work."
POSTSCRIPT: What really worries me.
Army of Griefers.
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Marketing is persuasion. People should be responsible enough for their lives to take in information and make informed decisions, and marketing is part of that. If you kid is of recruitment age 18+ and is persuaded by video games to go join the army, he is either stupid or has not been taught well.
Plus the Army is a good decision for some people, and if you want to go into the military and not get shot now a days, the Navy is your best bet. I have known plenty of people that entered the services, even when they had other options, because they wanted to. I think people should not automatically assume the worst with the military, people who go into them, or their recruiters.
I was a little sad when I saw the teenage kids who were signing up. They looked fresh (pimply) faced and completely gullible. They knew nothing else and I suspected from their clothes they didn't have a lot of options out of high school. I'm glad we have soldiers and I thank and honor all of them, but ideally we'd have a military of informed guys who know what they're getting into, not suckered kids. I guess I shouldn't complain given I didn't join up.
@Nate T:
I've gotta disagree. I work at a company with a marketing department, and they are about lies. And overpaying the everloving shit out of people for useless, brainless work. But you're right about taking responsibility.
At the same time, I think most kids are smart enough to realize bullshit when they step in it, unlike the protesters who think that video games can lure children into anything.