Army recruits war gamers for real thing

[rainbow4321]

So now the military is sponsoring war video game TOURNAMENTS???


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/121604dnlivarmygames.4713d.html


COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence Kagawa strides through a bland, box-shaped video gaming center, where virtual gunfire thunders from rows of computer monitors.

He surveys the crowd: more than 50 zealous gamers in dingy T-shirts, mixed with Army soldiers in camouflage. They're mostly male. Mostly young. Most are interested only in playing in the one-day tournament devoted to America's Army, a game developed by the U.S. Army to showcase Army skills and values. It's fun, the players say. And free.

Outside the gaming center, at the end of a strip mall, National Guard members surround Humvees and other military vehicles. They hand out pamphlets and T-shirts and tell potential recruits what they can do in the service. Inside, gamers do those things virtually.

At the tournament, several gamers say that they're already inclined to join the military and that the game shows them what to expect. At least one player had enlisted after talking to a recruiter he met through the game. America's Army debuted in 2002, touted as part recruiting tool and part video gaming experience. The Army has sponsored 30 tournaments such as this one and hopes to have more than 100 in the next year.

[dubyaD40web]

1. WTF?

"It's fun, the players say. And free."

Execpt you don't DIE!!!

[htuttle]

2. Sure, First Person Shooter games will create GREAT military habits

Like charging straight at the enemy while jumping up and down as fast as you can. Oh, and griping about the DAMNED CAMPERS hiding out and taking sniper shots at you.

"Shouldn't there be some powerups around here somewhere?"

Pathetic.

[saigon68]

3. They Can reflect on this (graphic)

As they munch on their pizza between rounds



Caring for the Wounded in Iraq — A Photo Essay

George E. Peoples, M.D., James R. Jezior, M.D., and Craig D. Shriver, M.D.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/351/24/2476



High-energy gunshot wound to the abdomen, passing through the liver.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. And that is not one of the worst I have seen

But lets not go there, or some folks WILL LOOSE their lunch

[Forkboy]

5. I see you've watched me play

:)

[progressiveBadger]

11. Whaddya mean there's no such thing as energy swords or plasma grenades?nt

[Kitsune]

12. I can just see it now.

"FUCKING AWP WHORE WTF!?!11"
"LOZL SHOTTIE NINJAAAAAA :D :D :D :D"
"a/s/l?"
"STFU AND PLAY TEH GAEM"


I pray that the genius who thought this idea up goes and plays some Counterstrike on public servers and sees what kind of idiots (like me) frequent them before they try to put them into actual battle and get people killed.


/camps the sewers :x

[BrotherBuzz]

4. The late Gary Webb had some words about this

http://newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2004-10-14/cover.asp

The Killing Game

For young men, first-person shooters are the hottest computer games around. That's why the Army's spent $10 million making one of its own. But there's a catch. Big Brother gets to watch you play.

It's Tuesday, practice night forthe LANatomas Counter-Strike clan. Five young men wearing headphones are sitting side by side before a bank of computer monitors, fingers flickering over keyboards, mouses clicking, yelling out warnings to each other. The room, a narrow computer-gaming center in a suburban strip mall, is pleasantly dim, lit with black light and neon. Blue Oyster Cult thrums through the sound system, but not loudly.

On-screen, the clan creeps quietly down a dark hallway of an oil pumping station in Russia, assault rifles and flash-bang grenades in hand, looking to kill five terrorists who are attempting to dynamite the complex. They think their enemies are hiding somewhere in ambush, hoping to draw LANatomas into a trap, and they're right.

"They're in CT spawn!‚" one of the clan shouts suddenly. "Left side!‚"

"I see them!‚" his neighbor yells back., "They're stacked!‚" "Don't peek‚" their clan leader warns. ‚"I'll get them.‚" Before he can move, he is riddled with terrorist bullets and slumps to the ground. The rest of the clan quickly meets the same bloody fate, and the message‚ "terrorists win‚" flashes on the screen. The game resets, and they begin another round.

LANatomas is an hour into its twice-weekly practice, getting ready for its season opener Sunday night against res.ilience, a clan from the Seattle area. In preseason standings, LANatomas is the top-ranked team in the Pacific Conference of the Cyberathlete Amateur League's Main Division, and the members hope to claw their way into the Premier Division this season, one step from the big time. But at the moment, the Premier Division clan they're practicing against--Eminence, from Dallas--is mowing them down.

<More

Worth the read, and written by one of the last real journalist. I will miss you Gary.

[genieroze]

6. The winner get a four year tour of Iraq. eom

[Sandpiper]

7. War is just like Xbox!

Except you die for real and don't get any extra lives.

[durablend]

8. No invincibility cheats either!

Those codes ain't gonna do you any good!

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. WHAT? Yuo have to be kidding me

War is fun and just like X-Box, just ask the recurits! they were told such by a bright eye recruiter.

Disclaimer the recruiters will not say this but still OIF

[Protagoras]

25. Don't forget that the people you casually slaughter

don't just respawn 5 minutes later so they can go home to their families either.

Isn't the casual desensitization of our society to violent killing a spiffy thing?

[neverforget]

13. "the game shows them what to expect" except for the blood, the carnage

the noise, the smell, the chaos, and of course, the death. But damn it, it's just like the real thing! :eyes: :puke: I feel sorry for these kids. The recruiters are preying on their youthful vigor and highly impressionable naive nature. I once was like that......

[Vox_Reason]

14. A modern version of an old story

Remember back in the day when "Missile Command" was an arcade smash hit, and the rumor was that the government knew who all the top players were and was planning to vigorously recruit them?

[Anakin Skywalker]

15. Are Cheats Allowed in these Games?

Type ~ to bring up console, then type "god", "godmode" now activated. :) Congratulations, you are now invicible!

[TahitiNut]

16. Nobody tells 'em how many points they need before they get armor, though.

:eyes: When will they add the stench of rotting corpses to the video games?

[saigon68]

17. That's the part I remember.

Nothing smells like "BLOATED CORPSES" that have been out in the ho humid "fresh" 95 degree heat with 95% humidity.

[blindpig]

18. can you say "Ender's Game"? n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

19. Interesting thought n/t

[nashville_brook]

22. orick and crick n/t

[uppityperson]

20. It's available online too, you can play from the comfort of YOUR home

Of course, it's monitored, but that's a small price to pay for playing such a neat, fun game.

[VegasWolf]

21. But if you get killed in Iraq there's no reset button. n/t

[hollowdweller]

23. I always thought most violent videogames were secretly introduced by DOD

Desensitize them

[Sin]

24. Yea i saw this when it came out

+ when the Most violent vid game list was released for the holiday season this wasn't on the titles that were repeated at nausium for a week Sad thing is you can get this for free just fill out a form and you know make sure you tell them your over 18 and bingo free army game for ya.
Don't get me wrong I like fps games there Quite fun but this was funded by taxpayer dollars still run by them and basically its just an info gathering tool and recruitment tool. Hard core gamers that play this game basicly are using it just because its free. Most don't want any thing to do with the army just the free game.

[CatholicEdHead]

26. Video Game market is war propaganda

Look at the recent games. Some of the more promted titles Halo2/Tom Clancy's new game are pure military training games.

The commercial for the new Tom Clancy game is pure propangada. It is aimed against US actions against North Korea.