November 25, 2005
FINDING ENDER:
US army cuts teeth on video game (Clark Boyd, 11/25/05, BBC)
America's Army is one of the most popular computer games on the planet and like many games, it is a shoot-em-up, get-the-bad guys kind of affair.But unlike other games, America's Army is truly a product of the US military. The Army first released the game a few years ago as a recruiting tool.
But, at the recent Serious Games Summit in Washington, DC, the Army showed off a new use for its computer game - training soldiers for combat.
America's Army now has six million registered users, and scores of fansites, worldwide. That is not just because the Army gives the game away online for free.
Posted by Orrin Judd at November 25, 2005 12:40 PM
You just know somebody in the MSM is going to tut-tut this. Later they'll give glowing reviews to the latest nilistic Sin City Let's-Kill-and-Rape-Everybody video game.
Posted by: Gideon at November 25, 2005 2:52 PMI've got AA on my machine at home. It's rather nicely realistic, and the game is designed to force you to act within the Army's rules of engagement in order to succeed.
The "escape and evasion" training module is one of the most interesting games I've ever played, and the medic training is a neat little introductory first aid course.
Posted by: Mike Morley at November 25, 2005 8:26 PMBTW, OJ, like the Ender's Game reference. You have good taste in literature.
Posted by: Mike Morley at November 25, 2005 8:36 PM"Ender's Game" is not a positive portrayal of this recruitment method. In Card's novels, the Xenocide wasn't a good thing, and in any case Ender was tricked into it. This is more like "The Last Starfighter," that movie from the 80s with the Music Man playing the alien recruiter.
Posted by: ted welter at November 26, 2005 7:21 AMSome 40% of new Army recruits report having played "America's Army" prior to enlisting.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://brothersjuddblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 27, 2005 5:04 AM