The Game Developers Conference is not necessarily the place one would most expect to see a presence from the U.S. military. But video games are so enmeshed in popular culture – particularly for young males – that the Army has for years been using them to appeal to potential recruits.
The Army will release the latest version of its free, downloadable first-person shooter game, “America’s Army 3,” this summer.
In an interview, Maj. Michael Marty emphasized the game’s realism. “It’s not Rambo.”
“You’re going to come in here and learn what it’s like to be a soldier. Look, with the economy being what it is, people are saying the U.S. army is not hurting for recruits. Well, we don’t want to be the fall back position. We want kids to self-select into our business. And we think that if they understood all of the things that go into being a soldier… the Army will sell itself. All we want is the opportunity to tell our story.”
“And there will be some kids who thought ‘I’m going in the Army.’ They experience it here virtually and they say ‘you know what, it’s not quite what I thought.’”
