@TechnoSmurf: @Final: They should put Psychonauts. The Basic Braining scene in that game was epic.

Groggy Banana

interesting... i wonder if the simulator will include getting shot or getting a limb blown off by an ied

Weihovah

@Final: I would see cod4 as the most relevant game they could put up

TechnoSmurf

2002 video game? Are they nuts? The graphics in those days can't cater the hyper realistic blood, gore, and power ups, that today's would-be soldiers crave so much.

I can see that you tried to milk as many jokes as possible in the article, but there just has to be more.

Groggy Banana

So they're going to have PCs running Halo Wars, Red Alert 3 and Starcraft 2 in the near future?

Final

Hey now, don't dis those simulators. They are a helluva lot of fun.

Xaldian

The woman/hippie guy in the picture has a coffee cup tucked under her/his arm, and what's in the tube? Is that a Voss water bottle full of talcum powder?

SuperCollider

@sickpup: I figured as much.

gadgetplay

That's smart and about time they went this route. The Army already hires the same design firms that create websites for popular musicians and whatever is hip with teens and 20-somethings.

yo_jimbo

Recruitment levels sagging? Perhaps you should check the latest DoD numbers...

sickpup

I like how this has nothing to do with Apple, and its not even "Apple playbook". Its using video games that were created to interest kids in the army to recruit. Its just marketing. So apple created marketing and using video games to interest children? That I really didn't know.

Calvo

"... and this is the iKill Deathray. Only effects Muslims and brown races. Notice our entire stock is white?"

...

tehronin

I'd try this, if only for the simulators.

techwiz140

It's a 2002 game, but since it's intro it's been continuously patched and updated. I'm not a heavy gamer, but it's one of the most fun and realistic multi-player FPSers out there. Plus it's free. That always gets me wet.

And yeah, recruitment levels aren't sagging. For FY 2007, every branch of the military met or exceeded their recruitment and retention goals.

coketown

@sickpup:
Don't let facts get in the way of the narrative.

jbs0902

gotta love the john and yoko pic in the back

godwhacker

@Groggy Banana: They give away AA the simulators they run are not AA, they are specialized for scenarios.

Xaldian

If you were excited about our 2003 iRaq disaster release, you'll be positively apocalyptic about what we are considering for iRan.

IsabelSongbird

(never having been in the military, I don't actually know. it's probably more like 98% and 3am.)

photophile

Great way to recruit. Lie to the kids by telling them it's non-stop action, only to have them realize that 95% of the first while is getting up at 4am and having some control freak yell at you all day.

photophile

america's army is a video game that has been patched and updated multiple times and plus an entire new game "America's Army 3" with next gen graphics is coming out in November

tenio

When you don't meet your recruitment goals, the solution isn't try half-assed measures to boost recruitment. The solution is the draft.

Personally, I think that there should be a requirement that a declaration of war automatically triggers the draft. Might make the people in charge a little gun-shy so to speak.

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: They'll just do what they've been doing since WWII, which was the last time the US signed a proper declaration of war. (This is an argument neither for nor against US military policy. Just a statement of fact. I <3 freedom fries & toast & ticklers)

coketown

America's Army should install a nasty root kit that, after taking one bullet during your first virtual mission, it hoses your computer and prevents you from reentering the virtual battle field without a complete reinstall.

No doubt you, those consequences pale in comparison to the consequences a real soldier experiences, but at least they're not a simple restart.

Also, someone needs to release America's Marines... I want to climb a mountain and fight a fire monster with a sword. TV tells me that Marines do that awesome shit all the time.

aquaosx

Talk about a marketing nightmare. This is an idea from someone who lied on their resume' I promise you it is. If you want to get recruits in times like this you make a commercial with a couple going over their bills and deciding that they can either put their kid through college next year or retire, but simply can't afford both. Then the teen comes up and says they can do both, he/she has joined the Army and the GI Bill will pay for college when they get out. Then goes on with a heartwarming blurb about defending the nation and how much his folks have done, now it's his/her turn to make sure they can retire and are taken care of.

They would be better off getting a real commercial game made that takes them in an entertaining way through Basic training and beyond than putting video kiosks in a recruitment center. If they ran the servers for multiplayer just the registration signups to play free of monthly charges would give them an endless supply of leads for recruitment. The bigger an organization is the less likely they are to get it right. Freaking take out a full page ad in Gun magazines already! All the crap about honor and duty doesn't get to a teenager. You have to show someone the benefits to them, not dribble on about leadership and duty, teenagers only feel that after they've joined up. Maybe some famous people doing testimonials who are former military, show the top people and what it's done for them. Gah what ad agency are they using? Are they using one at all?

Ok EOR (end of rant). I'm so upset, I'm going to send the Army a bill for all the crunchy cheetohs I'm about to eat to recover from my upsettiness.

Hello_Newman

I'd join if something like this went into effect but I am ineligible based on disability.

techwiz140

NOOOO GET TO THE CHOPPA !

NilSn

This is kind of silly, ultimately, because not everyone who joins the Army wants to be (or can be) a combat soldier, so emphasizing all the Hooah! Gung ho! aspects, to me, seems ultimately less effective than a more thorough recruitment process. Combat arms only makes up a fairly small portion of the Army...support staff is where most soldiers wind up. How do you glamorize supply/logistics, engineering, communications, food services, or even intelligence?

If you sell a recruit on the thrill of playing a video game, he's really going to be upset when he learns that his real term in the Army will never be that much fun. At least I had a pretty good idea what to expect when I got recruited, and even then, I was surprised at all the drudgery I experienced in the Army. And I was infantry.

Barion

Sounds a lot like "The Last Starfighter" to me. Rope 'em in with a video game then use to find the most talented players.

Give them some training and stick 'em in a tank.

laffmakr

@coketown: And this is why the War Powers Act of 1973 is a bad thing - because it gets rid of all traces of accountability.

Under the War Powers Act, the Congress can do what it did this time around - namely say "We didn't vote for war; we left that decision to the President" while allowing the President to say "The Congress gave me war powers; the clear intent was they wished me to use them".

How do you stop wars like the Iraqi War from being waged and ensure that other wars will be waged in a responsible manner:

1) Repeal the War Powers Act
2) Add an amendment to the Constitution stating that the decision to deploy troops, paramilitary forces such as specialists, and any other forces to a country in which we presently have no such forces rests solely with the Congress
3) Add another amendment to the Constitution stating that conscription shall take effect upon the declaration of war

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

Or congress could just pass the GI Bill and the president could sign it. You know, make a deal with people that ensures they will be taken care of when they eventually leave and they will be able to build a better life.

But, of course, it's easier to just say "support the troops"

wjousts

@jbs0902 and sickpup: Technically you are both correct, but in terms of purpose, Jack is still correct, and it's a little disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

It's pretty well established that the U.S. Military has been able to meet it's recruitment goals over the last five years solely by substantially lowering admissions standards regarding education, age, size, criminal records, physical ability.

Local recruiters harder and harder time meeting quotas, and this is an attempt to rectify that. The simply fact is that it's easier to recruit when there is no ongoing war than when there is. No big mystery there.

92BuickLeSabre

Personally I think they should involve indoor firing ranges as well. Might cause some problems in city limits, but I suspect if anyone can get the permits it would be the military.

There is a certain portion of the population that would be REALLY interested in firing some of the army weaponry. And guess what? Most of those people are also the most likely to actually sign up.

I remember our boy scout troup taking a trip to a military base, and part of the trip was firing of automatic weaponry, and standing next to a tank when it took out a wooden target with the cannon. It makes a lasting impression. I still remember how LOUD that was, even with the huge protective headsets they had us wear.

Would it get trigger happy people enlisting in the army? Yes, but those people already enlist in the army. That kind of stupidity CAN be trained out of a person, the army is used to it.

There are also some firing ranges outside of city limits that let you fire all sorts of crazy guns. Things like RPGs and the .50 cal sniper guns. Not cheap of course, I think the rpg was about $150 a shot. I've been to a range in Wisconsin that had that sort of thing, but when we were there, nobody was firing anything crazy. Biggest thing going off was a few machine guns. I would not suggest anything crazy in city limits, but camps outside of city limits where people could pay to fire some official military equipment might make sense (and bring in a little profit). I know I personally would love to try out the .50 cal sniper and see if it would break my collarbone, heh, or a vehicle mounted chaingun.

Alluvian

@jbs0902: Thank you.

gadgetplay

On a side note... doesn't that Apple guy look kinda like Tom Cruise? Creapy!

Xenocide

@photophile: nope. thats about right. in the navy though, you do it all while your drowning. worth that 40k bonus? i think not. my recruiters all pretty much lied and/or tried to manipulate me. glad i got out of there when i did though...

VENAT0R

"With recruitment levels sagging, the U.S. Army is going the hyper-interactive route with an experimental new store that's right out of the Apple playbook"

Well, I for one, would not join because I fear having my brains blown out the side of my head. I know how human I am unfortunately and how easily I can take a dirty nap. I recall watching a video where recently a soldier was walking and a sniper got his ass. That was a terrifying moment for me.

You may can out smart a person, but you can't out smart a high velocity round heading right toward your noggin.

The only good thing is, *hopefully* the soldier never felt a thing.

As the quote goes "All is fair in love and War" I would like to add its a scary beast that I want no part of.

God bless the ones who feel the need to join.

-Core-