The U.S. Military has noticed a steady decrease in recruitment. To combat the decrease, the Pentagon has focused on recruiting members of Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, by one of the most used online activities, video games. Unknown to most people, the U.S. Military has collaborated with gamemakers behind popular games, such as Call of Duty for this purpose.
To capitalize on the popularity of some of these games and aid recruitment efforts, A 70-foot trailer filled with touch-screen games and F-35 fighter jet simulators drove to the San Antonio car show and comic convention, generating a lot of attention.
“I have done multiple [recruiting] events where I’m just by myself at a table, and I don’t get as much foot traffic,” Sgt. Jeffrey Cabrera, Recruiter, U.S. Air Force said. “With an asset like this trailer, it does generate that foot traffic, 100%.”
The Air Force has also released two new video games, accessible for free. One game is called “Command the Stack,” a mission-simulation game that uses real satellite scans. The game is aimed at kids 13 and older.
As part of the game, when players attend to a “mission,” they work with airmen in different stacks to gather intelligence, plan attacks, neutralize enemies and deliver aid.
Kamryn Glock, a freshman at Linganore High School, downloaded and played “Command the Stack” for an hour.
“The game is hard at first, but you understand it more as you play more,” Glock said.
The only problem Glock reported was the game freezing and then “crashing at random times.”
While the game is made by the Air Force to inspire teens to think about the Army as a future career, there is some controversy behind these tactics. One of the main platforms used to push the video games is Twitch. Twitch’s age limit is 13 or older. Many people have objected to the use of these recruitment tactics on platforms where younger teens can be influenced.
Some have even expressed how wrong they think it is to glamorize war through video games. They claim it gives the wrong impression to kids who may want to join the military.
An activist named Jordan Uhl wrote in The Nation that “Instead of approaching a recruiter behind a table in a school cafeteria, kids can hang out with one who is playing their favorite video games and replying to their chat messages for hours on end.”
In response to this controversial approach to recruiting, U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a bill in 2020 to stop the military from using videogames to recruit. The bill was passed by Congress and supported by civilians.
Despite this response from congress, not many seem to be aware of this recruiting tactic. Gabriella Joseph, a junior at Linganore who has expressed interest in joining the U.S. Army, was interviewed about this recruiting tactic.
“I’ve never heard about this [recruiting tactic],” Joseph said. “I was interested in joining because of my family members who served.”
Although it was not the reason for her interest in the armed forces, Joseph believes a recruiting tactic like this could still be effective for some groups.
“It might work with gamers, or the people who are always online,” Joseph said.
