Military Anxiety... An Army Recruitment Video Game

“It's a Video Game, and an Army Recruiter”

This was the title of an article I just read. It seems that Army recruitment is a serious business, and their numbers are at an all time low.

As a parent, I’m rather concerned. A computer game devised by the US Army has come under fire from parents anxious that it glorifies violence.

The army hopes that the game, America's Army, will help it to attract the tens of thousands of young people it needs to join its ranks each year. It is an online, multiplayer video game that they believe will lure teenagers into Army culture, hoping both to educate them about the military and to spark interest in volunteering to serve.

I understand that our military is stretched thin, and we need young men to serve. However, this is just outlandish! We are in a bogus war, and the military is attempting to recruit through an online video game?

In my mind, this is just disturbing. Sure, the military sits behind claims such as “it employs a realistic and team-oriented approach to give players a sense of what it is like to join the Army, to train how to use weapons and then how to work together on missions.” So this is about teamwork? Sure it is.

Let me just say this flat out. I fear and do not trust my government. And I know there are many out there who feel the same way after all the lies. So, we’re recruiting the next generation of innocents to be put in harms way through shooting games?

Am I the only one here who finds this disingenuous and could possibly be causing future anxiety related issues, say, oh, I don’t know… coming home from a war zone!

I, for one, believe in protecting my children. And the United States Military seems to have blatantly gone over the top here with the creation of this game. They say the game is about all its values, including discipline. I say the game is a blatant attempt to get young minds to join the Army so they might get the chance to go and shoot some Arabs.

Here’s what worries me the most. I recently read that so far, there are 11 million logged on to play already. That’s disturbing.