http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163217

QuoteSome might think it a bit odd to find an agency like the U.S. military camping out for Halo 3, but the Air Force was on hand at a pre-launch party held yesterday down at the local GameStop in Manchester, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Union Leader was on hand to cover the event, for which more than a hundred gamers had lined up by 9:00 PM.

Part of the evening's festivities included a Halo 2 tournament to be held inside the GameStop store itself. Winners would receive a copy of Halo 3, but an unexpected snag occurred when all those under 17 years old were refused entry at the last second. "I'm sorry, but it's a company rule. We take the game ratings seriously" said company district manager Suzan Shockley. "Our store manager misunderstood the rules of the tournament."

Enter the U.S. Air Force -- who just so happened to be on hand in the parking lot with a humvee bursting with plasma TVs, Mountain Dew and copies of Halo 2. Unsurprisingly, those teenage gamers who were unable to get into the GameStop tournament were only too happy to partake in the parking lot party. "This is going to be huge," said Air Force recruiter Staff Sgt. Christopher Johnson. "We expect a big showing. We have the same demographic as [GameStop]. Our target market is identical to that of videogame stores."

Johnson also said that a separate tailgating event held the previous month at the launch of Madden NFL '08 netted the Air Force two new recruits. "I was warned when I got to New Hampshire that it was a very liberal, not exactly pro-military environment" commented the Staff Sergeant. "But so far I haven't had any negative feedback."

It's not news the military has been aggressively farming the culture of gaming for new blood. Back in April, the Army began sponsoring the Global Gaming League as a method for attracting the interest of new recruits. Besides cash and prizes, those who excelled at playing America's Army competitively "won" the dubious honor of increased interest from US recruiters. At the time, the initiative was described by Army personnel as carrying "a hefty goal for leads" and carried a rumored sponsorship dollar figure of $2 million.

Some members of the local populace were not so impressed with the Air Force's marketing effort. Joe Turcotte, an ex-Iraqi vet and member of the local chapter of Iraqi Veterans Against the War, sat uneasy as he watched yesterday's events unfold. "The whole idea of serving your country out of patriotism gets lost," said Turcotte. "It cheapens the honor and sacrifice when you turn it into a video game. We are proud of our service to our country, but there's something about this that just doesn't seem right. I would like to know if there's a disclaimer," he concluded. "I [wonder] if they're warning kids that their actual combat experience may vary. War is not a game."

Iraqi Veterans Against the War is the same organization that staged a protest against America's Army at a similar recruitment initiative held last month at the Missouri Black Expo.

Yeah, I'm not really comfortable with that.

I first saw one of the dedicated "entertainment Humvees" at a local festival a few years back, and I had sort of the diet/lite version of your discomfort.  

My initial thought was "Is that thing armed?" and then I realized that there was just no place they could fit guns in amidst the pulsing neon, pounding subwoofers and general TV screens.

Then I thought to myself "Now hey ... should my tax dollars go toward letting soldiers crank their songs and watch Blu-Ray?" but that lasted about two seconds before my mind came back with "Morale's a big deal, why would they ignore such an obvious, portable and modular way to give troops a boost?  And once you have the thing, why wouldn't you bring it out to entertain civilians when the opportunity arose?"

Then, finally, I wondered whether they had some recruiting agenda for being at the festival.  My conclusion was "Yeah, of course ... but they've got a great big honking mobile entertainment center, and if there primary message is 'Hey, we're the military!  We've got high-def plasma!' then that's both accurate and fair."

Likewise:  "Hey, we're the military!  We take gaming way more seriously than even the game-stores do!" is (in this case) both accurate and fair.

It's likely that because of this message some people will make decisions they live (or don't) to regret ... but that's the nature of most marketing, isn't it?  I think it's the same synergy-of-opportunity as the "Halo 3 Limited Edition Mountain Dew Game Fuel".

Why not? Its just another recruitment method, and if ANYONE is going to be a perfect fit for a New Age Air Force job flying drones, it'd be gamers. Who do you think invented the things?

Quote from: TonyLBThen I thought to myself "Now hey ... should my tax dollars go toward letting soldiers crank their songs and watch Blu-Ray?" but that lasted about two seconds before my mind came back with "Morale's a big deal, why would they ignore such an obvious, portable and modular way to give troops a boost? And once you have the thing, why wouldn't you bring it out to entertain civilians when the opportunity arose?"

...or sponsoring NASCARs.  That's for recruitment not morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR).

I think this guy should get some sort of award for being creative, and trying to speak to kids at their level, while keeping his job fun and real.

Quote from: J ArcaneYeah, I'm not really comfortable with that.

How do you feel about Microsoft advertising to people in the same demographic to get them to fork over $70 or so (not to mention substantially more for the special edition) for the game?

I don't see a problem with any of it . Other than my general dislike of video games - at least if those kids sign up for the miltary they won't be sitting around with their game controllers and getting fat butts into their early 20s. Thewy will exercise off some of that teenage fat, maybe learn responsibility and grow up a little.

I'm on the military's side - over 50% of our regular customers are military folk or their relatives.

 - Ed C.

Don't apologize for something you believe in. I'd rather have kids getting the soft sell from recruiters from the military than recruiters from gangs, or worse corporations.

As a part time member (at best) of Unca Sam's Jackbooted Thuggery Brigade I say:

The more the friggin' better!  Bwahahahahahaha!

But, the fact that the Air Force is the ones pushing their brand of shill negates whatever good could come from those fine lads putting their hard-earned skills behind the trigger of one of the M-16 derivatives so often found in any number of villages/roads/etc. frequented by our GROPOS.

Air Force types aren't the ones to venture far past the wire in my experience (and feel free to set me straight on this one, those who have been there), and that means that trigger-happy types are an oddity and anachronism better suited to the Army or Marines.  

Ah well, we're selling war to the contractors anyway, so why should I be worried, right?

Quote from: Serious PaulI think this guy should get some sort of award for being creative, and trying to speak to kids at their level, while keeping his job fun and real.

Agreed, especially since I joined the Navy because the Air Force recruiter I saw was a cocksmock.

Quote from: John MorrowHow do you feel about Microsoft advertising to people in the same demographic to get them to fork over $70 or so (not to mention substantially more for the special edition) for the game?

So you see less wrong with an organization attempting to encourage underage boys to go off and get blown up by IEDs, than with a company marketing a mediocre video game?

Quote from: J ArcaneSo you see less wrong with an organization attempting to encourage underage boys to go off and get blown up by IEDs, than with a company marketing a mediocre video game?

Its the Air Force. They send their Officers into combat while the Enlisted stay back at base.


Also, you're not making sense. If the boys were underage, then they couldn't enlist in the first place. They also aren't being "encouraged" to get blown up, they're encouraged to fight and stay alive.

Quote from: J ArcaneSo you see less wrong with an organization attempting to encourage underage boys to go off and get blown up by IEDs, than with a company marketing a mediocre video game?

Beyond the fact that we're talking about the Air Force, beyond the fact that 17 isn't all that underage (the Geneva Convention allows for soldiers as young at 14, by the way), beyond the fact that those kids would have to really have their heads in the sand to not know that there is a war going on, beyond the fact that not everyone in the military gets blown up by IEDs no matter how much the press wants you to believe that, I don't think it's ethically worse to get boys to think about a military career than it is to pitch them expensive luxury items which they are going to buy with money they most likely didn't earn themselves.  

Or how about some moral outrage over colleges who convince little Skippy and Buffy to burn through up to $40,000 of their parents savings and home equity a year (or go deeply into debt with student loans so they can graduate in the hole) so they can sleep until noon, get drunk in their dorm, protest for silly causes, and learn about things that nobody cares about in the real world and, without a graduate degree, won't qualify them to do anything?  At least the military actually pays people a salary and gives people money for college.  As an added bonus, they'll learn to get up before noon and be on time for work, which is something their future employers actually do care about.

So what do you think the military should do?  Actively discourage recruits, perhaps by posting pictures of victims of IEDs throughout their recruiting offices?

Quote from: jeff37923Also, you're not making sense. If the boys were underage, then they couldn't enlist in the first place. They also aren't being "encouraged" to get blown up, they're encouraged to fight and stay alive.

They were 17.  Of course if we were talking about sex, birth control, abortions, driving, or any number of other things, we'd be hearing about how adult these kids are and how prepared they are to make their own choices about life.

You're expecting J. Arcane to make sense??

If they're old enough to drive a car and get into R-rated movies then talking to a recruiter is not that big a deal.


- Ed C.