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[Eddie-Griffin]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/u...iting-efforts-on-video-game-playing-teenagers

The U.S. Military is intensifying its efforts to meet young people where they spend their time: online and on their devices. But, as John Yang reports, there are critics who say these new recruiting methods also raise new concerns.

• John Yang:
  Among the make-believe superheroes and Stormtroopers at this San Antonio car show and comic convention, the Air Force hopes to find its next generation of real-life warriors.
  So, in a hall filled with iconic cars from TV shows and movies, the Air Force's star attraction, a 70-foot trailer filled with touch-screen games and F-35 fighter jet simulators.
  Air Force recruiter Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Cabrera.
  How valuable is this in terms of generating leads for you as a recruiter?
• Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Cabrera, Recruiter, U.S. Air Force:
  Oh, it's extremely valuable. The reason being is, I'm not just out here by myself. I have done multiple events where I'm just by myself at a table, and I don't get as much foot traffic.
  With assets like this, it does generate that foot traffic, 100 percent.
• John Yang:
  The price of admission? Giving Air Force recruiters contact and demographic information.
• Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Cabrera:
  Whenever you're ready, just going to start the game.
  Cabrera says the games are intended to reflect real-life skills like defusing an explosive device.
  So I have probably blown up.
• Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Cabrera:
  I would say so.
  (LAUGHTER)
• John Yang:
  It's an in person element of the Pentagon's push to reach Generation Z, those born after 1996. Almost 90 percent of them play games on phones and other devices. So what better way to get their attention?
• Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas Jr., Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service:
  A basic rule in recruiting is, you got to go where your market is.
• John Yang:
  Major General Edward Thomas Jr. is commander of the Air Force recruiting service.
• Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas Jr.:
  If we're looking at the average recruiting population, ages 17 to 24, we have got to be where they are in those virtual spaces.
• John Yang:
  Last year, the Air Force released two new free games. One is called "Command the Stack." Aimed at those 13 and older, it's an augmented reality mission simulator that uses real satellite scans. The games can be played on the Air Force Web site or downloaded from app stores. They're promoted through targeted online advertising.
• Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas Jr.:
  So about 80 percent of all our advertising and all of our outreach is done online. It's done in those virtual spaces. At a very broad level, it's done from everything from Twitter to Snapchat to Facebook.
• John Yang:
  All just to show Gen Z that they have a place in a service that this year marks its 75th anniversary amid what Pentagon officials say is the toughest recruiting environment across the military in decades.
• Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas Jr.:
  It's been an unusually difficult recruiting market, as our recruiters have gone out and reengaged at the end of COVID, fought through the labor challenges that we have going on.

Rest of the interview in the link.

Not sure it's a good thing to be manipulating easily swayed, and sometimes incel video game playing youngsters. That doesn't seem to be the demographic you would want to go after. You'd think they'd go after the sports jocks, or some of the other high school demographics.

You are also trying to make joining the military seem like a real-life video game, except you forget to mention that you feel the on screen pain for real, and that pain and the damage it causes can be permanent. Also you don't have any lives, you can't respawn, and you don't have active reloads so you screwing up can get you or your team mates in trouble. You also have to be in the battlefield which wills care many of these players like a deer in headlights.

In this case we are talking about the Airforce, so along with the ground you have air, which actually introduces more chances of fatality than on the ground, with less time or chance of recovery with mistakes because you are hundreds to thousands of miles in the sky.

But the military has been heading in this direction for years now, many of the Army commercials are video game trailers at this point. It's basically fraud when you think about it.

 

[nocsi]

Well yea, remember Americas army? Game development got too expensive for the USM so they’ve switched over to recruiting at game tournaments. Pay attention to who the sponsors are

The modern military benefits greatly from gamers who like to repeat monotonous tasks for dopamine rushes. What’d you expect a drone operator is really doing? It’s basically tailored like a video game. So of course you want some nerd to drop bombs on people rather than having jocks try and move a joystick. Drone operators have even standardized controls upon Xbox controllers

 

[Gamerguy84]

Im pretty good at Ace combat.

 

[the_master]

It bothers me that an army uses videogames for recruitment.
Videogames are supposed to be for fun, not for murder

 

[Three]

Why not. They will be flying unmanned drones anyway.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

One look at how the VA is managed or at all the abandoned homeless veterans that make the streets their home in most US cities is enough to understand why no young adult in their right mind wants to join the military.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

My homie in the air force said a bunch of people joined because of Ace Combat and Macross. Better do your research boys, you can groom them easy.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

There is a lot to digest here.

Targeting incels is a great idea, give them structure in their life and the ability to be around other people.

You have a much better chance of survival in the air force than other branches, a very VERY few members of the air force actually get the slightest whiff of combat. How many jet fighter pilots do you think there are?

And hundreds of thousands of miles????

The fucking moon is 239000 miles away bro lmao, where do you think they're flying?

Air force deaths aren't all that far off from any job working with heavy machinery

 

[AlteredForms]

Hey man, Top Gun: Maverick was essentially one big propaganda film for the US Navy. But you know what, it was entertaining propaganda.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

There is a lot to digest here.

Targeting incels is a great idea, give them structure in their life and the ability to be around other people.

You have a much better chance of survival in the air force than other branches, a very VERY few members of the air force actually get the slightest whiff of combat. How many jet fighter pilots do you think there are?

And hundreds of thousands of miles????

The fucking moon is 239000 miles away bro lmao, where do you think they're flying?

Air force deaths aren't all that far off from any job working with heavy machinery

The Navy has the highest intellectual standards out of all the branches as they don't want just any idiot to be piloting or working on machinery that costs hundreds of millions of dollars each. Unless these incels are smart, even the Navy wont want them.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

The Navy has the highest intellectual standards out of all the branches as they don't want just any idiot to be piloting or working on machinery that costs hundreds of millions of dollars each. Unless these incels are smart, even the Navy wont want them.

Navy still needs people to swab the deck and haul garbage around etc.

Air force has a higher asvab requirement for both high school and ged (+15 college credits for ged admission which navy doesn't have), so I'm not sure where you're getting that from.

Also I don't know the numbers, but I think it's probably a safe guess that space force has the highest intellectual standards, followed by air force then navy, coast guard, army/marines about the same

 

[lovetalkgames]

Of course. Used to see the gaming stations at the mall set up strategically next to the recruiting stations. It’s a cold world.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Navy still needs people to swab the deck and haul garbage around etc.

Air force has a higher asvab requirement for both high school and ged (+15 college credits for ged admission which navy doesn't have), so I'm not sure where you're getting that from.

Also I don't know the numbers, but I think it's probably a safe guess that space force has the highest intellectual standards, followed by air force then navy, coast guard, army/marines about the same

Sorry, for some reason I was thinking Air Force but wrote Navy.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Why is this hobby so stigmatized?

It seems that the US is the only country I have seen that demonizes this hobby that does no harm to anyone.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

Sorry, for some reason I was thinking Air Force but wrote Navy.

You weren't very far off.

In actuality though, and I'm fairly certain that this is across the branches, medical exclusions are significantly more common than intellectual ones.

Medical can exclude you for life, but I'm fairly certain that you can retake asvab and anything like it.

It's not exactly a high hurdle to leap even if you're a dummy.

I was under the impression that incels were typically like books mart but socially inept, am I wrong on that? Genuinely asking lol

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

And hundreds of thousands of miles????

The fucking moon is 239000 miles away bro lmao, where do you think they're flying?

it said hundred to thousands of miles lol.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

it said hundred to thousands of miles lol.

 

[JackNightblade]

as time goes on the idea of mandated time in military for all citizens appeals more and more to me.

 

[Halo is Back]

I remember back in high school, they always called me. So this doesn't sound out of the ordinary. I already know they like to target COD fans.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

as time goes on the idea of mandated time in military for all citizens appeals more and more to me.

This is a terrible suggestion for numerous reasons, but id love to hear your reasoning

 

[NeonGhost]

Most combat vehicle controls are like that of a video game controller so yeah it would be natural to have that knowledge already

 

[Doom85]

Sergeant: All right, recruit, what skills do you bring to this unit?!
Gamer: Sir! I’ve beaten Fire Emblem 3 Houses using no weapons or magic attacks from any of my characters!
Sergeant: Goddamn it, recruit! That’s what I like to hear! You are going to be a goddamn general someday!

 

[ReBurn]

They must have watched Ender's Game

 

[lh032]

It bothers me that an army uses videogames for recruitment.
Videogames are supposed to be for fun, not for murder

Not for the US ; P

 

[BlackTron]

I don't think the AF is going after that demographic because they think they're impressionable or easy.

I think it's because they have the skills that they require. Simple as that.

 

[ManaByte]

We’re fucked.

 

[Northeastmonk]

When I worked at GameStop we’d have recruiters come in wanting to leave their cards for customers. It’s a honorable thing to do, but it’s also a buzz kill. There was a local game store and all they did was hire people who joined.

It’s probably because there are kids who don’t have any direction in life other than playing video games all day.

Why is this hobby so stigmatized?

It seems that the US is the only country I have seen that demonizes this hobby that does no harm to anyone.

Is it getting better or worse? To me, video games become popular again and again. You have grandma and grandpa playing some sorta video game. The Wii brought in a million or so casual gamers. It burned out and a lot of people sold their Wii. Video Games are now a big part of a streamers life style. They play games and they get paid, some millions for just enjoying their hobby. Not everyone can do that, especially when you’re an older adult with a family. You game whenever you have time. I can’t quit my day job and play games all day. There’s probably millions of people who watch Twitch all day and have gotten nothing from it. So you have people criticize video games like they did in the 90’s when people didn’t know anything about them. What it really boils down to is being informed and being smart with your time, money, and energy. Who really cares about video games besides those of us who have enjoyed video games for decades now? It’s the youth who grab at video games because they’re a good babysitter. They aren’t a priority or something that matters to the real world. So I think it’s best to say, “forget about what other people think because you aren’t going to please everyone”.

 

[Nocturno999]

Why is this hobby so stigmatized?

It seems that the US is the only country I have seen that demonizes this hobby that does no harm to anyone.

It's not demonizing. An avid gamer has developed skills and qualities that average people don't.

 

[cash_longfellow]

It's not demonizing. An avid gamer has developed skills and qualities that average people don't.

“Average people” . What? So non gamers are all average? Wow, talk about narcissism.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

It's not demonizing. An avid gamer has developed skills and qualities that average people don't.

It's also nothing like it used to be.

When I was playing football every day (this is mid 2000s mind you) in between two-a-days, we'd go to someone's house and play madden.

Playing video games is extremely common amongst jocks, I still saw it when I used to coach football mid 2010s as well...

Maybe I just slipped through, but I was literally never stigmatized in person for playing video games lol, I've dated girls who play and those who have never picked up a stick.... Never an issue.

Tbh I sometimes wonder if there's some sort of persecution complex going on, stranger things is one of the most popular shows in decades and the kids all play games and d&d lol.

If anything, I'm positive that I could find a rec basketball league exponentially quicker than a d&d in-person group

 

[Trazyn the Infinite]

I mean, did anyone remember GI Joe? Was literally selling the army to children. This is nothing new.

 

[daninthemix]

Why join the military when I can just pretend to be in the military in countless games while sitting around in my string vest and britches snacking continuously.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

They were always recruiting through gaming. America's Army. And who knows what other games the US military branches have done.

And dont forget the 50 billion military salute events before sports event. That stuff is paid for by military marketing budgets. Sports stadiums dont do it for free.

 

[RyanEvans21]

One look at how the VA is managed or at all the abandoned homeless veterans that make the streets their home in most US cities is enough to understand why no young adult in their right mind wants to join the military.

Benefits,Allowance,Free Education,Housing Etc....

 

[plip.plop]

I was in the Air Force, everyone plays video games. Most of the Air Force will never be in any danger, even when they deploy most never even leave the base. They'll be fine in the Air Force if anything, it might help get their ass in shape.

 

[kanjobazooie]

The power of persuasion is a strong one. You can't take a step anywhere without being encouraged in some way to buy, take, accept, or think of a specific thing.

We are pretty much wired to feel this force every day of our life.

(Sorry for being extra philosophical. I'm just going through a bout of insomnia. lmao)

 

[MasterCornholio]

Why not. They will be flying unmanned drones anyway.

 

[Impotaku]

Why join the military when I can just pretend to be in the military in countless games while sitting around in my string vest and britches snacking continuously.

Why bother with all that indoctrination and paperwork in the military before going abroad to gun down brown people when you can just do it on your doorstep. Seems like the favourite pastime in the USA is grabbing a gun shooting up a mall/cinema/school/church I’m surprised videogames get a look in to be honest.

 

[Skifi28]

Allow me to use an anime waifu skin on my plane when destributing freedom to third world countries and I'm game.