Army invades the mall with video game recruitment station
Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:29PM EST
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Pssst, kid! Wanna play some video games?
That's the latest come-on from the U.S. Army, which continues to refine its approach toward engaging teens and twentysomethings. Having seen amazing success with recruiting thanks to its America's Army home computer game, the military is now taking the pitch to the mall. Specifically, to the Franklin Mills shopping center in Philadelphia, where it has set up 60 gaming PCs, 19 Xbox 360s, plush couches, and "rock music" for potential recruits to enjoy.
There's even a real Humvee that players can shoot from installed as part of a 15-foot-high projected battle simulation and an Apache helicopter simulator that recruits can fly.
Sounds like a killer gaming setup... but of course there's a not-so-ulterior motive at work. It's all part of a plan to get younger kids interested in signing up for service, thinking that shooting terrorists in active combat is all part of a day's work.
Naturally, critics are out in full force, including a former Army staff sargeant, Jesse Hamltion, who accuses the Army of misleading kids with deceptive, unrealistic scenarios. Hamilton notes that recruits are unlikely to see active combat and that "the only way to simulate the heat is holding a blow dryer to your face."
Still, the move of course comes at a good time for the Army, which has struggled to fill its ranks for several years thanks to some overwhelmingly bad press. But with civilian unemployment skyrocketing and the situation in Iraq looking better than it has in ages (particularly with the prospect of troops coming home), the Army's high-tech mall paradise may actually be more than it needs to woo the young and impressionable.
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47 Posted by woodschoolwork@prodigy.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
Nothing wrong with this. By all means recruit. And Iraq saved lives, the lives might have not been american, which is why everyone is being a hoe. Retard said "Hmm... Our own people dieing to save countless of these other guys in another country? NO EVIL BASTURDES GOVERMENT WHY DID YOU SEND OUR PEOPLE OVER TO DIE INORDER TO SAVE THOSE GUYS OVER THERE? NO IM A DUMB ----- IM NOT SAVING THEM SAVE OUR OWN PEOPLE DAMMIT!"
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48 Posted by lisazalen on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:53PM EDT Report Abuse
Wow! This video game war simulation is great stuff! My tax dollars hard at work, oh yeah! I sure hope they bring it to my local VA hospital for the vets to play with. This kind of entertainment is sure to help them in recovering from their injuries of lost limbs, post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, blindness, brain injuries & concussions, comas, chemical burns, paranoid delusions, depression, rage, constant tremors and all those minor details they just kind of left out of the "Join the Army" brochure. Too bad the guys in the morgue downstairs left the party so soon. I'm sure they would've loved these games too. Oh well, their loss....they don't don't know what their missing. Or maybe they were the first ones in line at the recruiting station?
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49 Posted by mrlaw711 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse
The Sgt. is right. This is deceptive. Hopefully, kids cannot see this until they are of age. In fairness, these locations should allow an opposite "point of view" set-up which depicts what really happens to many young people who enlist in the Army. Count right now: Nearly 5,000 U.S. troops dead and more than 15,000 with life-long serious injuries. Another 1,500 contract mercenaries and nearly 13,000 injuries. Undetermined foreign soldier (allies) dead. Over 650,000 Iraqi civilians - mostly women and children blown to bits, dismemebered, get the view. Any young person signing up for the Army should take a hard look at the reality of the contract: It states, in small print that no matter what schooling or training you think you are going to receive - they (Army) has the right to deploy your butt as needed.
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50 Posted by reinadelaz on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:35PM EDT Report Abuse
To poster #42, as a former correctional officer, I have long advocated recruitment from within the prison system. American street thugs know more about the type of combat employed by Iraqi insurgents than the highest ranking military member and thousands of inmates would gladly accept the opportunity to fight the war on terror. Sadly, to release the losers in the war on drugs would lead to unemployment for former military members unfit for private sector employment.
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51 Posted by debras_33 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:40PM EDT Report Abuse
OMG! May I say as someone who served in the Army during the 1st gulf war, I find this to be insane! You get fed such BS when you join as it is, now they want kids to think the Army is like playing a video game!? I hope these kids and their parents don't fall for that crap, ur kids life, limbs, and sanity may depend on it!
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52 Posted by mikeesperance on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
Here is something to think about, when you die in video games you can turn it off and walk away. Not in real life. what a worthless way to seduce people into becoming a killing machine. Makes me sick.
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53 Posted by donot.panic on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse
I don't think there is anything wrong with this when comparing it to other methods used by the Armed forces for recruiting. Armies need young people.. they are just setting up these things to attract young people so they can convey to them there message. I have seen recruiters trying to approach ppl in, for example, subways and very few ppl are willing to talk, this way they bring potential recruits to them. I find the whole public schools giving recruiters students personal information much more objectionable. It is very true that lot of recruits join not fully realizing what they are getting into, including a lot people signing up for the reserves.
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54 Posted by grownads on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse
1: Gay behavior is chosen not a birth right, ITS Deviant behavior and has no place in our Military. Nor does that personality trait! 2: If our young were brought up to respect our country, there would be no problem with recruitment, they would enlist with little to no incentives.This does not apply to all but the ME, ME generation concept got old quick. I have had family members that have served from WW2 in both the Pacific and in Europe, down to the current war in the Middle east and no one had to pull them into the recruiting station with tricks and gimmicks. It is simply the sign of the times. 3: You dont say a word when they come out with games such as Grand Thieft Auto and all the other garbage just like it but when Military comes out with something half as immoral, people want to splatter garbage all over the place. Sorry folks you just can not have your cake and eat it too. Either its ALL bad or ALL acceptable.
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55 Posted by howndowg on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:21PM EDT Report Abuse
My son signed up for the military to serve his country. He was the only one in his entire high school class to do so. And after the graduation and everyone was singing or lipsycnching the Land of the Free and the home of the Brave, all I could think was "you bunch of chicken----- MFS." You anti military people just keep it up and after you've destroyed our military by preventing enlistment and filling it with a bunch of queers, when the day comes when the enemies jackboot is on your neck and your watching them kick your family in the trench, maybe then you'll realize what a dumbass you are.
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56 Posted by chochinko on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse
I know, how about making all these so called leaders of our country (Elected Officials) serve to know what they are doing when they order our young men and women to War. Sure would cut down on the numbers in Congress and maybe they would be able to vote something more than their own raises and vacation time!
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57 Posted by bat21_2004 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:02PM EDT Report Abuse
This is old news. They've been doing it for almost a year.
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58 Posted by edwinscottphoto on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:52PM EDT Report Abuse
1970 I signed up for the draft, the Americans were burning the Flag, I was afraid, Mother was crying, it was my turn to go, two bus loads of us to Milwaukee, no one refused to go, I was sent to Germany, did guard duty and picked up trash, was afraid of atomic war with Russia. Start up the draft, many died doing their duty. If Bush wants the world, then fine, just tell the truth.
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59 Posted by tmff3100 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:13PM EDT Report Abuse
To have a campaign like this show up at the mall takes lots of planning and for the very least the development of a video game. You also need to do some work to hone the pitch and attract your target audience. My point being is that in order to be in a mall now you had to start working on this a couple of years ago. So to the person who thinks Obama did this get real. He hasn't even taken office yet. This was uncle George and his puppet master Dick's idea.
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60 Posted by bayoumountainman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:03PM EDT Report Abuse
That was great number 56!!!!!!!!!
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61 Posted by jamesbkinney on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse
Pathetic. The recruiting station isn't what I'm talking about. I think it's pathetic that we have such gutless freeloading people in this country that think everything should be handed to them. It's because of the very few people we have in this world willing to do violence on your behalf is why you're not speaking Chinese or some other language right now.
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62 Posted by mightydesign on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
In the words of Tasha from the Backyardigans "Oh for goodness sake!" There are plenty of first person shooters around incase someone is interested in the military. Millions and millions of kids and adults play those games but that is as close as they are going to get to joining the military. No body with a head on their shoulders joins the military thinking it is going to be like a video game they play. Today less children run around with fake guns playing cowboys and indians, cops and robbers than a few decades ago before video games yet we have had young kids shoot up schools. Then again something many kids have today that they didn't have decades ago is real violence in their neighborhoods, that is more influential than any game ever could be.
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63 Posted by unholy315 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:28PM EDT Report Abuse
"Army invades the mall" HAHAHA this what got some of you scared? America's Army game has been in circulation since the year 2000. Its definitely not from Obama. Are people so secure in their minds that war should be known any other way? ITS A GOOD GAME TRY IT OUT www.americasarmy.com
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64 Posted by bayoumountainman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:03PM EDT Report Abuse
Post 42 and 51 need to get off the couch and slap themselves into reality! They have obviously never served! You two could be the first guys to go and try to serve with these murderers and felons. You know, lead them and give them orders and make them do what you tell them. You guys are idiots. You think war is just a mass confusion with no structure. You have obviously never been there.
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65 Posted by jompbonnet on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:40PM EDT Report Abuse
how sad, we make a game of killing and use this to recruit young innocents. only encouraging the behavior of killing another and devaluing a life, then we are in shock when a columbine occurs?? if this is what it is about let the free for all begin. i do hope the next president is sensitive enough to stop this insane behavior. join th emilitary to help others, do good, be htere for disaster relief, this is something to be proud of, not to kill our fellow man. shame shame on the US military for acting this way, a game of killing others, join us to do it in real life. who is the terrorist here?
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46 Posted by brodycog on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:13PM EDT Report Abuse
I wouldnt be comfortible with a gay guy checking me out in the shower, or staring at me when we toe the line. Its not that gay people shouldn't be allowed to join the military its just that they should keep their preferences and beliefs to themselves.