I’m no video gamer (I could never get Mario past the first level) so I’m not connected into that world. Thus, I was surprised (although I shouldn’t have been) to catch this little blurb on Gamasutra (heh heh) about PRISM: Threat Level Red, a video game being developed by Rebellion Studios for the U.S. Army National Guard. It’s a game that will be used for recruitment purposes and also will be developed for commercial use.

Says Gamasutra,

According to initial information, gameplay in the title revolves around "unconventional application of new and emerging weaponsand surveillance technologies in the war against terrorism", and the campaign mode contains scenarios that include attacks on key U.S. infrastructures, though the setting for the title is the near-future.

But even more surprising to me is that this isn’t the first one of its kind. The Army has already developed America’s Army and the Navy has Navy Training: Strike and Retrieve.

Advertised by the U.S. Army as “the official U.S. Army game,” America’s Army is offered as a free download and has over 6 million registered users. It promises “realistic depiction of the values, units, equipment and career opportunities that make the Army the world’s premier land force” and the ability to “gain experience as a Soldier in the U.S. Army, without leaving home.” (Of course, there is a fine print recruiter link at the bottom of the page.)

Per the America’s Army site, the game was conceived by Colonel E. Casey Wardynski in 1999. He answers some parental concerns in the FAQ:

Q: Why are you doing the game?

A: … it is part of the Army's communications strategy…

The Army's game is an entertaining way for young adults to explore the Army and its adventures and opportunities as a virtual Soldier. As such, it is part of the Army's communications strategy designed to leverage the power of the Internet as a portal through which young adults can get a first hand look at what it is like to be a Soldier. The game introduces players to different Army schools, Army training, and life in the Army. Given the popularity of computer games and the ability of the Internet to deliver great content, a game was the perfect venue for highlighting different aspects of the Army. Firms such as Toyota have used games for this educational purpose with considerable success.

…With the passage of time, elimination of the draft and reductions in the size of the Army have resulted in a marked decrease in the number of Americans who have served in the Army and from whom young adults can gain vicarious insights into the challenges and rewards of Soldiering and national service. Therefore, the game is designed to substitute virtual experiences for vicarious insights.

Q: How graphic is the violence in this game? How are kills depicted?

A: … built the game to provide entertainment and information without resorting to graphic violence and gore.

The America's Army game falls well within the parameters of a teen rating (age 13+) as established by the Entertainment Standards Rating Board. This rating provides parents guidance as to the age appropriateness of the game and is based upon the game's portrayal of the use of force and the fact that game characters show a small puff of blood when injured.

…Violence merely for the sake of violence is not part of the Army and therefore is not rewarded within the game.

So, does anyone see the crucial gap here? The game is set up to be a realistic virtual experience (for 13+ year olds) to replace these missing vicarious insights...I wonder if those vicarious insights might have described war injuries as something more than a “small puff of blood”? (see my last post on brain injuries sustained in war)

Pat Kane asks all the right questions about this phenomenon in a December 2005 Guardian article, including the more philosophical ("should we be concerned about the increasingly explicit links between digital gaming and the military"?) and the practical (the annual running cost of the website is $2.5 mil and 20-40% of new recruits have played the game).

Says Kane,

But we should be aware that this link between digital gaming and the military is more than just the latest expression of an enduring human tradition, or the populist instinct of a highly commercial sector. These links are explicit, current and increasingly overt.

Count me in as newly aware.