Current Events > US Army Targeted GAMERS

(+) Yeah! (+)

US Army Reportedly Earmarked Millions For An Ad Campaign Targeting Gamers

According to documents obtained by Vice, the Army planned to target esports competitions, gaming conventions, streaming service users, and WWE fans.

The U.S. Army planned to use Call of Duty streamers on Twitch as a means of gaining more Gen-Z recruits, according to military spending documents recently acquired by Vice. The Army has reportedly spent millions on the project--or planned to, anyway--with the hopes of winning over young adults and minorities who, historically, have plenty of interest in playing war games, but considerably less interest in enlisting in real life.

Vice acquired the documents via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and according to their report, the U.S. Army had millions earmarked for the project's 2021-2022 goals. Over the course of those years, the Army aimed to use esportstournaments and high-profile streamers as advertisement platforms, with the ultimate goal of reaching an audience that has evidently proven elusive in terms of recruitment.

The documents openly state the desire for the ad campaign to target Gen-Z in particular, noting the preferred age range (18 to 24) in addition to other subgroups the Army hoped to reach via advertisement. "Focus on the growth of females, Blacks, and Hispanics," reads one section of the document.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/us-army-reportedly-earmarked-millions-for-an-ad-campaign-targeting-gamers/1100-6509672/

I assume it failed when they realized gamers would never meet the fitness requirements.

Because if you have a sick K/D ratio you'll be a beast on the battlefield

Suolevram posted...

Because if you have a sick K/D ratio you'll be a beast on the battlefield

I assume they were planning on using drones.

LightHawKnight posted...

I assume they were planning on using drones.

Oh. Right. Sick K/D ratios come with dope kill streaks. How could I forget.

Suolevram posted...

Oh. Right. Sick K/D ratios come with dope kill streaks. How could I forget.

Not sure why you think piloting an unmanned drone would be that insane for a person with real good fps skills would be that hard. It isnt as if they wont get actual training.

Didnt the army release an army game at one point

I guess the campaign focusing on activist protesters with two moms wasn't getting the recruiting done.

LightHawKnight posted...

Not sure why you think piloting an unmanned drone would be that insane for a person with real good fps skills would be that hard. It isnt as if they wont get actual training.

Dropping bombs in Call of Duty is different than actually killing real people. That's all I'm really considering. Not their skills when it comes to controlling a drone.

its all fun and games until you're drafted into actual war...

heck i wouldnt join the army either. lol

Suolevram posted...

Dropping bombs in Call of Duty is different than actually killing real people. That's all I'm really considering. Not their skills when it comes to controlling a drone.

Do you think they will only be dropping bombs and have no guns strapped to them?

VampireCoyote posted...

Didnt the army release an army game at one point

I know the one you mean, but the name escapes me. I don't think it was actually released by the army though.

VampireCoyote posted...

Didnt the army release an army game at one point

Yeah and from what I remember it was decent ish

America's Army or something

Smackems posted...

Yeah and from what I remember it was decent ish

America's Army or something

Oh. That's not the one I was thinking of then

Suolevram posted...

Dropping bombs in Call of Duty is different than actually killing real people. That's all I'm really considering. Not their skills when it comes to controlling a drone.

It's not so much that call of duty teaches people how to use anything army related, only so that it teaches hand eye coordination and such that are useful when actually learning multiple jobs in the military.

LightHawKnight posted...

Do you think they will only be dropping bombs and have no guns strapped to them?

I think if you're enlisted you have a decent arsenal at your disposal on the field.

ArchNemo posted...

Oh. That's not the one I was thinking of then

Well now I'm confused

Suolevram posted...

I think if you're enlisted you have a decent arsenal at your disposal on the field.

You really think the army wont build drones and stick guns to them to be remotely piloted?

There was also Full Spectrum Warrior that was very close to the actual training tool used by the military at the time. I recall seeing the training tool and it's basically an alpha/beta game and would probably sell for 40 on steam these days as a finished game.

As for the original question, it's because they found gamers tend to have better coordination with using displays and controllers, thus are better at using unmanned vehicles or robots, though would need training ofcourse.

Oh yeah, this also reminds me of the time I was probably a target of being recruited in a video game. It was Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare 2, and I was using proper cover/suppression etc with an lmg. Guy then started going on about how good I was at doing such techniques like bounding and etc. Then was asking if I was in the service or considering it. It was one of those moments.

LightHawKnight posted...

You really think the army wont build drones and stick guns to them to be remotely piloted?

Never said that. I wouldn't doubt them already having these.

For what it's worth. I worked in Pest Control and used to service all the army training facilities in the southeast region of Texas. They have whole wings set up for soldiers to train with what seemed to be a video game- controllers and all.

I don't doubt the legitimacy of this whatsoever.

The army made a video game for several years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Army

Purple_Cheetah posted...

There was also Full Spectrum Warrior that was very close to the actual training tool used by the military at the time. I recall seeing the training tool and it's basically an alpha/beta game and would probably sell for 40 on steam these days as a finished game.

As for the original question, it's because they found gamers tend to have better coordination with using displays and controllers, thus are better at using unmanned vehicles or robots, though would need training ofcourse.

Oh yeah, this also reminds me of the time I was probably a target of being recruited in a video game. It was Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare 2, and I was using proper cover/suppression etc with an lmg. Guy then started going on about how good I was at doing such techniques like bounding and etc. Then was asking if I was in the service or considering it. It was one of those moments.

That was the one I was thinking of

LightHawKnight posted...

Not sure why you think piloting an unmanned drone would be that insane for a person with real good fps skills would be that hard. It isnt as if they wont get actual training.

Don't know if things have changed but drone pilots still need to meet the physical standards to enter and complete boot camp so that they use said drones.

Makes sense, gamers would have the best odds of becoming elite fighting machines