There you are sitting playing the most recent Call of Duty.

You are completely engrossed in the

smooth gameplay. As you sit there a voice in the back of your head is telling you that this isn't real, but
you dont care. By the time you finish the game you instantly pop in Battlefield 4. The feeling of being in
the middle of combat and being in active duty is too great. You decide to put down the game and try this
out for real. You decide to go and join the army. That voice keeps telling you that it is nothing like the
games and is going to be an experience like no other. As you finish the paperwork you think to yourself
that you made the right decision.
In the year of 1999 the army's recruitment rate was on a drastic decline. It was so bad that the
army's recruitment budget was increased to 2.2 billion dollars. This money did not go to waste however.
In 2002 the army released a game called America's Army. This game was a simulation made by actual
members of the army. The game was a complete success with five hundred thousand downloads in the
first month. By 2006 the army exceeded their goal of 80,000 recruits. More and more people enlist in
the army due to the influence of video games. With each new game people learn more and more about
what the army does and the potential it holds. Throughout this paper we will discuss how gaming has
influenced modern warfare and how games have influenced people to become interested in the army.
Before continuing to trace this body of literature it is important to know my personal stance on
the topic. I began playing military based games back in 2009 with the release of Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2. It was the first military based game I had ever played and it instantly caught my attention.
From that day I have played multiple games having to deal with military and war. I can see how the
games make it easy for young teens and adults to be captivated by the action and glory of being a hero.
From my personal standpoint I have considered multiple times if I should join the military from playing
these games, but quickly came back to my senses. These games make it easy for us to forget that the
military is not a game. There are no second chances in real life. Joining the army takes a lot of heart and
courage. Most people forget these things while lost in gaming. Even though gaming has had an impact
on a great number of people to join the army, my passion for war games will continue even if I don't
personally join.
Video games depicting war like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Medal of Honor have always
captured the minds of many. Whether the military intentionally did this or not doesnt change the fact
that more and more people join the military due to these games. Before video games the military had a
difficult time just meeting recruitment requirements. Now recruitment expectations are being exceeded
with the implementation of newer games and them being accessible to broader audiences. As games
advance the military will see a greater amount of young recruits ready to join.
Macedonia (2002), Johnston (2010), and Wilson (2014) would all agree to the thought that war
games impact the military in some way. There have been a lot of people who believe that games act as
simulators to train people. The give players a minor taste into what military life is like. Others think that
these games give soldiers a chance to blow off steam before and after missions. People like Oliver North
also state that by playing games the soldiers minds are sharper, they are more attentive, and their
hand-eye coordination is better.

Comment [XS1]: This is a very good hook. It

captures my interest by flashing memories that have
already gone through my brain. For example, when I
was a kid I wanted to join the Marines because since
I was good at COD I thought I would be good at real
life armies too. Zachary Esposito
Comment [XS2]: I would talk about actual
numbers of the declining recruitment rate. This
would make the 80,000 mean more to the reader. If
you show how much that the rate improved over
the years it would better show the impact these
games have on the recruitment of the military.
Jackson Stone

Comment [XS3]: You did a good job explaining

your position on both the games and the army in
real life. Just because you enjoy war games doesn't
mean you want to join the army. This was a good
point to make before starting the paper. Jackson
Stone

Comment [XS4]: Something that could maybe

be added is the fact that the military is starting to
almost sponsor some of these games. I know in the
past that MW2 would run commercials and then
always after that would be a Marines commercial.
Moreover, I have seen the army partner with
Activison to help with the creation of the most
realistic stats for the guns they have in the game.
Zachary Esposito
Comment [XS5]: This is the only time you
mention the benefits of the soldiers playing the
games. I think this is a really interesting idea and
would like to hear about it later in the paper. You
might could add a small section about how the
games have helped the people who are already in
the military. Jackson Stone

Video games have come a long way since they were first introduced in the 1970s. Since then
games have evolved in many ways including visuals, performance, story, and genres. Some of the most
popular games today are those depicting storylines in which war is an underlying theme. Games like
Halo, Mass Effect, Call of Duty, and Battlefield have seen worldwide success for their amazing campaigns
and massive multiplayer game modes. Even though these games have been very successful they could
be leaving an impression on your child. Most games depicting war were generally used by the army as
means of showing people the life of a soldier in hopes of recruiting more people into the army. This
started in the early 2000s with Americas Army, a game that strictly followed the life of a real US soldier
on and off of the battlefield. With improving technology it makes it easier for the army and game
developers to make games that depict life in the army. It makes it easier to impact young teens and
adults due to stunning visuals, but do the games impact the army as well? Do games that follow a
storyline set in the future inspire the army to try and replicate the weaponry and technology in the
game? Do these games inspire thousands of young adults to hurry and join the army? With the help of
games we are able to see and guess the direction that our army is going in.
In 2012 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was released. The game was set in the year 2025. It featured
technology that was advanced, like cloaking devices and fully self-functioning robots, but not too far off
from what we see today and what we could see in the very near future. Even later this year Call of Duty:
Advanced Warfare will be released. One of the games main features will be exoskeleton suits that the
soldiers wear to go beyond human abilities. Technology has advanced to a point where there are new
versions of tanks, aircraft, and weaponry which includes laser guns and guns that print the bullets as you
shoot. The developers of this game openly state how they worked very closely with members and
scientists of the army to create these weapons and vehicles based off of things that are already being
looked into. Black Ops two was well received by audiences. It changed Call of Duty and gave young teens
a look into what could become of the army. The same thing is happening with Advanced Warfare.
Developers are bringing a futuristic feel to the game but not straying too far from what we see today
and could possibly see in the future. These two games alone have sparked many interests in young
adults about the army and its future.
With technology speeding along and population growth not slowing down anytime soon the
army has no worries about shortages of recruits. Instead of using games as a means of propaganda to
keep people interested in joining they should be using the ideas to make the impossible possible. I will
now give examples as to what the army can do to not only improve their technology but give players a
true taste of what it is like to lead the life of a soldier.
There are many games which depict soldiers in exoskeletons or suits that give them superhuman
abilities. In Halo all soldiers, referred to as Spartans, wear a full suit which allows them to have a higher
resistance to damage, a shield which is generated by the suit, and a personal AI that gives them
assistance every step of the way. In Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Sledgehammer Games, the
developers of the game, have designed both a laser gun and a printer gun that prints the bullets as you
shoot them. This is my first suggestion for the army as we can learn from this creativeness and develop
weapons like this to make our soldiers more efficient on the battlefield. More efficient weapons coupled
with a suit of some sort of armor would make our soldiers more lethal than ever.

Comment [XS6]: Army this, and army that. You

use the word "army" in this paragraph way to many
times. Try to find either another way to express the
sentence without using "army", or find another
word that can take its place. Breneden Oneyear
Comment [XS7]: Great description of what an
exoskeleton suit is! This section will help readers
understand what kind of "advanced" technology
you are talking about. Brenden Oneyear
Comment [XS8]: Stick to one notation for Black
Ops "2" or "two". In the beginning of this paragraph
you use "2" so you should keep this same
formatting for the rest of the paragraph. Brenden
Oneyear
Comment [XS9]: How did this game change call
of duty? From someone who hasn't played the
previous games, I don't know how they were
different and how this game changed the series. If
this game was the first to use modern technology I
would mention that in the paragraph. A brief
explanation of how this game changed the franchise
would help the reader understand better. Jackson
Stone
Comment [XS10]: I feel kinda iffy on this
sentence. I understand that you are trying to
transition from one subject to another in the same
paragraph, but there maybe a way to split these into
two separate paragraph. It stops all flow from the
sentence before and interrupts the paragraph.
Brenden Oneyear
Comment [XS11]: Is the entire title of the game
"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Sledgehammer
Games" ? The way that there is no punctuation
between the game title and the developer, makes it
seem like it is one huge title of a game. Find another
way to word this part of the sentence. Brenden
Oneyear
Comment [XS12]: This "printer gun" idea. What
is it? I think you should explain how this works, just
like how you explained the exoskeleton suit. Does
the "printer gun" have an infinite amount of ammo
and you can shoot as long as you like? Or is it an
idea of a new type of weaponry, that could be
implemented in the future. Brenden Oneyear

Naturally a huge percentage of people realize that the wars in games and the wars in real life a
very different, but to younger audiences who are more impressionable might not think so and grow up
believing that what happens in the games happens in real life. There should be clear representation as
to what real life is like as a soldier. My second suggestion is to make real life virtual simulation for
people to use to get all the facts about army life. This way you can get more people interested, see how
many would actually join without wasting time and resources, and those who decide that army life isnt
for them wouldnt have to go through all of the hassle.
Video games are a large part of our community. War games in particular have become very
popular recently. These games leave a lasting impact on not only us as an audience, but the military as
well. To put it simply we explored the impacts that gaming has had on people and the army. War games
are used mostly as a means of propaganda to get people to join the military. They also effect on how the
military designs their weapon and technology due to the advancements made in the virtual universe. I
also gave some suggestions on how can help the military improve itself by trying to recreate some of the
weapons and tech in the games. They can also make simulations to accurately represent to younger
interested audiences what military life is truly like to see who is really interested in joining and who isnt.
Video games and our military are only going to move forward. As developers start working with
the military more to get their games as close as possible to the real thing we will get great amounts of
information. If we keep studying war games and the paths that they take we will be able to clearly see
the direction that our military is going. We will be able to guess and see what new weapons and tech
that the military is developing based off of these new games. We can also see what new ideas they have
for trying to recruit new soldiers. This is why games should be closely watched because of the
possibilities that they present to the military and we as an audience.
Could we possibly see some of the advanced tech in games in the near future? Is the possibility
of a super soldier becoming more of a reality than fiction? If we keep asking these questions we will
soon have our answers. As technology improves and war games impact more lives we will soon be in a
time where the super soldiers of tomorrow become the super soldiers of today. Gaming has changed a
lot of lives and changed many peoples minds.

[1] K. Watman. (2003, June 1) "War Gaming and its Role in Examining the Future" pp. 56-61 [Online]
Available: file:///C:/Users/Xzavier/Downloads/10.1_Watman%20(2).pdf
Watman explores the possibilities of war themed video games being used in future warfare. He explains
how they are made to appeal to the people in an impressionistic fashion, but omits other certain aspects
of war. He then explains that future warfare leads to two theories: evolutionary advancements in
weaponry and vehicles and revolutionary ways to utilize revolutionary developments in warfare.

Comment [XS13]: I feel like you can go into

more detail for this suggestion. Like how can the
virtual simulator get more people interested?
Another thing to consider is explaining what the
virtual simulator does to further so how this can
help us? Zachary Esposito

Comment [XS14]: How young of an audience

are you thinking? Aren't war games rated M and not
allowed to be sold to people under the age of 18 so
that they won't see graphic violence. I would
mention what age group you would be targeting
with these simulations. Jackson Stone

Comment [XS15]: Another question that could

be asked is "How would better tech affect warfare?"
The reason for asking this is because with all this
new tech being introduced into war, strategies for
war would change. For example, the
implementation of drones into warfare made it
possible for someone to bomb a target miles away
without the threat of a death of a soldier. Zachary
Esposito

[2] R. Smith. (2009, April 27) "The Long History of Gaming in Military Training" pp. 1-12 [Online]
Available: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a550307.pdf
In this article Smith explains the use of video games by the army increasing over the years. He writes
about how games have been made over the years to simulate what it is like to be a soldier. He also
touches on as technology advances the ability to train soldiers advances significantly as well.
[3] M. Macedonia. (2002, March 2) "Games Soldiers Play" pp. 32-37 [Online] Available:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gaming/games-soldiers-play
Macedonia explains in this article how soldiers are being trained by playing war games. He tells how the
army worked with Microsoft to develop games to help train the soldiers in teamwork and combat
scenarios. The army also took to making their own versions of games like the popular game "Doom" and
made into "Marine Doom" where players are taught how to protect their rifleman, conserve ammo, and
observe the chain of command.
[4] Randy Nichols, "America's Army and the Video Game Industry" in Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of
play in Military Video Games, 1st ed., Ch. 2, pp. 39-49
This article traces the ideas of how the military used video games to get people to join the army. They
worked closely with their own game developers to release America's Army. It was a game that simulated
how the army works and what it's like on the battlefield. The article also explains how the army uses
video games as a marketing device to get people interested in joining.
[5] W. Johnston, War Games Lure Recruits for Real Thing, July 31, 2010
http://www.npr.org/2010/07/31/128875936/war-games-lure-recruits-for-real-thing
Johnston writes in this article on how the Army Experience Recruitment Center in Philadelphia is using
video games like Call of Duty to train people entering the army. While most people including the recruits
think that this is a great way to train others like Staff Sgt. Jesse Hamilton think that it leaves out crucial
elements like the heat, screaming, and blood that make the army what it is. The center has proved to be
quite successful providing equal results to that of three recruitment centers in half the time, and while
two more, although downscaled, are soon to open there are still those who are against these centers
expressing that war is not a game.
[6] B. Wilson, Call of Duty Creator Advises on Real Warfare, October 2, 2014
http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/writer-video-game-call-duty-advises-real-warfare
This piece goes into how Call of Duty creator Dave Anthony can help with future wars and better
prepare the soldiers of the army. He touches on how the games allow soldiers to blow off steam before
heading out on missions, and Oliver North even said that he sees their reflexes and minds are sharper
after playing the games. Anthony goes on to say how he wanted to ground the game with a more
realistic feel so he implemented human aspects into the characters and enemies.

Comment [XS16]: Once you have put this in the

annotated bibliography, this is not needed in the
citation. This is because since you already have the
information in the paper, you don't need them
down in the citations. Furthermore, I believe Mrs.
Ashlyn reminded us about this a couple of weeks
ago to try not and forget to remove this once it was
used. Zachary Esposito

[7] D. Nieborg. (2004, Jan 1) Americas Army: More than a Game? [Online] Available:
http://pdf.aminer.org/000/222/681/introducing_emotion_into_military_simulation_and_video_game_
design_america.pdf
Nieborg traces the idea of Americas Army being an advergame and a propagame. He states that the
game wasnt intentionally made to train but interest players in the army. He also says that the game acts
like propaganda for the army giving a look into true army life.
[8] X. Smith. (2014, September 27) "Assignment One Observation" pp. 1-8
This observation traces the figured world of the popular video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The
observation goes through and explains how close the game is to real army life and protocol. It also
explores shows how the games make army life look fun and exhilarating without showing the real
dangers of war.