WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 22, 2004) – After two years, the official U.S. Army game has registered more than 4 million users and is now one of the top five games in the world.
The creative minds behind “America’s Army” said they take every opportunity to explore ways to improve the realism of the game to keep up with its growing popularity, including the Serious Games Summit held in the nation’s capital Oct. 18-19.
The summit gave the Army game developers, based out of the Office of Economic Manpower Analysis at the United States Military Academy, an opportunity to meet with other Serious Games developers and showcase the Army program.
The number of Serious Games being developed has been increasing rapidly in recent years, according to the Serious Games Summit Web site. These interactive games go beyond the traditional video game, and include applications focused on training, education, visualization, health and therapy.
Game virtually tells Soldier story
“America’s Army is a communications tool which is designed for free download on the Internet, and it’s a tool that kids can use to try on being a Soldier – virtually,” said Col. Casey Wardynski, director of the OEMA, project director of America’s Army and associate professor of economics at the USMA.
The game allows people to take a look inside the Army and see what it’s like to be a Soldier, Wardynski said. They can go through basic training and airborne school, experience how a Soldier succeeds and even see what happens when a Soldier gets in trouble.
America’s Army is designed to be realistic, so people can see the life of a Soldier and decide if it is something they would like to pursue in real life, Wardynski said.
The game has generated interest in the Army and has taught people about soldiering, he said. In a survey given to 16-21 year olds, 29 percent said America’s Army was the most effective method of generating interest compared to other Army sponsorships.
Realism teaches users skills
“I learned visual awareness and how quick my mind was,” said Cathy Fuller, a first-time America’s Army user from League City, Texas. “I want to do it again because I know I can do better.”
Fuller said the game is realistic and requires concentration.
The game also teaches Army values, Wardynksi said. Real Soldiers preview every part of the game, and if they aren’t proud of it, it doesn’t get released.
“The game is about being a Soldier, and being a Soldier is a value-laden experience,” Wardynksi said. “We make a big deal out of Army values for a reason. The war on terror makes it all too apparent why those Army values are critical.”
New concept to prep, train Soldiers
This year, the Army is adding a new concept to the Army game similar to the delayed entry program, Wardynski said. The Future Soldiers System will use concepts from basic training and put them into the virtual experience, so the recruits can learn about rules of engagement, laws of land warfare and first aid before ever stepping foot on the training installation.
“So a random sample of kids at recruiting stations will be put into [the Future Soldiers System], and then we’ll be able to see how they do when they get in the Army with the idea that we’re getting them ready to get ready, so they’ll show up more prepared and more confident,” he said.
America’s Army is also being developed as a training device for Soldiers.
