War: The Game

The article entitled "Have You Played the War on Terror?"  by Roger Stahl certainly opened my eyes to some facts that I not only didn't know, but had never even considered before.  As disgusted as I am with some information that I read, I certainly am impressed by other statistics considering the militainment of objects like toys, Hollywood talent, and academics.

War-themed games have always been something that I knew had existed.  In high school there were plenty of students who played these games and I too have played a few in a couple of instances.  During an outside carnival type endorsement for the Army, there was a fun helicopter simulator that was the hit of the party.  Every student was free to ride this ride (which was a helicopter that successfully completed a vague mission), climb a rock wall, and get their very own dog tag.  Looking back on this experience 4 years ago, it is clear to  me that the students at my school, including myself, were simply being poached on by Army recruiters.

Some of the information presented in Stahl's article was extremely interesting and has before now has gone by completely unnoticed.  When discussing the amazing amount of money that has gone into militainment, including "Hollywood talent, academics, toymakers, and game industry insiders to assist the military."  Stahl goes further in saying how all of these different businesses have assisted in the militainment of America and have created exponentially larger future recruitment opportunities.

Perhaps the most absolutely disgusting and disturbing subject discussed in Stahl's article was the description of how violence in these games that are endorsed by the Army are not honest depictions of the real violence that occurs in dangerous situations.  It infuriates me thinking that when a soldier gets shot in these video games, he simply disappears with nothing more but a wisp of red.  In a society where we see violence literally everywhere we go, from television, to movies, to music, to plays, it is infuriating to think there is a video game that is attempting to depict the most realistic war experience possible (including real news stories depicted in cartoon form).

The fact that the Army is attempting to hide the most difficult, violent, piece of war is absolutely terrible.  The militainment in America has assisted creating a recruitment process that emphasizes only the positives of joining the Army while completely ignoring the most difficult and life changing aspect of being in a war.  The fact that those who are being recruited are completely oblivious to the fact of what citizens are being fed is completely being amplified and reduced and quite frankly do not even care is one of the most troubling thought of all.