America’s Army Special Forces : Real Soldiers
In a campaign targeting teenagers, the Army announced on Thursday a new version of its “America’s Army” or “AA Special Forces” computer video game, incorporating digital likenesses of eight actual soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We’re trying to put a face on soldiers so that kids can relate to them,” said Col. Casey Wardynski, director of the America’s Army project. “It’s hard to relate to a big green machine. This is a chance to get to know some of them who have done really outstanding things.”
The “America’s Army Real Heroes” program will also include a series of $10 action figures, based on the same real soldiers, in store shelves by Christmas, Wardynski said.
The program comes after the Army fell short on recruiting last year, the first time since 1999.
Wardynski said the Army spends about $2.5 million annually on the free PC game, a first-person shooter in which players go through a simulated boot camp or team up with other real players online in three-dimensional battles.
About 27 million copies of the taxpayer-funded game have been distributed since its July 4, 2002, debut, and there are about 7.5 million registered users.
Gamers can get “America’s Army” from recruiters or by downloading it from various video game Web sites, Wardynski said. The game is often included with computer systems from Dell Inc. (DELL) and other hardware manufacturers such as video card maker Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
The latest version, “America’s Army: Special Forces,” is the first to include actual soldiers, instead of using only generic warriors. The eight were picked based on such factors as awards they received and their availability.
