Peer Commentary Draft

8/10/2019 Peer Commentary Draft

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/peer-commentary-draft 1/5

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, butyou don’t 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'tpersonally 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 doesn’t 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 Northalso 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 h

captures my interest by flashing memori

already gone through my brain. For exam

was a kid I wanted to join the Marines be

I was good at COD I thought I would be g

life armies too. –Zachary Esposito

Comment [XS2]: I would talk about a

numbers of the declining recruitment rat

would make the 80,000 mean more to th

you show how much that the rate improv

the years it would better show the impac

games have on the recruitment of the mJackson Stone

Comment [XS3]: You did a good job

your position on both the games and the

real life. Just because you enjoy war gam

mean you want to join the army. This wa

point to make before starting the paper.

Stone

Comment [XS4]: Something that cou

be added is the fact that the military is st

almost sponsor some of these games. I k

past that MW2 would run commercials a

always after that would be a Marines co

Moreover, I have seen the army partner

Activison to help with the creation of the

realistic stats for the guns they have in th

Zachary Esposito

Comment [XS5]: This is the only time

mention the benefits of the soldiers play

games. I think this is a really interesting i

would like to hear about it later in the pa

might could add a small section about ho

games have helped the people who are a

the military. –Jackson Stone



Video games have come a long way since they were first introduced in the 1970’s. Since then

games have evolved in many ways including visuals, performance, story, and genres. Some of the mostpopular 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 2000’s with America’s 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 arm

use the word "army" in this paragraph w

times. Try to find either another way to e

sentence without using "army", or find a

word that can take its place. –Breneden

Comment [XS7]: Great description o

exoskeleton suit is! This section will help

understand what kind of "advanced" tec

you are talking about. –Brenden Oneyea

Comment [XS8]: Stick to one notatio

Ops "2" or "two". In the beginning of this

you use "2" so you should keep this same

formatting for the rest of the paragraph.

Oneyear

Comment [XS9]: How did this game

of duty? From someone who hasn't playe

previous games, I don't know how they w

different and how this game changed the

this game was the first to use modern te

would mention that in the paragraph. A

explanation of how this game changed thwould help the reader understand bette

Stone

Comment [XS10]: I feel kinda iffy on

sentence. I understand that you are tryin

transition from one subject to another in

paragraph, but there maybe a way to sp

two separate paragraph. It stops all flow

sentence before and interrupts the parag

Brenden Oneyear

Comment [XS11]: Is the entire title o

"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Sledgeh

Games" ? The way that there is no punct

between the game title and the develop

seem like it is one huge title of a game. F

way to word this part of the sentence. –B

Oneyear

Comment [XS12]: This "printer gun"

is it? I think you should explain how this

like how you explained the exoskeleton s

the "printer gun" have an infinite amoun

and you can shoot as long as you like? O

idea of a new type of weaponry, that cou

implemented in the future. –Brenden On



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 upbelieving 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 isn’t

for them wouldn’t 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 isn’t.

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 people’s 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 inweaponry and vehicles and revolutionary ways to utilize revolutionary developments in warfare.

Comment [XS13]: I feel like you can

more detail for this suggestion. Like how

virtual simulator get more people interes

Another thing to consider is explaining w

virtual simulator does to further so how t

help us? –Zachary Esposito

Comment [XS14]: How young of an

are you thinking? Aren't war games rated

allowed to be sold to people under the a

that they won't see graphic violence. I wo

mention what age group you would be t

with these simulations. –Jackson Stone

Comment [XS15]: Another question

be asked is "How would better tech affec

The reason for asking this is because with

new tech being introduced into war, stra

war would change. For example, the

implementation of drones into warfare m

possible for someone to bomb a target m

without the threat of a death of a soldier

Esposito

http://c/Users/Xzavier/Downloads/10.1_Watman%20(2).pdf






[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 soldier’s 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 usingvideo 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 pu

annotated bibliography, this is not neede

citation. This is because since you alread

information in the paper, you don't need

down in the citations. Furthermore, I bel

Ashlyn reminded us about this a couple o

ago to try not and forget to remove this o

used. –Zachary Esposito

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a550307.pdf















[7] D. Nieborg. (2004, Jan 1) “America’s 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 America’s Army being an advergame and a propagame. He states that the

game wasn’t 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.






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