1. Give an example of an early video game that was transformed into a military training tool. Describe the process.
“Battlezone” was an early video game produced by Atari which was converted into a military training tool for Bradley tanks. Because the game was a tank simulation, the army found it suitable for their purposes. The creator of the game converted it by using real data such as the physics of real weapons, imagery which was taken from and would represent the “enemy,” and controls. The old arcade controls were swapped for an H-shaped “yoke” control, which replicated the actual tank’s controls. The game was also renamed “Army Battlezone.”
2. How do video games affect American’s perception of war?
Video games affect Americans’ perception of war by creating an emphasis on the positive aspects of war: by playing the game, you can attain glory. You can save someone’s life and defend your country. You can be heroic and respected, all without the consequences that come with being an actual soldier.
3. What is the role of fantasy in both commercial war games and military training programs?
In commercial war games and military training programs, fantasy serves to stimulate the player to achieve particular goals. They stress the importance of being heroic and part of the team, striving toward the ultimate goal. The player or participant can attain a sort of “flow” in the game or activity and become more involved – whether they actually are in reality or not, they can become a soldier for a moment and experience what life is like on the battlefield without the consequences of injury or death. In this way, the fantasy aspect demonstrates all the “better” qualities of being a solider, because the negative outcomes are eliminated. You only see the best outcomes – winning the battle, conquering the enemy – because the negatives, like death, are eliminated and quickly bypassed to get back into the game. Fantasy allows the player to start over and over and over again until they achieve the most desirable goal.
4. How do you feel about the military using video games as a marketing tool?
I am personally somewhat disturbed by the military’s use of video games as a marketing tool. I have had access to video games since I was a very young child, and for me they have always been an escape or a fantasy. Despite being twenty-one years old, they give me a purpose (or possibly an excuse) to escape into that pretend-world that children freely inhabit. So, if I want to play a relatively innocent game of Mario and momentarily slide into that world, I can. Alternately, if I want to be more aggressive and play a few rounds of Halo, I can take on that role for a time. When I feel like being a pirate, I can start up Eve-Online and ransom other players to my heart’s content. All the while, I’m able to remove myself from these fantasies at will. They’re like toys – I can pick them up and play for a while, but in the end put them back in the box and that ends the game. When the military uses games to try and convince me to become a soldier in real life, I feel as though they’ve invaded some aspect of my own private space by entering my fantasy and bringing along the real-world baggage that accompanies their message. All I wanted was a few moments of experience as a soldier; I’d never want to do this in real life.
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