[ALL] Veteran has an issue with MW3 advertisements:

[hackett]

Just shows that games have evolved tenfold for kids to be joining the service based on a fucking video game. Also shows that parents aren't being parents either. I have gamed just about my entire life of 33yrs and never once did the thought cross my mind to join the Corps because of a video game.
I'm pretty sure my recruiter asked me why I wanted to join the Corps as well and for the entire 8yrs that I served..... That question was asked a fuckton of times by just about every superior that I had the priveledge to work under. I asked that question to my Marines as well when I moved up in rank too. It's a must to know what kind of person you may be fighting next to one day.
I never heard the reply of "I joined because of a video game or movie". I think I would have kicked someone in the fucking dick if I heard that. Those kind of fucksticks get weeded out in bootcamp along with the faggots. Unless shit has changed, I have a hard time believing this.
As far as the veteran having an issue with the MW3 advertisements..... Chill the fuck out. Nobody with even half a fucking brain believes that is what war is like. I thought the commercial was kinda funny myself. Kinda like when the army came out with their recruiting slogan of "Army of One" taking the place of "Be all you can be". That shit is just ridiculous. Fucking army turds anyways.

 

[SethMode]

My first comment in this thread was basically telling the non-knowing, that kids are joining these days because of glorification of war games. I have no problem with said games or their ADS, more so I have a problem with the way the Army and Marines are using this shit to their advantages to continue to suck people into joining, especially the "highly sought after" role of infantry.

So once again I don't have a problem with the games, or the game companies ads. The branches take advantage of kids who don't know any better through the games/ad campaigns in which they feel as though they should join. Simply saying how the glorification and such can be PERCEIVED as being a factor.

I am not looking to beat a dead horse here, but in your earlier posts you absolutely blamed the games for this nonsense. Further, I still don't think you can even say that the "glorification" in these games (still not sure I agree with the concept in general) can be perceived as a factor. In the situation you described, recruiters are openly targeting people they think would be "easy sells". Games have nothing to do with this, perceived or otherwise. It's a shame that the military is using certain dimwitted individual's affinity for games as a means with which to recruit them, but hey, that's on them.

 

[Rylo]

Just wondering, but when did you get out?

The Corps today (and army in general) is going down hill, in which a lot of kids have their reasons as they want to go to combat (just like newer combat related games).

EDIT: And seth you are for certain beating a dead horse. I said in 1 post "Games fault completely as I was just trying to get my point across. I then reiterated why I said it and explained my view on the entire situation.

Nowhere did I say RECRUITERS are targeting these types of kids. It comes from HIGHER UP Marine Corps and HIGHER UP Army about those campaigns. Recruiters are people who sit in an office and do paperwork for people who are joining. I also stated that when the question DOES come up about why they want to join, ESPECIALLY INFANTRY, and their reasons are basically because of wanting to go to combat (after they saw/played WHATEVER games/movies).

Maybe you should read my posts better so I don't have to say the same things?

 

[hackett]

Got out in 05, not really that long ago.... but I know what you're saying with shit changing. Glad I got to do my time when I did.

 

[MrBill]

As far as the veteran having an issue with the MW3 advertisements..... Chill the fuck out. Nobody with even half a fucking brain believes that is what war is like. I thought the commercial was kinda funny myself. Kinda like when the army came out with their recruiting slogan of "Army of One" taking the place of "Be all you can be". That shit is just ridiculous. Fucking army turds anyways.

You had me until that last blast. I'm an Army vet and I think the offended veteran is being overly sensitive about a game. I don't think I ever met a single soldier that said anything about wanting to go to combat because of a stupid video game. I only met a handful that wanted to go to combat, most went into combat because it was their duty and they took it very seriously. They sure as hell weren't signing their name to the line because of some stupid video game.

 

[hackett]

You had me until that last blast. I'm an Army vet and I think the offended veteran is being overly sensitive about a game. I don't think I ever met a single soldier that said anything about wanting to go to combat because of a stupid video game. I only met a handful that wanted to go to combat, most went into combat because it was their duty and they took it very seriously. They sure as hell weren't signing their name to the line because of some stupid video game.

Just busting balls on calling your Army a turd Bill haha. You know how it is. Would have fully expected you to comeback with a jarhead comment of some type. Yea, I'm not understanding how shit has become with what Rylo has been saying. I just got out in 05, was in the middle of Iraq in 04 and like you said..... never heard anyone say they wanted to go to combat because of a video game.

 

[NAHSTE]

Interesting discussion. Thanks for the input, guys. As for the military's new ad strategy I definitely think it is geared to the young gamer generation. It's only one bit of anecdotal evidence I know, but I took a 1-credit ROTC class for basic rifle shooting my senior year, and we got to watch the new recruiting video which was basically a Three Doors Down music video packaged and stylized like a video game commercial. I remember thinking "wow the Army is really trying hard to be cool in this one" ... Anyway, that's my .02. I think there is something to what Rylo is saying, they definitely are trying to make their recruiting advertisements "cooler" and more Gen-Y friendly. That's perfectly understandable and I don't think there's anything malicious intended, but I do see the possible side effect to that in what Rylo is suggesting.

 

[MvP]

I don't see how the Marines advertising towards gamers can be a bad thing. I'm sure the they would like to recruit as many kids as possible, so using these popular games to spark an interest in them isn't doing any harm. Sure there will be kids that go into it with the wrong mindset, but there's certainly just as many kids who end up being a good fit for the Marines.

The kids that join just because they didn't get into college is a much worse situation IMO.

 

[Garrett67]

Have they forgotten about this?


http://www.americasarmy.com/

 

[hackett]

I don't see how the Marines advertising towards gamers can be a bad thing. I'm sure the they would like to recruit as many kids as possible, so using these popular games to spark an interest in them isn't doing any harm. Sure there will be kids that go into it with the wrong mindset, but there's certainly just as many kids who end up being a good fit for the Marines.

The kids that join just because they didn't get into college is a much worse situation IMO.

Would rather see that than kids doing nothing at all. I personally picked the military over college because I was sick of school and thought joining was the right thing to do for many reasons.

 

[Sportsbuck]

The kids that join just because they didn't get into college is a much worse situation IMO.

Yeah, but you gotta think a lot of those kids join so that they can get a college education down the road.

 

[stevsta]

Yeah, but you gotta think a lot of those kids join so that they can get a college education down the road.

post 9/11 gi bill FTW

 

[ryne candy]

You would be shocked to see how many gamers who play these war games join the infantry in the Marines because they want to be badass. Hell, all the video game magazines and XBox Live advertise the Marines like it's sooooooo awesome.

Then once these idiots get in and see that it is NOTHING like the games, they fucking act like little faggots and go UA (unauthorized absence AKA run off like a BITCH) or they get into trouble purposely so they can get discharged.

The Marines releases commercials where guys are going to the library and hear something....so they run off to sign up. I'm not saying it's wrong but they sure do make it seem awesome (nobody is throwing up or coughing up shit), don't mention % that actually last or get killed during service. It's a commercial, so they bring them out to weed them out. The game isn't trying to minimize war....it's trying to sell videogames.

 

[NAHSTE]

The Marines releases commercials where guys are going to the library and hear something....so they run off to sign up. I'm not saying it's wrong but they sure do make it seem awesome (nobody is throwing up or coughing up shit), don't mention % that actually last or get killed during service. It's a commercial, so they bring them out to weed them out. The game isn't trying to minimize war....it's trying to sell videogames.

Fair point. The makers of MW3 have a responsibility only to their bottom line. To argue otherwise would be anti-video games or anti-capitalism.

 

[Twigg4075]

Doesn't Activision have an entire endowment set up for veterans thanks mostly in part to the sales of their CoD games? As much as I think the games are garbage, I don't even think the evil empire that is Activision is smiting the sacrifices made by our vets.

 

[ralaw]

SMH

Next we'll hear doctors complain about how the board game Operation oversimplifies and gives kids a wrong impression of standard operational procedures. People should stop taking themselves so seriously.

 

[MrBill]

Doesn't Activision have an entire endowment set up for veterans thanks mostly in part to the sales of their CoD games? As much as I think the games are garbage, I don't even think the evil empire that is Activision is smiting the sacrifices made by our vets.

Yes, the CEO of Activision founded the Call of Duty Endowment to help veterans and they have donated millions to it since. I think the latest donation was in November in the amount of $3M.