Although they are far from the battlefield, they do not wear military uniforms and their weapons are console controls, Gamers have become one of the most important elements of the US military.
They have their official eSports team, electronic games and have a fundamental mission: to show young people how cool it is to be a soldier.
“It is at the age of 13 that, according to some studies, the decision is made about what I want to be when I grow up. Then they invest a lot of money. In fact, it is estimated that by 2028 there will be 28,000 children. million dollars to form eSport teams precisely,” explains Alberto Venegas Ramos, a researcher at the University of Murcia and professor of history.
Video game events have become your preferred recruiting location. “They convey the message that it’s fun to be a soldier, how much fun you have as a soldier and, hey, you have fun playing video games, why don’t you become a soldier?” says Ignacio Medel Marchena, professor of Science Fiction, Geography and History and an expert in the use of video games as an educational tool.
And his favorite games are of course war games. “A totally fantasy war where you get shot, but you take cover for a moment and magically heal yourself. You find ammo everywhere. The mechanics are designed to make you a hero” adds Medel Marchena.
The video game industry works hand in hand with the military and arms manufacturers in the United States: “Any real weapon that appears in a video game must pay a license for use, a commercial license, which also finances the arms industry.”
Recruitment tactics updated and adapted to history. The United States has gone from posters of Uncle Sam during the Great War to Disney shorts during World War II and now they are even going into schools with virtual reality goggles for children.
They make war attractive, fake and of course they don’t care about the lack of ethics.
