The Chinese version of America's Army

[J T]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011 ... 507242.htm

China is going to soon release a game that is meant to be a military recruitment tool, much in the same way that the US military released "America's Army 3" recently to give people a virtual military training experience in an attempt to foster new recruits. The game is called Mission of Honor, which I think is a funny name for a Chinese knockoff of an American military recruitment strategy. The People's Liberation Army of China hopes it will attract them some new soldiers, but I'm not really sure how I feel about games being used to promote military agendas.

What are your thoughts on the use of video games as a means of military recruitment around the world?

[dsheinem]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011 ... 507242.htm

China is going to soon release a game that is meant to be a military recruitment tool, much in the same way that the US military released "America's Army 3" recently to give people a virtual military training experience in an attempt to foster new recruits. The game is called Mission of Honor, which I think is a funny name for a Chinese knockoff of an American military recruitment strategy. The People's Liberation Army of China hopes it will attract them some new soldiers, but I'm not really sure how I feel about games being used to promote military agendas.

What are your thoughts on the use of video games as a means of military recruitment around the world?

What's the point of a recruiting tool, given the size of their army already? I thought all men in China had to spend time in the military...I guess not?

[MrPopo]

According to wiki:

Conscription has existed in theory since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949; however, because of China's huge population and therefore the large number of individuals who volunteer to join the regular armed forces, a draft has never been enforced.

[J T]

I could also be wrong about this as being a recruitment tool. That's what America's Army 3 was, but it's possible that Mission of Honor is meant to be a training tool for learning basic battlefield strategy. The website I linked to seems to suggest that is more the case.

[Ack]

I could also be wrong about this as being a recruitment tool. That's what America's Army 3 was, but it's possible that Mission of Honor is meant to be a training tool for learning basic battlefield strategy. The website I linked to seems to suggest that is more the case.

Actually that's the point of the entire America's Army series, and the US military has used video games for similar purposes in the past, such as the USAF free versions of Area 51 and The Suffering, which were loaded with advertisements to join the Air Force.

Now as for whether these are successful as a recruitment tool, I have no idea. But the military has also had success using video games for other things in the past, such as Military Battlezone and M.A.C.S. Basic Rifle Marksmanship, so I'm not surprised that they tried.