America's Army Video Game

I think this website does a good job of exactly what the makers were trying to do. Promote children and teenagers to join the army. On the outside, you can visibly see the stereotypical army colors or the camouflage. There are also a number of links off of the game website that can grant easy access to GoArmy.com, the official website of the army. There are a good amount of pictures on the website that shows the glamour of being in the army. What it does not show are any of the hardships that the army brings. And because children at this age are influenced so easily, they will only see the good in joining the army. The game is rated “T” for teen but that is just a rating. Most parents do not monitor their children and the video games they are partaking in. This means that there could children as young as 10 years of age actively playing this game, and seeing how violent it can get, I know I wouldn’t want my child playing it. The game has a proper rating, but once again, there is not a censor on all gamers that only allows teenagers or older to play. Another thing that bugs me about this game is how much influence it ultimately has on these children and teenager to join the army. As stated above, there are numerous links that allow these children to gain access to the ARMY’s website. Seeing that many children like these types of games, they will imagine themselves in the game while playing. But now for them, it can become a reality, because of the realistic features the game has to offer. I believe many of the teenagers who play this game will think about if not give a much harder look at joining the Army. I think the violence factor is not incredibly high, it’s just the way in which the game is promoted that gets under my skin.