Army recruiting esports gamers for next generation of U.S. soldiers

Summary

The U.S. Army is shifting its approach to recruiting youth by delving into the world of esports, recognizing the gaming community's skills in decision-making and teamwork, qualities that also align with military needs. With the rise of esports almost rivaling traditional sports like the NFL, the Army is forming its own esports team from among active duty soldiers to engage young gamers. The goal is to present military careers in fields beyond traditional combat roles, appealing to gamers with interests in technology and team-based operations.

Highlights

• The U.S. Army is integrating into the gaming world to attract a younger, tech-savvy audience. 🎮
• Esports is being considered a modern avenue for recruitment, aiming at gamers' skills in fast decision-making and teamwork. 🕹️
• The Army plans to launch its dedicated esports team, including games like Call of Duty and Fortnite. 💥
• The initiative seeks to challenge the traditional soldier stereotype, promoting various roles within the military. 👨‍✈️
• Emerging strategies involve collaboration with gaming and direct engagement during esports events to initiate recruitment. 🎯

Key Takeaways

• The Army is targeting gamers in its new recruitment strategy, leveraging esports' popularity. 🎮
• Esports and gaming are seen as pathways to attract individuals with decision-making and teamwork skills crucial for soldiers. 🕹️
• An all-Army esports team is being formed, with soldiers competing for full-time positions and participating in tournaments nationwide. 💼
• The Army aims to dispel stereotypes, highlighting diverse roles beyond combat, appealing particularly to tech-savvy gamers. 👾
• Other military branches, like the Air Force and Navy, are also exploring gaming for recruitment, showing a trend in military strategies. 🌐

Overview

In an unexpected turn, the U.S. Army is tapping into the burgeoning esports industry as a novel recruitment effort. Recognizing the massive involvement of younger generations in competitive gaming, the military sees esports as an opportunity to showcase the Army's diverse career options beyond the battlefield. By doing so, they're not just reshaping recruiting ads but actively participating in the gaming sphere to meet potential future soldiers where they are – online.

This revolutionary approach involves the creation of an all-Army esports team. More than 7,000 active duty soldiers are vying for thirty exclusive spots on this team to compete in games like Call of Duty and League of Legends. The Army hopes to leverage these gaming environments to start genuine conversations about military life, reaching out to a demographic that is usually out of reach through conventional means like phone calls or traditional ads.

Moreover, the Army isn't alone in this endeavor as the Air Force and Navy have also begun to adopt gaming-related recruitment tactics. This shift not only highlights the growing importance of digital engagement in military strategies but also reflects an understanding that the skills honed in gaming – quick decision-making, strategy, and teamwork – are invaluable in military life. While controversial from various societal perspectives, this initiative marks a significant step in modernizing military recruitment.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Army's New Recruiting Strategy The US Army is shifting its recruiting strategy to target young gamers, with 75% of young men and 50% of young women playing video games. The popularity of Esports is anticipated to rival traditional sports leagues like the NFL by 2022, potentially reaching an audience of 300 million. The Army's new recruiting commander is interviewed to discuss this strategic pivot.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Army's Missed Recruiting Goals and New Strategy The Army is facing challenges in meeting its recruiting goals, having missed its target last year, the first time since 2005. This is attributed to a strong economy and the waning effectiveness of traditional recruiting methods like cold calls. In response, the Army is adopting new strategies, including venturing into online and video game platforms to attract potential recruits.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Gaming Convention and Army's Recruiting Command This chapter provides a snapshot of a bustling gaming convention in San Antonio, highlighting the presence of both attendees in costume and the real-life military. Major General Frank M., leading the Army's Recruiting Command, acknowledges a crossover in skills between gaming and military roles. He suggests that gamers' decision-making abilities are akin to those needed in the Army, indicating a strategic approach in recruitment efforts targeting this demographic.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Qualities of Gamers and Army's Esports Team This chapter discusses the qualities that are crucial for gamers, such as the ability to quickly process information and make decisions, as well as teamwork skills that aid in achieving missions. It then details the Army's initiative to form its first all-Army Esports team. Over 7,000 active duty soldiers are competing for 30 full-time positions on this team, with a focus on games such as Call of Duty, Fortnite, and League of Legends. The chapter highlights the aim to compete in Esports tournaments across the country.
• 02:00 - 02:30: General's Insights into New Recruiting Tactics The chapter discusses innovative recruiting strategies being adopted by military recruiters in response to changing communication preferences. It opens with the realization that traditional phone calls are ineffective, prompting a shift in tactics. Major General M is inspired to integrate recruitment efforts into gaming environments, recognizing that games serve as a modern platform for interaction, akin to old-fashioned television ads. This new approach aims to seamlessly introduce recruitment conversations within the natural flow of gaming. The chapter highlights how Sergeant First Class Chris Jones leads the new Esports initiative, spearheading this novel recruiting effort.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Esports Recruiting Effort and Career Paths in Army The chapter discusses the efforts of the Army in recruiting by highlighting the diverse career paths available beyond traditional infantry roles. Emphasizing fields such as cyber security and microbiology, the Army aims to inform potential recruits about the wide range of opportunities. The narrative also touches on common questions recruits may have, such as the possibility of having a dog while in service.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Typical Recruit Questions and Army Responses The chapter titled 'Typical Recruit Questions and Army Responses' provides a dialogue format covering common inquiries from potential recruits and the corresponding Army regulations. It includes guidelines such as the prohibition of having pets in the barracks and the possibility of owning a car if financially feasible. The military's strict stance on marijuana use is highlighted, noting it is not permitted at all. The dialogue humorously addresses the perception of gamers' suitability for military life, hinting at a difference in physical activity levels compared to traditional expectations of soldiers, yet acknowledges the Army's openness to diverse backgrounds.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Gamers' Perception of Military and Combat Realities The chapter discusses the impact of shooter games on kids and their perception of the military and combat. It highlights how Esports acts as a bridge for kids to relate to military-like experiences. However, a Major General emphasizes the importance of honesty about the harsh realities of combat, emphasizing that war is not a game. The chapter also touches on whether encouraging a career in the military may lead to danger, acknowledging the inherent risks but noting that only a small percentage of military personnel are in direct combat roles.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Conclusion on Army's Esports Team and Other Branches The chapter discusses the Army's Esports team becoming ready to compete by the summer and mentions how other military branches are engaging with gaming. The Air Force is sponsoring tournaments, while the Navy is using a traveling simulator to engage recruits. The passage also highlights various opinions about the military's involvement in gaming, reflecting a pondering on the personal stance regarding the issue. The existence of non-combat military roles and the happiness of those involved is also noted.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Debate on Army's Recruiting Tactics and Gaming The chapter discusses the controversy surrounding military recruiters targeting high school students, including by engaging with potential recruits through gaming platforms. It highlights the modern methods recruiters are using to connect with young people, reflecting on the ethical implications and effectiveness of these tactics. Additionally, there is a mention of interesting questions regarding marijuana, indicating potential areas of overlap between the gaming community and military recruitment strategies.

Army recruiting esports gamers for next generation of U.S. soldiers Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 the US Army is looking Beyond traditional recruiting ads as it tries to pitch itself to a new audience Gamers nearly 75% of men under 30 and about half of young women say they play video games the audience for Competitive Gaming also known as Esports is expected to rival the NFL by 2022 with as many as 300 million people only on CBS This Morning Tony deople met with the new with the Army's new recruiting Commander
• 00:30 - 01:00 about how he hopes to turn virtual Fighters into real Warriors Tony good morning good morning there'll be a lot of opinions about this one here's the backstory last year the Army missed its recruiting goal for the first time since 2005 two reasons for that the strong economy also the slow collapse of traditional recruiting like cold calls so now Uncle Sam has a new strategy going not just online but into video games oh thank you I'm uh snake for metal
• 01:00 - 01:30 solid at this soldout gaming convention in San Antonio people dressed up like their favorite characters including more than a few makeb believe soldiers but there's one place where the uniforms were real this is where uh the zg are Major General Frank M head of the Army's Recruiting Command is looking for the next generation of American soldiers is there something about what it takes to be a gamer today and what you're looking for for Army jobs that overlaps yes it's a decision Deion making it's the ability
• 01:30 - 02:00 take in a lot of information quickly and to be able to make a decision it's about teamwork to help the mission the Army is putting together the first all Army Esports team more than 7,000 active duty soldiers are now competing for just 30 full-time positions playing games like Call of Duty fortnite and League of Legends seven rounds in a row for the defense and hoping to compete in Esports tournaments the country last year when
• 02:00 - 02:30 we didn't make Mission we went down to the recruiters and say okay what can we do different and they said sir first we've got to get off the phones nobody picks it up anymore that's what got Major General M thinking game on you know the guys talk all the time while they're playing the games so it's like an oldfashioned television ad except it's tucked right into the natural flow of the gaming environment yes this is the kind of setup that you would imagine being able to begin a recruiting conversation yeah Sergeant First Class Chris Jones is lead the new Esports
• 02:30 - 03:00 recruiting effort he says a lot of what he does is explain that the Army is in all boots and bullets be not only in the Infantry but you could be in cyber we have microbiologists we have all these different career fields that you know that's why we're here to tell you about it all right I'm going to give you the questions from a typical recruit you got to give me the answer okay all right can I have a dog if you're
• 03:00 - 03:30 a single soldier staying in the barracks you cannot have a dog can I have a car now if it's within your budget yes can I keep smoking marijuana in the military no currently that is that is not allowed not even a little bit not even on the weekend correct and may be a disqualifier for a lot of Gamers correct shut up no Gamers may not fit the old stereotype of America's Soldier as much as I love my community we're not as physically active as people want us to be but many seem to welcome the Army's
• 03:30 - 04:00 new interest honestly especially with all the shooter games that we have nowadays I think it's a great segue for kids to kind of they're always like oh this is kind of like the military see the cool thing about Esports is and Major General Mo says the Army is being honest about the realities of combat war is obviously not a game are you guiding these people into a career path that's going to get them killed there's risk in everything we do the Army there is a risk uh but if you look at the you know the percentage that are actually in direct combat it's a low percentage there's a lot of different jobs that you
• 04:00 - 04:30 can do and and Military Specialties that that are not combat related but it's you know it's part of being in the Army it's part of serving the Army says the Esports team should be ready to compete by the summer and the other branches are also getting into gaming the Air Force has sponsored tournaments and the Navy is engaging recruits with a new traveling simulator I think a lot of opinions on this one I'm not sure where I come down I want to hear what you guys think you said there's some jobs there in the Army fulltime job like that guy who just was sitting there in his army un yes they look very happy here's the
• 04:30 - 05:00 thing it's controversial in some communities for recruiters to go into high schools recruiters going into bedrooms potentially through the headsets yeah and they're keeping up with the times I mean that's a that's that's a way to get for sure very true very true I found your questions about marijuana very interesting Tony I was you ask for a friend there's an overlap in the gaming world thank you Tony ahead