What Effects Do War Video Games Have On Young People?

Do war Video games encourage young people to go to join the army or military?

This can also apply to anyone else who plays war games.

You may be on to something.

I bought Call of Duty 4 and play it all the time. Recently though I have had the urge to join the national guard for some reason.

It's either the game or because i'm in need of money. I personally think it's the game

oh and i am a young person 17

[edit on 28-4-2008 by theendisnear69]

reply to post by CoNsPiRaCy PhReAk


Why else would the official game of the US Army be the very popular game "Americas Army?"
The military uses it for training and battle simulation...

AA

Nobody knows military simulations like the world's premier land force, the United States Army. So, when the Army began making the America's Army game to provide civilians with insights on Soldiering from the barracks to the battlefields, it sent its talented development team to experience Army training just as a new recruit would. The developers crawled through obstacle courses, fired weapons, observed paratrooper instruction, and participated in a variety of training exercises with elite combat units, all so that you could virtually experience Soldiering in the most realistic way possible

I play CoD 4 also but it never really made me want to join the Army but when I started playing Halo 2 I really wanted to join the Space Marines lol..

As an avid war gamer I say it is down to the person.

I get an itch every now and again to join the army whilst playing these games, though I always have wanted to since being a toddler.

However if you play these games with a smooth open mind it should actually put you off, when you think the amount of times you die, combined with less than human smart AI etc etc.

as the above post states, its all about the person.

Some people are naturally patriotic and this games bring it out.

Originally posted by dixi2344
as the above post states, its all about the person.

Some people are naturally patriotic and this games bring it out.

Good point!

However my friend isn't patriotic at all and all he seems to want to do is join the army after playing this call of duty game...

reply to post by CoNsPiRaCy PhReAk


they sure as hell didn't encourage me. i love playing war video games, yet i abhor the idea of joining the military (unless it's in a situation like a truly defensive war)

Originally posted by CoNsPiRaCy PhReAk

Originally posted by dixi2344
as the above post states, its all about the person.

Some people are naturally patriotic and this games bring it out.

Good point!

However my friend isn't patriotic at all and all he seems to want to do is join the army after playing this call of duty game...

maybe he likes killing for a cause?

Harvard did a study on this and concluded that people who play violent video games are less violent people

why? Because they drain their anger into a game and not into a person.

Originally posted by roman_s
Harvard did a study on this and concluded that people who play violent video games are less violent people

why? Because they drain their anger into a game and not into a person.

as true as that is, its also mixed. once again it comes down to the person.

For anyone who seems to want to join the army after playing these games should simply be asked...


So yeh, that mission you just played, how many times did you die to complete it? Oh really that many times, against an enemy that isn't as smart as a human.

I play a lot of war games and I believe that I will join some branch of the military (hopefully the airforce) and I do not think the games had a say in my decision, but because my grades are so bad I honestly believe I have no other choice


Although playing Flight Simulator X gets me amped about possibly one day actually flying.


(edit: wow lots of CoD4 players on, my PSN is racerzeke if anyone would like to add)

[edit on 5/7/2008 by racerzeke]

[edit on 5/7/2008 by racerzeke]