America's Army

An Army game financed and produced by the US government.

America’s Army is actually a piece of technology used by the US Army to help recruit new soldiers to the force. It is a first-person shooter game that was first released in 2002. It allows people to explore the army at their own pace and see what role they could play as a soldier based on their abilities and interests. It represents the first use of game technology by the US Army Recruiting Office.

Colonel Casey Wardynski said the game was built, "Using computer game technology to provide the public a virtual soldier experience that was engaging, informative and entertaining."

Free To Download And Play In Some Countries

The first version was released in 2002 and was called America’s Army Recon. There have been over 41 versions of the game with the most recent being “America’s Army Proving Grounds.” The development of the game has been funded by the US Government and is therefore free to download and play. The games have grown and evolved both in the way they look and how they are played.

More elements have been added and some have been taken away over the years to match the development of the US army. As the army uses different technology in real life, you start to see it in the game.

The only downside at the moment is that the last updated version was in 2013, so the game is as much as two to three years out of date. On the other hand, there is a good chance that little has changed in the US Army in the last two or three years, so there may not be a need to add new technology, tactics or scenarios into the game.

It Is Only Realistic In Some Senses

It is possible for you to heal your characters that have been shot, usually with the healer saying something such as “You’re good to go.” This is very misleading for a game that is supposed to show a true-to-life American Army. One can understand their reluctance to turn it into a gory blood fest, but it seems a little insincere.

Things such as the tactics, the roles the soldiers take up, the way the guns recoil, how the characters act, and the way the bombs explode looks quite realistic. It does look as if genuine military experts have had a big part to play in some of the game design and the game mechanics.

Use The Medical Skills In Real Life

It uses US Army tactics, which may be the reason it is not available in some countries. There is a lot of shooting, but it also has a few tactical maneuvers that are reminiscent of Brothers in Arms. There are also two separate stories of US citizens playing the game and using the medical training course to save people in real life.

Try Taking Up A Role In The US Army

The game has a lot of Army core elements such as parachute training, medical and ground infantry training, and it makes for an interesting (and dare one say fun) game. It fails to convey wartime realism in any way, but the scenarios they put players in are similar to training exercises, which may have been the intention of the developers. It is also likely that the US Army cannot show realistic war zones without hitting a lot of political and PC nerves.

Pros

• An Army game made by the US Army
• Has realistic elements you do not find in other games
• Allows you to explore your interests in a military setting
• Realistic sounds and army tactics
• Suitable levels of violence against realism
• Learn about the US Army

Cons

• “You‘re good to go” healing is very misleading
• The graphics could use a little tweaking
• It is due an updated version for the year 2015