Should Canada make a Game ala America's Army?

[Ghost]

Recruiting people isn't the problem

Finding people employment in the army is for some reason

 

[pbi]

Recruiting people isn't the problem

Finding people employment in the army is for some reason

I'm sorry? I don't follow your comment.

Cheers.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I get the point, but I'm not sure that the game would do much about making an important life decision like joining the military. However, I don't agree that everybody who plays simulation games is an overweight couch-potato wannabe. I have a number of PC games (not the first-person console shooters, I hasten to add...) such as Steel Panthers, Age of Empires, the Cossacks series and the Blitzkrieg series. I see some value in them. On the other hand, I don't watch TV and I don't really like McD's all that much.

If you want a game that includes Canadians, try to get your hands on the Steel Panthers II CD. You will need a DOS launcher program to run it, but it is a surprisingly good tactical game. The editor allows you to build Canadian units to to about BG size, from individual units such as LAVIII, Cdn Leo, M109, Cdn Inf, TOW, etc. The game is a bit dated as it still includes AVGPs. Cheers.

And when are you going to get Combat Mission: Afrika Korps.... www.battlefront.com  -  lotsa Canadians in it, WW II only, sort of a 3D version of Steel Panthers but with a simultaneous turn system....

 

[Travis]

As a seventeen year old from my point of view I would say Canada's recruiting process is lacking appeal to really, my generation.  Making a game likel AA probably wouldnt have much appeal to many subscribers unless it promised to be amazing so itd probably be smarter to just join with AA online and add Canadian Training n the choice to be a Canadian Soldier and the such.  What from my point of view we need  is a crazy Canadianized Army Movie like the United States produces every once in a while where Canada has done some amazing feat or even just from the view of one peace keeper who was once a normal guy, joins the army and does somthing great in bosnia or somthing that gives him a new view on life.  It may sound dumb to some of you but I believe that would really work, the problem is among my age well... the people i know,  most dont have much respect for the Canadian Military because all they hear about for Current events are budget cuts and the such.  We never see some great Canadian military feat accomplished on the Big Screen and the such like the Americans do.      btw America sponsered America's Army, and Full Spectrum Warrior, maybe this is the reason there recuritment is so high.  They input such high appeal among young americans which is also probably why when i say Im in the Canadian army people say.  " why wouldnt you join the United States Army, there so much better ".  There campaign is more aggressive and basically appeals to a larger croud. 

PS. sry for the spelling 

 

[foerestedwarrior]

The problem with people having this game (AA) as their limited exposure to the forces. This is especially true if it were to happen in Canada. Is that because of the kind of peopel you will find that will be playing it, you will not get an even close to real veiw of what happens, too many people will hack, hop not use team work, fire and movement. A game like BIA(Brothers in Arms) which is squad based would give you a much better view on such things, even though it is WW2.

Plus, how wany civi's want to play a game were you do presence patrols, and help rebuild schools??

 

[pbi]

Travis: try reading military history: there are lots of excellent Canadian military history books out now, more than ever before in my memory. You will find that the Canadian Army has feats of bravery, sacrifice and determination that equal those of ANY military force anywhere. As for making a movie or game, the fact of the matter is that the audience for anything purely Canadian like you are proposing would be so small that it would not be worth the cost of producing it.

Hollywood is American and sells American audiences what they want to see, which when it comes to military movies is apparently only their own military history and nothing else. This is only to be expected, and is pointless to cry over. If we owned Hollywood the stories would probably be Canadian.

Consider this: with all  the great publicity that the US military gets, the US Army is having serious trouble recruiting and increasing difficulty retaining people. I am not making this up: I am getting it from the US guys I serve alongside here in Afgh. Only the Marines are really doing OK. So, in the end, how much difference do these games or movies really make?

Cheers.

 

[Travis]

There may be more history books than ever but with that said, the number of people i know around my age who will one day say " I think ill go but a history book " is extremmeely low. 

I see how hollywood does only American history movies and the such but all we really need is one Great  movie about the Canadian Military that people can look back on, maybe about Vimme or somthing more recent where theres more multi-culturalism present.  Just one great Canadian Military movie to inspire the people.  I noticed in the previews for the movie Hotel Rwanada the soldiers helping the people to safety are Canadian soldiers, just seeing the patch of a Canadian flag alone is enough to make some of the people i know go "wow...  that right we did tha" and it literally fills them with pride to be Canadian.

America probably is having trouble recruiting and maintaining there men due to Iraq but they still have more than us  :blotto:

 

[Glorified Ape]

There may be more history books than ever but with that said, the number of people i know around my age who will one day say " I think ill go but a history book " is extremmeely low.  

I see how hollywood does only American history movies and the such but all we really need is one Great   movie about the Canadian Military that people can look back on, maybe about Vimme or somthing more recent where theres more multi-culturalism present.   Just one great Canadian Military movie to inspire the people.   I noticed in the previews for the movie Hotel Rwanada the soldiers helping the people to safety are Canadian soldiers, just seeing the patch of a Canadian flag alone is enough to make some of the people i know go "wow...   that right we did tha" and it literally fills them with pride to be Canadian.

America probably is having trouble recruiting and maintaining there men due to Iraq but they still have more than us   :blotto:

If you'd asked me, when I was 17, if myself or any of my friends would go out and buy a history book anytime soon, the answer would have been a resounding "no". I think that probably goes for most generations when they're at that age.

A movie would be nice, but alas - the closest we get is "The Devil's Brigade". The kind of people that can be recruited through video games and movies probably aren't the kind of people we want in the forces, are they? If we have problems with retention now, imagine how bad it will be when all the gamer recruits realise that the forces are nowhere near what the game made them out to be... this being after the costs of processing and induction have already been spent.

I'd like to see a movie about Medak but not for recruiting purposes - I just think the public's knowledge about the incident and how Canadians performed is so sadly lacking. It's important that Canadians know what their soldiers do overseas and what they have to go through, in the interests of building the necessary level of respect for the military in the public.

 

[Travis]

The kind of people that can be recruited through video games and movies probably aren't the kind of people we want in the forces, are they?

I would say a majority of these people are the kind of people for the forces.  Gaming systems are becoming as frequent in the living room as DVD players.  So imagine that fact in 4-5 years the living room would become the best and easiest place to reach a person on information about the forces.

 

[Hopkins]

AA is one of my fav. games...But it would be extremely cool if Canada came out with a similiar thing .

Wouldn't mind seein what the boys are doin in Haiti and Afghanistan or somethin...Or even a realistic Peacekeeping mission where it goes by time and certain things happen.

It would be god for Canada for the world to see what Canada is made of.

 

[Ghost]

Iraq is what got me motivated for the Army again.

But then again I am not like most people I am joining because I am looking for a fight  :evil:

Its not the USMC but it will have to do for now

 

[Hopkins]

Iraq is what got me motivated for the Army again.

But then again I am not like most people I am joining because I am looking for a fight   :evil:

Its not the USMC but it will have to do for now

Thats the attitude that get people killed...Use the first thing you said...Thats good...Don't use the looking for a fight...You can't back it up...You'll be scared Sh!tless in a real fight.

Look at it realisticly...It's either you or them

 

[cpl-cam]

Games recruit people who like to see fancy animations and "things go boom". If you want to boost recruiting you shoudl have recruiters in the schools more. One of the things that pushed me from wanting to be a commercial pilot to wanting to be an Air Nav is the talk that was given by a sgt and a captain from the local CFRC when I was on a Cadet weekend ex.  I really like the CFRC way of speaking, they give you all teh positive points but they also tell you what some of the problems might be such as commitment etc. I also really like the cds. I think the 1 thing that the CF could improve on is to find a way to get Truth Duty Valour to let them hand out episodes on disks, but that's obviously not gonna happen anytime soon.

 

[Travis]

The thing about recruiters in school is people are intimidated by them.. honestly.  Not to mention the literal abuse that could come from school mates who know nothing about the Canadian military and the great things its done.  Although I myself was recruited at a school it wasnt untill I went up to the booth that all the other people looking at the booth from across the hall way walked up to.  I dont want to sound like im bragging but im failry popular so it took someone with a status like that to push people to talk to the recruiter, at my school at least.

With a video game there wouldnt be that popularity barrier, it would be as siimple as play some Candian Army missions and see what were about, then decide if you have what it takes. 

And ( to me ) the army is 0.5% blowing stuff up and 99.5% respect and the thought of the many ways you can help people from being oppressed around the world.  People who r in to blow stuff up kiinndda scare me

 

[Ghost]

I know what I am getting into.

Even if I said I am joining because I wanna be a peacekeeper doesn't mean somebody still won't blow my head off.

 

[Ghost]

I can see what you are talking about Travis when I went to do some of my tests they had a Q&A only nobody would put their hand up so I broke the ice and asked kinda a dumb a question I already knew the answer to and then the hands started going up.

 

[Steel Badger]

It would work

As long as halfway thru each mission,  you replace all the kit with something cheaper and more likely to break..

Oh,,, and have a "reorganization timer" that routinely resets and relables all the controls on an ongoing basis

THAT would convey the flavour of theCF