One of the largest armies in the world is not doing so well. The US Army does not have as many recruits as it should. Now the Army is trying new strategies: They want to recruit gamers.
Gamers as a target group: To attract new recruits, the Army is now trying to reach more people. They are mainly targeting gamers. In particular, eSports fans are to be won as new recruits.
From virtual shooting to real rifles
Gaming in uniform: To reach a larger audience, the US Army wants to focus on participation in eSports. Recruiters are to participate in eSports tournaments in uniform and showcase themselves there.
The plan is that this will raise questions about their profession. Recruiters are to answer the questions of eSports fans on-site and thus spark interest in the Army.
The Army has done something like this before. A recruiting officer participated in an “Ultimate Fighter” tournament in uniform. According to Major General Frank Muth, the Army reached 2.4 million people in just one hour.
Whether larger tournaments and events such as the Overwatch League will become a target for the Army remains to be seen.
More social media: As a second measure, Muth wants to increase interaction and use of social media for the Army. Specifically, the platforms
- and even Twitch are to be utilized.
This way, contact can be made with students who have “liked” the Army’s Facebook page after a recruiter presumably visited the corresponding school.
The military has been in eSports for a while: The US military’s involvement in eSports is nothing new. The US Air Force appeared as a partner in the ELEAGUE Boston Majors, an eSports tournament in Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
The CS:GO team Cloud 9 is also sponsored by the Air Force, and the new jerseys of the players feature the Air Force logo.
Why all this? Last year, the US Army only hired 70,000 new recruits. The goal was 76,500. Thus, according to PCGamesN, the Army has failed to meet its target for the first time in 13 years.
Is there something similar in Germany? At least the Bundeswehr has discovered Gamescom as a venue for itself. Just in 2018, the German Bundeswehr made an impression there with “interesting” posters and sparked a discussion.
Will it have an impact? The Army’s entry into the area of eSports could certainly have repercussions for German eSports fans. Depending on how strongly the Army engages, it could become a sponsor or advertising partner for various events or involve well-known Twitch streamers like DrDisrespect in their cause.
The Army is taking a step that the Olympic Committee refuses: Olympics do not want eSports – the arguments for it are weak.
