The U.S. Army’s New Recruitment Tactic? Esports

I just want to say this upfront. You have every right to join the U.S. Army if you want to, if you personally think that’s the best way for you to serve the country. And if you do join and thankfully come back home safe, you deserve to be treated with respect as a veteran.

But it’s probably telling that the Army is currently failing to reach its recruitment goals by thousands of potential soldiers. Today’s political climate is making an already tough sell even less appealing. Army Recruiting Command spokeswoman Kelli Bland calls it a “growing disconnect with society.” But while the Army can’t (and shouldn’t) change anything about the politicians we as a free society are electing to lead it, the Army can change up its marketing tactics. The Army’s hot new recruitment tool? eSports!

To better reach out to modern young people, the U.S. Army is forming its own eSports team. Those interested can apply to compete in games like Overwatch, Fortnite, PUBG, NBA 2K, FIFA, League of Legends, Tekken, and Call of Duty before heeding the actual call of duty. Players game alongside veterans, reservists, and active duty troops. The team plans to tour college campuses to challenge local eSports team for a Fort Knox showdown as well as send an Army Tekken champion to PAX South in December.

However comfortable it makes you or not, the Army and video games are pretty intertwined, and not just because so many of the biggest first-person shooter video games are about playing soldier. The America’s Army shooter series has been used by the actual Army for years. Activision used legitimate war criminal Oliver North to pitch Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Trump mixed up fictional Call of Duty planes with the real thing. And personally one of my first eSports memories was standing in line with young Army recruits hyped to play Battlefield 1.

This guy sucks!

Joining the Army is a serious commitment with actual life and death stakes especially in perpetual wartime. It’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So frankly using trivial video game fun as a way to influence young people into signing up doesn’t sit right with me at all. But hopefully if the Army is improving its approach towards recruiting young people it’ll also improve its approach towards taking care of the young people under its wing.

In related news, here’s every Call of Duty, ranked.