Editing America's Army (section)

=== ''America's Army'' ===
[[File:AA2GameCover.jpg|thumb|Box art for the original game]]

''America's Army''<nowiki/>'s concept was conceived in 1999 by Colonel [[Casey Wardynski]], the Army's chief economist and a professor at the [[United States Military Academy]].<ref name="KennedyNYT" /> Wardynski envisioned "using computer game technology to provide the public a virtual soldier experience that was engaging, informative and entertaining".<ref name="McLeroyHistory">{{cite journal|author=McLeroy, Carrie|date=September 2008|title=History of Military Gaming|url=http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/rv5_other/soldiers/archives/pdfs/sep08all.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=Soldiers Magazine|pages=4–6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215194240/http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/rv5_other/soldiers/archives/pdfs/sep08all.pdf|archive-date=2013-12-15|access-date=2012-04-13}}</ref> ''America's Army'' was managed by two other U.S. Army officers serving with Wardynski at the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA): Major Chris Chambers and Major Brett Wilson. Wardynski approached Michael Zyda and [[Mike Capps (executive)|Michael Capps]] at the [[Naval Postgraduate School]]'s (NPS) MOVES Institute in Monterey, California, to make this video game vision a reality. Zyda and Capps took a unique approach for developing a major software project in the [[United States Department of Defense]] by assembling a team of professional game developers with experience developing major titles and creating a development studio on the campus of NPS. The project had a development budget of $5 million.<ref>{{cite web|first=Alex|last=Kingsburgy|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85845102/chicago-tribune/|title=Warfare isn't a game but now recruiting is|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|page=133|date=May 23, 2004|accessdate=September 27, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

The game was developed by Wardynski who recognized that a video game might be helpful to the U.S. Army in the strategic communication efforts by providing more information to prospective soldiers and to help reduce the number of recruits who wash out during the nine weeks of basic training.<ref name="KennedyNYT" /> The effort proved successful as more than 13 million players have registered ''America's Army'' accounts over the years, with more than 260 million hours played on the various titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130829/OFFDUTY02/308290054 |title='America's Army: Proving Grounds' out today &#124; Army Times |publisher=armytimes.com |date=2014-07-22 |access-date=2014-07-26}}</ref> One teenager was quoted saying the game "provides great information. This would probably spark an interest. I don't know how I would have found out so much some other way."<ref>{{cite news |author=Goodale, Gloria |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |title=Video game offers young recruits a peek at military life |date=2002-05-31 |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0531/p18s01-algn.html |access-date=2008-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227040010/http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0531/p18s01-algn.html |archive-date=2008-12-27 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''America's Army'' developers licensed commercial game engine technology, specifically the [[Unreal Engine|Unreal game engine]], as the foundation for its game. It was the first game to feature Unreal Engine 2. ''America's Army'' is intended to give a positive impression of the U.S. Army. In the official [https://web.archive.org/web/20081227031802/http://www.americasarmy.com/support/faqs.php?t=3&z=12#12 Frequently Asked Questions] page the developers confirmed in a statement that one of the reasons people outside the United States can play the game is "We want the whole world to know how great the U.S. Army is."
[[File:Army recruitment sign at E3 (148382595).jpg|thumb|right|Promotional material at [[E³ 2006|E3 2006]]]]
''America's Army'' is the first well-known overt use of computer games for political aims. Chris Chambers, the former deputy director of development for ''America's Army'', admits it is a [[recruitment tool]],<ref name="Turse">{{cite web |author=Turse, Nick |title=Zap, zap, you're dead... |date=2003-10-16 |publisher=TomDispatch.com |url=http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=1012 |access-date=2008-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070318005609/http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=1012 |archive-date=2007-03-18 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Chris Morris of [[CNN]]/[[Money (magazine)|Money]] states that "the Army readily admits [America's Army] is a propaganda device".<ref name=MorrisCNN02>{{cite web |author=Morris, Chris |title=Your tax dollars at play |date=2002-06-03 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2002/05/31/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/ |website=CNN Money |access-date=2008-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725095627/https://money.cnn.com/2002/05/31/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/ |archive-date=2008-07-25 |url-status=live }}</ref> The game aims to become part of youth culture's [[consideration set]] as confirmed by Army Deputy Chief of Personnel [[Timothy Maude]] in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.<ref name=TheNation2002>{{cite magazine|author1=Hodes, Jacob |author2=Ruby-Sachs, Emma |magazine=The Nation |title='America's Army' Targets Youth |url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020902/hodes20020823 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081202184214/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020902/hodes20020823 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-12-02 |date=2002-08-23 |access-date=2008-10-28  }}</ref>

''America's Army'' and its official web page contain links to the "Go Army" recruitment website, another recruiting tool that, according to the Army Subcommittee Testimony from February 2000, has a higher chance of recruiting than "any other method of contact".<ref name=TheNation2002/> Guiding American players to the website is a major goal of the game and it was confirmed that twenty-eight percent of all visitors of ''America's Army's'' web page click through to this recruitment site. According to Colonel Wardynski, the game generated interest from other U.S. government agencies, including the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]], resulting in the development of a training version for internal government use only.<ref>{{cite web |author=Feldman, Curt |title=E3 Update: America's Army polishes up its act |website=GameSpot |date=2005-05-19 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/19/news_6124594.html |access-date=2008-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221144221/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/19/news_6124594.html |archive-date=2009-02-21 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since the shutdown of ''America's Army: Proving Grounds'' in 2022, the website of the game now redirects to the "Go Army" website.