Virtual combat.

• Author: Lewis, Andrea
• Position: Computer war games

I'VE BEEN INTERESTED IN gaming trends since the 1980s, when I worked part time in an arcade. In those days, pinball wizardry ruled, and video games still bore the glint of novelty. Harmless titles like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Centipede rose to the level of virtual cultural icons. And while arcade games with guns (like Tank) weren't unheard of back then, chasing a piece of fruit or fighting a spider occupied more of our time than battling Nazis or any other recognizable humans. You can still find a few arcades around, but for most players, gaming leaps out from the nearest computer or TV set. And the military has gotten in on the production side of some of the best-selling games available.

Take America's Army, a game created with about 6.3 million in tax dollars and used as a recruiting tool to lure young people into the U.S. military. According to the America's Army website, the game "is an entertaining way for young adults to explore the Army and its adventures and opportunities as a virtual Soldier. As such, it is part of the Army's communications strategy designed to leverage the power of the Internet as a portal through which young adults can get a first hand look at what it is like to be a Soldier."

The Army doesn't camouflage its interest. "Given the popularity of computer games and the ability of the Internet to deliver great content, a game was the perfect venue for highlighting different aspects of the Army," it says on the America's Army website.

The Army cites "the elimination of the draft" as one reason young adults are not gaining "vicarious insights into the challenges and rewards of Soldiering and national service." To counter this, "the game is designed to substitute virtual experiences for vicarious insights."

There is little virtual carnage. "Game characters show a small puff of blood when injured," says the America's Army website. "We built the game to provide entertainment and information without resorting to graphic violence and gore. When a Soldier is killed, that Soldier simply falls to the ground and is no longer part of the ongoing mission."

I spent more than thirty-six hours downloading the huge game file, and the play was both remarkably detailed and filled with subtle (and some not so subtle) recruiting messages. Shooting at pop-up targets in Basic Marksmanship was fun and challenging, but the lecture on "Vehicle, Aircraft, and Weapon Identification" was Soldier of Fortune scary. While each section of the...