Using Games for Recruiting

In addition to the Yahoo Instant Messenger game the Army launched in 2008, there were other areas ranging from inexpensive in-house developments to large sponsorships.

The largest endeavor was a sponsorship of Xbox HALO 3.  For more details on this award-winning program click here.

America’s Army is a computer game that was developed by a team at West Point.  In 2009 as America’s Army 3 (AA3) was preparing to launch we included it in our marketing plan.  Unlike other military games, AA3 has an educational component to it.  Players must complete basic training prior to their first “deployment.”  The idea is to let players get a chance to experience training they will receive and to watch videos from real Soldiers to gain an understanding about life in the Army.

Other games were much more simple and designed for sharing on iGoogle, personal blogs and desktops.  These included:

A counter for candidates to track how many days until their next event (meeting with a recruiter, graduation, basic training, etc)

goarmy.com Countdown widget

or to learn about a Soldiers equipment

or to experience a Basic Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Range.

 

These are just a few examples of how we used games to help our prospects experience the Army and to help start a discussion with recruiters.  At recruiting stations we could take it to the next level using games to teach teamwork or to actually “shoot” a rifle in a simulator.