America's Army

America's Army is the name of a game technology platform used to develop first-person shooter (FPS) games released by the U.S. Army in 2002. The game is described as a strategic communication tool designed to allow young Americans to virtually explore the Army at their own pace and according to their interests to see if being a soldier fits their needs, interests and abilities. America's Army is the first large-scale use of gaming technology by the U.S. government as a platform for strategic communication and the first use of gaming technology to support recruitment in the U.S. Army. The concept of America's Army was developed in 1999 by Colonel Casey Wardynski, the Army's Chief Economist and a professor at the United States Military Academy.[2] Wardynski wanted to "utilize computer gaming technology to provide the public with a virtual soldier experience that is engaging, informative, and entertaining."[3] America's Army was led by two other U.S. Army officers who worked with Wardynski in the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA): Major Chris Chambers and Major Bret Wilson. Windows version 1.0, subtitled Recon, was first released on July 4, 2002. By January 2014, over 41 versions and updates had been released, including updates for America's Army: Proving Grounds, which was released in August 2013. All versions were developed using the Unreal Engine. The game is funded by the US government and distributed as a free download. According to game historian Carrie McLeroy, America's Army "has evolved in ways its creators could not have imagined."[3] Dozens of government training and simulation applications utilizing the America's Army platform have been developed to train and educate U.S. Army soldiers.[4] America's Army has also been used to provide virtual soldier experiences to attendees of events such as air shows, amusement parks, and sporting events across the country. The America's Army series has also expanded to include versions for Xbox and Xbox 360, arcade and mobile applications released through licensing agreements.[5][6]