Óscar Ruiz / Escudo Digital
Migration expert and international analyst
The relationship between the video game industry and military recruitment has been evolving rapidly in recent years, with strategies by the military to recruit gamers who possess skills directly transferable to the military environment. The growth of the video game industry is convincing military strategists that the industry needs to become more integrated and learn from it, and the question the military has for video game enthusiasts is whether they simply want to remain gamers or whether they would rather use those skills to create and develop a career in the military.
Statements such as those of John Healey, the UK Government’s Secretary of Defence give a good account of the importance and growing relationship between gamers and army recruitment: “If you have a passion for cyberspace, if you’re good at video games, then you may have the skills that the British Army needs.”
Drone pilots needed
Although being in the military is already a physically and mentally demanding job, technological innovation has forced an urgent search for new cyberspace-related capabilities. As we have seen in recent times, modern militaries have begun to rely heavily on drones and cyber defense systems. The military drone market has grown in recent years, reaching $14 billion by 2023 and is projected to reach $47.2 billion by 2032. This means that, in addition to needing unmanned devices, there is a need for pilots who can get the most out of them in their different types of missions and objectives.
Many gamers, due to their exposure to operating complex systems and managing digital interfaces, develop skills that are directly transferable to drone operation, i.e. they are likely to be tech-savvy and adaptable (games like Call of Duty or Battlefield).
For this reason, military recruiters are already looking for players to fill these roles, which right now are covered by drone schools for military.
What does the military gain from video games?
In fact, video games themselves are making a very important part of the military’s job easier, as hardware is constantly being developed and updated, meaning that today’s military simulations are almost entirely driven by video games. NVIDIA, along with its competitors, is constantly developing and releasing new graphics processing units, enabling more realistic and accurate training simulations. This is achieved by providing high-quality images at high frames per second. If we add augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) helmets , we get an additional layer of realism, allowing for more realistic trainings.
War simulation software also allows the military to simulate various scenarios, testing strategies and tactics that can then be applied in real situations. Video game software allows for a smoother training process due to its practicality, without potential drawbacks such as physical fatigue, such as Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations.
Main challenges of military recruitment
There is job competition and negative public perception. Today, military service has to compete with significantly better-paying technology careers in the private sector and faces obstacles such as negative publicity surrounding military culture. These factors make it difficult to meet recruitment goals, as evidenced by the shortfall of 41,000 recruits reported by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2023.
With such problems in finding soldiers among the new generations, military recruitment through video games represents an innovative and strategic approach, which for the moment is mainly led by the United States. Both the army and the navy have incorporated gaming into their recruitment strategy, taking advantage of the popularity of platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Instagram to attract young people familiar with the digital environment and technology. These types of campaigns allow the armed forces to present themselves in spaces where young people already interact, capitalizing on the popularity of titles such as Fortnite and Valorant. The United Kingdom has also adopted similar initiatives, although other countries have only explored the use of video games as a complementary tool within their recruitment campaigns.
However, this approach is also generating criticism for its ethics, because it is mainly oriented to a younger audience, in formative and maturity stages. The use of video games can create a simplified image of military life, focusing on playful aspects and omitting the physical and psychological challenges associated with combat and exposure to extreme situations. In turn, these campaigns can generate expectations that do not fully conform to the reality of a military environment, such as the exposure to risks and physical wear and tear involved in service.
Spain and the recruitment of gamers
In our country, military recruitment has not yet adopted an approach aimed at attracting young people through video games or eSports teams, as is the case in Anglo-Saxon countries. But the Armed Forces are adapting their strategies to attract Generation Z, which is characterized by its intensive use of technology and social networks. To better connect with this group, recruitment campaigns are beginning to employ platforms popular among young people, such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, in an attempt to modernize the image of the armed forces and capture the interest of those with technical and digital skills. This tactic seeks to respond to the declining youth demographic in the country, which complicates the recruitment of new talent in the face of competition from the private sector.
While this mode of recruitment is effective (and eye-catching) in attracting younger people, it raises the need for much more realistic communication about the implications of military service. The military will need to closely evaluate the balance between digital recruitment campaigns and the responsibility to provide a clear and accurate picture of the demands and commitments of service, especially when targeting a young, young-at-heart audience. And definitely, if the military wants specialized gamers running expensive military digital platforms, it will have to review its pay policy, which the military, in general, pays poorly.
