America’s Army is the first person shooting game. This is developed by United States Army in 2002 for enhancing the interested of American teenager to join the army and fight for the terrorism in Iraq. AA is not only the shooting game, the players but also can become different kind of role in Army such as combat lifesaver, special forces operator, HMMWV driver, CROWS gunner etc. The player must be the role of US Army whether in defense or in attack. When playing AA, the player can has the virtual experience as the soldier.

To what extent, does the experience of playing digital games affect “real life” values and behaviour? Discuss the values and behaviour promoted by America’s Army, and offer your opinion on whether this may have “real life” consequences for the player.

Nowadays, digital game is more and more common and popular compare to past decade since the computer technology as hardware and software have the great improvement. Whether teenagers or adults and male or female will also played the digital game. Therefore, the digital game culture is building up in the actual world. The virtual community in the computer game will also continuous influence the player in actual world since playing game is a part of life for player. Also, many digital games and actual world will have the similar background to let player have the high involvement in the game. Since the digital game have played more important role of the player life, the real life value and behavior of player are further influenced by the game. America’s Army will be as the example for explaining how the digital game affected the player value and behavior.

As I mention before, the purpose of launched America’s Army increased recruitment of US army. The game provided much information about US army training and player can experience for using weapons on the game. People are quite difficult to get this kind of experience in daily life however this game given the chance for the player to go through the life of army. The player will easy to through themselves to the game role as the soldier. Therefore, it is more than the game for the player who can join the US army to let the virtual experience to become true. Also the official game website and the game page can link to army recruitment website. America’s Army is more than a first person shooting game; this can be very seriously to affect the player future life when they joined the army because of playing this game.

Beside that, the America’s Army is the first person shooting game. The player mission is shooting down the enemy. The shooting screens are very bloody and violence in the game. Killing all the enemy is the only method of advance the high level in the game. The player will get successful when winning the game. At the end, the player decided that violence can solve the problem because the player accepted the playing model of shooting game. The news of Campus armed assault case in 1999 can approved this argument. It happened in America high school as two teenagers used assault weapons to kill several of their fellow students and wounded many others [1]. Their behavior is very similar to computer game which they usually played. It is very obvious that the violence game had directly influenced their behavior to become more violence.

Furthermore, their anti terrorism will be enhanced after playing America’s Army. After 911, America provoked US- Iraq war to revenge the terror. The player especially the American player gotten that they also can be participant army for their national and protected their family from fighting terrorism. The player is very easily to involve to game character when people is wallowing in playing digital game. Therefore, America’s Army has seriously influenced the player value of against terrorism. This game indirectly promoted US- Iraq war. The feature of America’s Army is all characters role as US army. The player value of war is affected by game since the game had only one way promoted that American should combat with terrorism. This massage is more and more advanced when player played this game again and again.

On the other hand, playing America’s Army also had positive influence of the player. As the America’s Army is very exciting first person shooting game, the player is in tension and exciting in the game. When they face pressure and accident in real life, this kind of virtual experience can help them to overcome and handle it. According to the news, posted on the official website, the player in North Carolina saved the injured in the car accident because of the virtual medical training in the game [2]. It is very useful of the player getting the medical knowledge from the game. There are many chances of player practicing to handle the accident in the game. This clearly shown that this game has directly influenced of player behavior in facing accident.

From my point of view, the digital game can also have positive and negative effect for the player. If the player can see the game as the relaxing tool in daily life, they can be easily to recognize game as the virtual experience for playing. The player will separate the truth and fault information from the game. The rational player can not only enjoy the game but also learn medical and military knowledge from America’s Army. However, there is the negative effect for the player behavior. The bloody screen of the game is not suitable for the player especially teenagers to watch since they will confuse that the problem can be solved by violence. Some teenagers are not rational enough to handle the influence of the virtual experience from the game.

To sum up, the experience of playing digital game has the great influence of the player value and behavior. The digital game is not only for playing and enjoy but also for educating and learning to the player.

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[1] Ward, Mark, Columbine families sue computer game makers. BBC News Online technology, May 1, 2001, Science and Technology section.

[2] Cavalli, Earnest, Man Imitates America's Army, Saves Lives. Wired Blog Network, January 18, 2008, Culture section. PP5

Bibliography
Atkins, Barry, More than a game : the computer game as fictional form. Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2003
The book quoted many book references. It have inspirit me game is not only the game. Boring but inspirit.

Boyd, Robert. S, Computer games train soldiers for the dangers of war. Knight Ridder Washington Bureau, January 26, 2006, Business News section.
Very useful to show the America’s Army effect of the player.

Cavalli, Earnest, Man Imitates America's Army, Saves Lives. Wired Blog Network, January 18, 2008, Culture section.
It is the positive example of America’s Army in player behavior. This support America’s Army also have the positive side.

Cecilia von Feilitzen and Ulla Carlsson, Editor, Children in the new media landscape : games, pornography, perceptions. Göteborg, Sweden : UNESCO International Clearinghouse on Children and Violence on the Screen at Nordicom, 2000
There are many cases study about how digital game affect on different countries children grown up. But the case study seems quite brief and did not have the great research.

Clark Dodsworth, Jr., contributing, Editor, Digital illusion : entertaining the future with high technology. New York : ACM Press ; Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley, c1998
It analyzes different affect of digital game. It provided different side for the reader to know more about digital game influence.

Cox, Jonathan. B, Classes prepare students for careers in growing video-game industry. The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. May 17,2005, Tribune Business News section.
This news shown digital game play important role for children life. Not directly related to topic.

Dovey, Jon, Game cultures : computer games as new media / Jon Dovey and Helen W. Kennedy. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England : Open University Press, 2006
There are many updated information about game culture. It is interesting of using many game example to explain how the daily life influenced by digital.

Kafai, Yasmin Bettina, Minds in play : computer game design as a context for children's learning. Hillsdale, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995
This is mainly focus on the game design effect on player and teaching how can we design the game which is educational. Also, the format of the game is very old and outdated.

Sigmund, Karl, Games of life : explorations in ecology, evolution and behavior. London : Penguin, 1995
Look difficult and it is not focus on digital game but focus on analyze how the game theory affect the player behavior.

Ward, Mark, Columbine families sue computer game makers. BBC News Online technology, May 1, 2001, Science and Technology section.
The news is about the side effect of violence digital game to children. It is the good example for the essay.

Quotes

This might not be ‘only a game’, and is therefore far more ‘serious’, and more ‘adult’, but it remains something ‘extraordinary’. ---More than a game : the computer game as fictional form. Chapter 6, P138.

Computer game can be seen as ‘transitional phenomena’ which facilitate exchange between the subject and the mediated environment. This allows us to contemplate the relationship between watching and doing, and to grasp the psychic significance of play as crucial part of our experience of culture. ---Game cultures : computer games as new media. Chapter 2, P132

I have received no prior medical training and can honestly say that because of the training and presentations within America's Army, I was able to help and possibly save the injured men. --- Cavalli, Earnest, Man Imitates America's Army, Saves Lives. Wired Blog Network

Violent video games that turn children into "monster killers"--- Ward, Mark, Columbine families sue computer game makers. BBC News Online technology, May 1, 2001, Science and Technology section, PP10.

The Game has also been used to deliver interactive, virtual Soldiering experiences to participants at events, such as air shows, amusement parks, sporting events around the country.--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_army#cite_note-4

Visual Materials

This is the America's Army trailer. It is posted on youtube in June 2007 and the title is "America's Army: True Soldiers Trailer". In the trailer, we can know more about the experience of playing America's Army.


















It is posted on the game forum in 2007. There is strong feeling of America nationalism. It is glorilfy the soldier image in the game.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/795/795776p1.html

The image shown that America's Army is provided much extra information about different weapons in game. It is posted on IGN in2002

http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/482289/americas-army/images/americasarmy_070902_06.html

There is the screen in America's Army. It showning that the game provided edic training for player. That is very useful in real life. It is post on IGN in 2003.

http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/482289/americas-army/images/americasarmy_051403_21.html

It is posted on youtube on 2008 and the title is "Americas Army Medic Training Massacre". The video content is very abnormal about the soldier massacre. The video show many negative and terrible feeling about US army.

Link
http://www.americasarmy.com/
It is the link of America’s Army homepage. There are detailed to introduce this game and also have software demos for people to download

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_army
There is much useful information about the game. The website has detail introduce the background story and provided many extra information for example, the player and public comment of AA

http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/projects/americas_army/
This website is develop by center for computational analysis of social and organizational system , there are comprehensive analyzing how America’s Army contributed to build up the team spirit and it posted few publication which is published by this center. It seems much information and had the deep research of this game.

http://pc.ign.com/objects/482/482289.html
This website has the photo album and forum about America's Army. It have may tip for playing game .

http://www.goarmy.com/aarmy/index.jsp
The homepage of this website encouraged people to be soldier. This website introduced America's Army to show that there are close relationship of the game and US Army.