Comments on: United States Army paying $3,700,000 for anti-smoking game.

By: Timothy Watson

Timothy Watson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:08:24 +0000

I have a problem with the United States Army (or the military as a whole) getting a bunch of recruits to sign up for the military thinking that’s it some kind of game they’re going to be involved in. Further, I have never seen any data showing that “America’s Army” actually resulted in someone signing up for the Army. Once I’ve seen that data, as well as data from other recruitment tools, and am able to do a quick cost-benefit analysis, I might change my mind.

And just so you know Charles, I don’t consider any multiplayer-only game to be “fun”. I have better things to do than shoot at morons as they bunny-hop across a map. In fact, this Penny Arcade comic sums up my feelings pretty well on that particular subject:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/11/07/

By: Citizen Tom

Citizen Tom — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:58:23 +0000

Is it possible that Charles R. Lawson is projecting his own feelings? I do not think the mere fact someone dislikes the way American tax dollars are being spent makes them hateful. In fact, I think jumping to such a conclusion is rather difficult to explain.

The U.S. Army has to recruit. So using military funds to purchase an advertising tool is explicable. An anti-smoking video, on the other hand, provides a more dubious proposition. Why should U.S. taxpayers want to pay to be indoctrinated by the U.S. Government?

Thomas Jefferson expressed his feeling on such matters this way.

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

But I suppose some also think Thomas Jefferson was a hateful man.

By: Charles R. Lawson

Charles R. Lawson — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:30:15 +0000

If you’d played America’s Army back in the day, you wouldn’t be such a hater…that game is mad fun.

That being said, I assume you would be willing to just say all advertising for recruitment purposes is for naught. If America’s Army is too expensive, then paying bands like Trapt to be in ads for the US Navy are also too expensive. Television, posters, billboards–those are all wastes as well. I’m not so sure that these equate to the silliness of a video game that aims to reduce military smoking hah! That just sounds completely frivolous.

I’m not sure many of the things you post are quite as cut-and-dried as you’d like them to be…stay tuned for my comment on the Wittman-Scott co-sponsored gang bill.