How Peace Activists Are Beating the U.S. Military at its Own (Video) Game
As the Armed Forces exploit streaming platforms like Twitch to reach potential Gen Z recruits, a group of anti-war veterans are joining the virtual battlefront for hearts and minds.
BY NICK GALLAGHER SEPTEMBER 10, 2022 7:56 AM
After six years in the Marines, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chris Velazquez struggled to readjust to civilian life and suffered from PTSD. A former civil affairs operator, Velazquez wanted to warn young people about the physical, mental, and sexual trauma that can result from service, something recruiters rarely mention when touting the perks of military life.
“These are things that a very small population of America—the veteran population—are witness to, and we don’t know there are other people wanting to talk about them,” Velazquez says. “I spent many years suffering.”
While searching for ways to help, Velazquez learned that the military’s recruiting tactics had shifted drastically since they became a Marine in 2004. At that time, the military’s presence in the gaming world was limited to a proprietary first-person-shooter called America’s Army, which featured missions modeled after real-life combat scenarios.
https://progressive.org/latest/peace-video-games-military-recruitment-gallagher-091022/
