Register Login

Journal of Promotional Communications

Search
PDF

Published

2015-04-23

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015)

Section

Articles

License

Policy for Journals That Offer Open Access


Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Misfire: An Exploration of the Military First-Person-Shooter video game genre as a UK Armed Forces Recruitment Tool

Harry Toussaint

Abstract

This research paper explores the efficacy of the Military First-Person-Shooter (FPS) video game genre as a UK Armed Forces Recruitment tool. It takes an interpretivist approach, investigating young players’ perceptions of the Military through eight in-depth ethnographical interviews. Existing literature has focused on the influence of traditional military advertising on enlistment propensity. However, the literature on the likelihood of military enlistment in military FPS players is sparse. Findings suggest that experiences of military representations in military FPSs may combine with experiences in other media to produce a violent perception of the military. This can be seen to dissuade young players from joining the Armed Forces. However, findings suggest that these experiences also foster an acceptance of the necessity of war.

References

Althusser, L., 2009. Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation).

In: Sharma, A. and Gupta, A., eds. The Anthropology of the State: A Reader. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 86-111.

Andersen, R. and Kurti, M., 2009. From America's Army to Call of Duty: Doing Battle with the Military Entertainment Complex. Democratic Communique [online], 23(1), 45-65.

Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E. L., Bushman, B. J., Sakamoto, A., and Saleem, M., 2010. Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin [online], 136(2), 151–173.

Anderson, J. R., 2013. 'America's Army: Proving Grounds' out today. Army Times [online], 29 August 2013. Available from: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130829/OFFDUTY02/308290054

Barrett, R. S., 2011. Interviews with Killers: Six Types of Combatants and Their Motivations for Joining Deadly Groups. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism [online], 34(10), 749-764.

Baudrillard, J., 1991. The Gulf War did not take place. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Beale, J., 2014. Army recruitment a 'big challenge'. BBC News [online], 11 January 2014. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25688136

Blackmore, T., 2012. Eyeless in America: Hollywood and Indiewood's Iraq War on Film. Bulletin of Science Technology & Society [online], 32(4), 294-316.

Clair, R. C., 2003. Expressions of ethnography: novel approaches to qualitative methods. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Crogan, P., 2011. Electronic Mediations, Volume 26: Gameplay Mode: War, Simulation, and Technoculture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Davies, J., 2005. ‘Diversity. America. Leadership. Good over evil.’ Hollywood multiculturalism and American imperialism in Independence Day and Three Kings. Patterns of Prejudice [online], 39(4), 387-415.

Denscombe, M., 2007. The Good Research Guide for small-scale social research projects. 3rd ed.

Berkshire: Open University Press.

Der Derian, J., 2009. Virtuous War. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

Dertouzos, J. N., and Garber, S., 2006. The Effectiveness of Advertising in Different Media: The Case of U.S. Army Recruiting. Journal of Advertising [online], 35(2), 111-122.

Dumas, T. M., Wells, S., Flynn, L., Lange, J. E. and Graham, K., 2014. The Influence of Status on Group Drinking by Young Adults: A Survey of Natural Drinking Groups on Their Way To and From Bars. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research [online], 38(4), 1100-1107.

Ellis, W. E. and Zarbatany, L., 2007. Peer Group Status as a Moderator of Group Influence on Children’s Deviant, Aggressive, and Prosocial Behavior. Child Development [online], 78(4), 1240- 1254.

Evans, M. A., Norton, A., Chang, M., Deater-Deckard, K. and Balci, O., 2013. Youth and Video Games: Exploring Effects on Learning and Engagement. Zeitschrift für Psychologie [online], 221(2), 98–106.

Farmer, B., 2014. Army Reserve grows by just 60 despite aggressive recruitment push. The Telegraph [online], 13 February 2014. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10636216/Army-Reserve-grows-by-just-60- despite-aggresive-recruitment-push.html

Ferguson, C. J., 2013. Violent video games and the Supreme Court. American Psychologist [online], 68(3), 57–74.

Granic, I., Lobel, A. and Engels, R. C. M. E., 2013. The Benefits of Playing Video Games. American Psychologist [online], 69(1), 66-78.

Gregory, D., 2004. The Colonial Present: Afghanistan, Palestine, and Iraq. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Greitemeyer, T. and McLatchie, N., 2011. Denying Humanness to Others: A Newly Discovered Mechanism by Which Violent Video Games Increase Aggressive Behavior. Psychological Science [online], 22(5), 659-665.

Griffin, M., 2004. Picturing America's 'War on Terrorism' in Afghanistan and Iraq: Photographic motifs as news frames. Journalism [online], 5(4), 381–402.

Harkley, W. H., Reid, L. N. and King, K. W., 1988. Army Advertising's Perceived Influence: Some Preliminary Findings. Journalism Quarterly [online], 65(3), 719-732.

Hennink, M., Hutter, I. and Bailey, A., 2011. Qualitative Research Methods. London: SAGE.

Hossein-zadeh, I., 2006. The political economy of U.S. militarism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hurdle, J., 2009. U.S. Army recruiting at the mall with videogames. Reuters [online], 9 January 2009. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/01/10/us-usa-army-recruiting- idUSTRE50819H20090110

Iacobucci, D. and Churchill, G. A., 2010. Marketing research: methodological foundations. 10th ed.

Canada : South-Western Cengage Learning.

ISFE, 2012. Video Games in Europe: Consumer Study, Great Britain [online]. Brussels: ISFE.

Jones, P., Bradbury, L. and Le Boutillier, S., 2011. Introducing Social Theory. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Klein, P. and Kümmel, G., 2013. The military and violence. A conceptual sketch. Berliner Journal für Soziologie [online], 23(1), 75-89.

Kontour, K., 2012. The Governmentality of Battlefield Space: Efficiency, Proficiency, and Masculine Performativity. Bulletin of Science Technology & Society [online], 32(5), 353-360.

Legree, P. J., Gade, P. A., Martin, D. E., Fischl, M. A., Wilson, M. J., Nieva, V. F., McCloy, R. and Laurence, J., 2000. Military Enlistment and Family Dynamics: Youth and Parental Perspectives. Military Psychology [online], 12(1), 31-49.

Lemola, S., Brand, S., Vogler, N., Perkinson-Gloor, N., Allemand, M., and Grob, A., 2011. Habitual computer game playing at night is related to depressive symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences [online], 51(2), 117–122.

Leonard, D., 2004. Unsettling the Military Entertainment Complex: Video Games and a Pedagogy of Peace. Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education [online], 4(4), 1–8.

Lincoln, Y. S. and Denzin, N. K., 2000. Handbook of qualitative research. London: Sage Publications.

Mackmin, S., 2005. Why Do Professional Soldiers Commit Acts of Personal Violence that Contravene the Law of Armed Conflict? Defence Studies [online], 7(1), 65-89.

Manley, A. and Whitaker, L., 2011. Wii-learning: Using Active Video Games enhance the learning experience of undergraduate sport psychology students. Sport & Exercise Psychology Review [online], 7(2), 45-55.

Mares, D. M., 2009. Civilization, economic change, and trends in interpersonal violence in western societies. Theoretical Criminology [online], 13(4), 419–449.

Marriot, M., 2002. Digital warfare gets intense as military advisers take over. Chicago Tribune [online], 7 October 2002. Available from: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-10- 07/business/0210060539_1_video-games-real-thing-saddam-hussein/2

Mason, J., 1997. Qualitative Researching. London: SAGE.

McAlister, M. 2001. Epic encounters: Culture, media and U.S. interests in the Middle East, 1945- 2000. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., 2005. Marketing Research Essentials. 5th ed. New Jersey: Wiley

Mifsud, C. L., Vella, R. and Camilleri, L., 2013. Attitudes towards and effects of the use of video games in classroom learning with specific reference to literacy attainment. Research in Education [online], 90(1), 32-52.

Ministry of Defence, 2014. New Army recruitment campaign hits screens [online]. London: Ministry of Defence.

Moskalenko, S., 2010. Civilians into warriors: Mechanisms of mobilization in US Army recruitment and training. Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict [online], 3(3), 248-268.

National Audit Office, 2006. Recruitment and Retention in the Armed Forces [online]. London: National Audit Office.

Newman, J., 2004. Videogames. London: Routledge.

Newzoo, 2012. 2012 Country Summary Report UK [online]. Amsterdam: Newzoo.

O’Connor, A., 2012. The Recruiting Fallacies and Fiction: Symbolic Behavior in U.S. Army Recruitment Video Games and the Clash with Actual Soldier Experiences. The International Journal of Organisational Diversity [online], 12(1), 1-10.

Pollard, T., 2002. The Hollywood War Machine. New Political Science [online], 24(1), 121-139.

Papacharissi, Z. and Oliveira, M. D. F., 2008. News Frames Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis of Frames Employed in Terrorism Coverage in U.S. and U.K. Newspapers. The International Journal of Press/Politics [online], 13(1), 52-74.

Reichert, T., Joo Young, K., and Fosu, I., 2007. Assessing the Efficacy of Armed-Forces Recruitment Advertising: A Reasoned-Action Approach. Journal of Promotional Management [online], 13(3-4), 399-412.

Rowbotham, S., 2013. The Military Entertainment Complex: are you a virtual soldier? Micro Mart [online], 17 January 2013. Available from: http://www.micromart.co.uk/gaming/gaming/178/military-entertainment-complex-are-you-virtual- soldier

Shaw, I. G. R., 2010. Playing War. Social & Cultural Geography [online], 11(8), 789-803.

Shi, B. and Xie, H., 2013. Peer Group Influence on Urban Preadolescents' Attitudes Toward Material Possessions: Social Status Benefits of Material Possessions. The Journal of Consumer Affairs [online], 47(1), 46-71.

Sisler, V., 2008. Digital Arabs: representation in video games. European Journal of Cultural Studies

[online], 11(2), 203–219.

Statistic Brain, 2014. Call of Duty Franchise Game Sales Statistics [online]. Statistic Brain Research Institute.

Virilio, P., 2000. Strategy of deception. New York: Verso.

Walliman, N. S. R., 2005. Your research project: a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher.

London: SAGE.

Youn, S., 2013. Hollywood's military complex. CNN [online], 19 December 2013. Available from: http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/19/news/companies/hollywood-military.pr.fortune/