U.S. Air Force: The World’s Best Video Game?

Written by Dabney B. on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

The U.S. Air Force needs a lot of things to remain functional. It needs a flexible budget, new technology, and, as Uncle Sam so succinctly states, it needs you. It is crucial that the Air Force markets itself to civilians in order to find the pilots and technicians of tomorrow.

When creating a commercial for one of the branches of the U.S. military, you can go in a couple of different directions. Probably the easiest route to take is to highlight tradition, honor, and history. It’s logical to appeal these features of the military because virtually everyone associates these characteristics with the armed forces already. This Marines commercial, for example, has heaping doses of honor and courage.

The U.S. Air Force has been taking a slightly different approach with their commercials. They display nonexistent technology, steel rooms illuminated by softly glowing blue light, advanced computer displays, and alien worlds. Evidently, the people they want to recruit are avid video gamers.

It’s a simple but effective gimmick. These commercials show soldiers performing some incredible, otherworldly stunt, and then replace the alien landscapes with earth. The phrase “It’s Not Science Fiction – It’s What We Do Every Day” dispels the illusion of sci-fi/fantasy buy cialis online canada cinema.

What’s most interesting about these commercials is how much they pull directly from video games. In this commercial, the SSGT explains the gear he carries using a digital overlay similar to many video game inventory interfaces.

Video games are already trying to emulate the appearance and feel of military encounters. Take a look at these two images. One is from a helicopter in a video game, and the other is from an actual military helicopter camera. Can you tell which is which?

 

We all expect video games to emulate real life, but it’s surprising when the Air Force emulates video games. Clearly, the objective is to portray the Air Force to make it seem fun, exciting, and exhibiting all of the dramatic combat elements common in video games.

The leap from Xbox to Air Force pilot isn’t as big as one might expect, especially with the popularity of unmanned UAV drones. The Air Force needs dedicated individuals who can comprehend complex spacial reasoning scenarios while sitting in front of a computer monitor. For the next generation of aerial combat, popular modern video games might inadvertently be training our next top pilots.

If you want advice about the world of military aviation, there’s no better people to turn to than men and women who have sat in the cockpit and flown some of the world’s most advanced aircraft. With over 50 current and ex-warfighters on call, Strike Fighter Consulting Inc. can give you access to up-to-date, first-hand technical and tactical expertise.