America's Army Video Games - A Learning Tool
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America's Army is an interactive series of real-time first-person shooter computer games designed and released by the U.S. Army, meant primarily to educate, inform, and recruit upcoming soldiers into the military. Each game is designed around a specific mission and is accompanied by an overall score that reflects how well the player cooperates throughout his or her mission. As you play each level in each game, new knowledge is gained about the actual functioning of your own unit, as well as how to deal with certain problems that may arise. For example, there is usually a checklist of objectives that must be met before moving on to the next level; failing to do so can result in the game being abandoned, meaning that you must start all over again from the beginning. In addition to this general guide, each game typically features a handful of unlockable characters that can be played as either a soldier or a civilian depending on which character you have chosen.
One of the greatest features of America's Army series is the interactive teaching tool that was developed within the games themselves. Each level features a special mission that requires a quick analysis and decision making process based on the information that you have collected throughout your mission. The goal of these decisions is to achieve a certain amount of kills and/or rescue of the target(s) before the timer runs out. Each level is generally composed of multiple scenarios that include daytime, nighttime, and underwater operations and each scenario is designed to test your knowledge, skill, and patience in dealing with different situations. For example, in the nighttime level you are required to navigate your chopper through many obstacles and night time lights in order to fly towards a certain destination. Similarly, if you fail to meet the requirements set forth in the daytime scenario you are penalized and lose your chopper, thus making it extremely difficult to complete the mission.
Developers Focus is responsible for the overall design and development of the America's Army video games. They were specifically concerned with the needs of the military personnel who are part of the USA's Army. Video games in itself are not inherently good or bad, as there are both good and bad video games. However, developers focusing on the needs of America's Army were concerned with making sure that their products provide an engaging experience that will cause soldiers to feel empowered, while also increasing the learning and skills of the individuals who use them.
