the game industry, from development to marketing to the press, allowed the influence of the US military to seep in a long time ago, targeting young gamers with ads, sponsored streams, now an esports team. the need to reckon with the industry's complicity in that is long overdue.

sites have been running army ads for years. at my last job, i remember people refusing to be on streams when they found out it was sponsored by the army. but the sales/editorial divide often means you have no idea. that needs to change. the army isn't a fucking brand of chips lol

someone accused me of saying "video games promote violence." i'm not. i'm more concerned w/ the ethics of an entertainment industry working in partnership with armed forces SPECIFICALLY in their efforts to recruit young people whose ideas about the military come from video games.

unlike my generation post-9/11, young kids these days don't really have a "reason" or a "cause" to join the military. recruitment numbers are low. the army is working w/ the game industry (and others: see marvel's canceled northrop grumman promo) to "rebrand" itself for the kids.

if your gut reaction is to disagree with this because you're the "keep politics out of my games" type, then consider how having real life armed forces & politicians co-design/consult on popular games and fund content on gaming outlets is THE most egregious manifestation of that.