Has OFP/ARMA put you off the Army ?

[cartier90 0]

I have never been in any of the armed services. My only experience of shooting was in the RAF cadets in school where we had a underground shooting range in my school. I never seriously considered the Army, as exciting as it looked due to the risk of injury or death.

Whilst playing OFP/ARMA, it always strikes me that whatever you do, however much cover you take, the immense risk that is always their cannot really be avoided.

Arma2's visceral 'snapping' sounds of gunfire make the experience all the more realistic and frightening particularly when nearby gunfire makes you shudder and lose focus.

Has anyone here been put off the Army by this particular game, and the all-it- takes-is-one-shot-factor ?

..

[Zipper5 74]

Not really. In fact, it made me even more open to the prospect of enlisting, but I've since moved away from that in pursuit of other occupations.

[killaalf 0]

That wouldn't have been possible - I served my time in '90/91.

[Hedo 10]

Quite the opposite. Without OFP/Arma i don't think i would be half as interested in the army as I'm now. But I probably won't enlist, I'm not the right guy for it. (But who knows, maybe sometime :rolleyes:)

A poll would be appropriate - would be interesting to see the results.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Not really. In fact, it made me even more open to the prospect of enlisting, but I've since moved away from that in pursuit of other occupations.

Same here, and seeing as the Dutch army is going to be reduced to nothing i am quite happy with that decision.

[metalcraze 290]

OFP/ArmA got me interested in a modern weaponry and an army much, although not to a point of enlisting

[lsp 10]

mmm well my interest in the military is what draws me to this game in the first place so thats a no for me ive been tryn to enlist since i was 18 im 22 now i was just denied by the us army now im going to try the marines death comes for you wether your in a gun fight or not i would rather repay everything ive been given and take for granted then continue to sit on my ass and be a civi taking the things other men are dieing for for granted its all personal opinion but death isnt a factor for me nethier is politics

[Guest]

My opinion, I know the war in Afghan is total garbage, I know all the political reasons for it are garbage, I know war in general is garbage, but I am still joining the Army.

I just want to do it for myself and the guys around me, maybe I will only serve 4 years, maybe I will stay.

My interest in the Army is what brought me to Arma, not the other way round, like Isp said.

[xmongx 0]

The prospect of sudden and unfair death put me off the army.

OFP/ARMA made me realise i can have the best of both worlds.

[ProfTournesol 956]

12 month of military service took me off the army, if i ever had the idea to join it. It was the most boring thing ever, even if i had some good times. ArmA is much more fun. At least something happens.

[Mr. Charles 22]

I was relieved not to be a victim of conscription, let's put it this way ;)

[dmakatra 1]

I remember reading a quote, I do not know by whom, that went something like this: "There can never be an anti-war movie, because the movie medium itself makes war seem thrilling."

And I completely agree. With a few, few notable exceptions, such as Stalingrad, most anti-war movies are generally romanticising war just as bad (or perhaps even worse!) than "regular" war-themed films. Generation Kill is a brilliant example of this. I will admit I haven't seen the whole thing, but from the couple of episodes I've seen I see a series that's about the idiocy of war and what beasts it creates. Yet it's made more people interested in the military than put off. Hell, it's the main reference material for that all-American pro-war Semper Fi-bullshit that's known as Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

I'd say that the statement about anti-war films not being a possibility is also true for games. We play this game to be thrilled, which is natural, so it's only natural that some of us make the decision to take that excitement to the next logical level.

But no, I have not joined the military, and I'd never do so either. The only reason I'd join the military is because Sweden just recently turned from a conscription-based military, to an all-volonteer, all-professional military and I'd perhaps consider joining to create a counter-force to the people that are now currently serving. I believe soldiers are a bit like politicians: Those that want to do it are those that are least fit to do it, and those that do not want to do it are those that are most fit to do it.

/end ramble

[flattermann 12]

Never been enlisted, now i'm slightly too old, wouldn't take me anyway. And no, i still wouldn't go. When i used to play OFP i thought it might be cool joining the Army, but then I went to a OFP Lan party, there was a soldier from Austria, he brought his full dress, and I was like wtf... The guy who organized the Lan had bought an old UAZ from the East German Army (NVA), that was actually quite cool ^^ nutcases :D

So i was kind of surprised when i read that OFP/ArmA put you off the idea of enlisting. It's a very good thing, e.g. the America's Army game is so unrealistic yet it is actually designed to persuade people to enlist. (I have respect for every professional soldier, don't get me wrong)

[Beagle 684]

I was relieved not to be a victim of conscription, let's put it this way ;)

In german army your're not the victim of conscription itself. you're more a victim of your comrades and misanthophic sergeants that had the last sex 2 years ago.

The major enemy of a soldier is boredom and the platoon sergeants...thats what I learned. The main interpersonal problems often base on the fact that the sergeants often had a lower education than the conscripts.

Toda I would prefer unemployment over army service. Lesson learned from life not from ArmA.

Games like arma really give a false presentation what army service or real combat is about, and i noticed that ArmA aso is a bad teacher since the most stupid, riska and wrong tactics get rewarded very often in this games.

It's a action game with fictive tasks and fictive functions that just looks real. Not really much apart from all the other shooter...just larger scale. and better A.I. but nowhere near reality.

Army for me was 3 month beeing fucked 3 months of interesting activities and 12 month of absolute boredom inventing stupid "games" involving the torment of even lower ranks.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Beagle

[lsp 10]

My opinion, I know the war in Afghan is total garbage, I know all the political reasons for it are garbage, I know war in general is garbage, but I am still joining the Army.

I just want to do it for myself and the guys around me, maybe I will only serve 4 years, maybe I will stay.

My interest in the Army is what brought me to Arma, not the other way round, like Isp said.

glad to see theres atleast one person in this thread thats not selfish and only out for themselfs like 90% of the population and i love your videos =)

[ryguy 10]

I don't believe so at all. Good tactics are rewarded in that game. Especially against real people. It hasn't put me off to the idea.

[Beagle 684]

I don't believe so at all. Good tactics are rewarded in that game. Especially against real people. It hasn't put me off to the idea.

Good tactics like jumping out of a bush and attack MBTs from front with Launchers...because it works ingame...or just respawning to repeat the same?

Try this RL...works only in games.

Games of this kind often reward not using the right tactics teached in the boot camp.

[Mr. Charles 22]

In german army your're not the victim of conscription itself. you're more a victim of your comrades and misanthophic sergeants that had the last sex 2 years ago.

Army for me was 3 month beeing fucked 3 months of interesting activities and 12 month of absolute boredom inventing stupid "games" involving the torment of even lower ranks.

True, also the complete uselessness of conscription in germany put me off. Also, it is kind of dumb IMHO to speak of respect for troops. Surely, going to war takes a lot of balls, but many german soldiers just do it for the extra 200€ per day.

[flattermann 12]

glad to see theres atleast one person in this thread thats not selfish and only out for themselfs like 90% of the population and i love your videos =)

the last thing i want is to start an argument, but there are plenty of other jobs where one's not just out for him or herself. If the other 90% of the population hwo you think are selfish would join the military, well in what kind of world would we live in?

[lsp 10]

depends on who you play with and how you play the game and from all your complaints about arma why do you even play it?

[ProfTournesol 956]

Good tactics like jumping out of a bush and attack MBTs from front with Launchers...because it works ingame...or just respawning to repeat the same?

Try this RL...works only in games.

Games of this kind often reward not using the right tactics teached in the boot camp.

ArmA2 teached me the military tactics, the army how to clean the toilet

[lsp 10]

the last thing i want is to start an argument, but there are plenty of other jobs where one's not just out for him or herself. If the other 90% of the population hwo you think are selfish would join the military, well in what kind of world would we live in?

other jobs where you totally disregard your personal safety for the life of someone else another job where people will run into gunfire to pull you to safety no matter there feelings towards you? therse not a whole lot of jobs out there where people think of others safety before their own and not just about well dam i can make a shit load of money doin this and i dont care about anything or anyone else i wouldn give the tip of my pinky to save another human beings life thats the general attitude of people atleast that i come across and people right here in this thread if you just read what they typed like said this is just my personal opinion im not tryn to turn this into a argument thread this will be my last post

[flattermann 12]

well to put it bluntly, the highest priority of a soldier is to stay alive, no one would ever under very rare circumstances would one completely disregard his own personal safety, maybe crazy drugged Taliban would. Not a whole lot of jobs? What about doctors, social workers, nurses, priests, family dads.... No reason to be upset, i was just stating my opinion like you did.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Flattermann

[lsp 10]

im not mad ;p everyone is intitled to there own opinion its just a subject im passionate about ok now this is my last post i swear =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNvR77pSFgM

@50secs so none of these men went into harms way to save somebody else cause it sure looks and sounds that way to me now i am mad that you said that it rarely happens maybe in the uk Edited April 8, 2011 by lsp

[pooroldspike 129]

I thought about joining the British Army in my teens many years ago, but only got as far as sending off for the glossy brochure then changed my mind because of all the drilling and boot-polishing bull etc.

A 'Sergeant Butterfield' (full dress uniform, stripes and all) later made a followup courtesy call to my home but I never answered the door and dived behind the settee til he'd gone.

There was an official 'sign up' form at the back of the brochure, so I tore it out and filled it in with the name and address of a kid down the street who nobody liked, and sent it off.