[VIDEO GAME STARTUP SOUND]
[VIDEO GAME MUSIC]
Let battle commence.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The United States military has had a strong presence
in video games since the dawn of the medium.
With appearances and genres from primitive arcade shooters
to real time strategy, first person shooters,
side scrollers, and the occasional beat 'em ups.
Today, the Army is using commercial gaming tech
in training.
Soldiers run through team fighting scenarios
within tailor made battle environments
where their trigger fast decision
making is put to the test.
The training is not where the connection ends.
If you've ever served, you can attest to the popularity
of video games in the military.
Whether you've been on base stateside
or sweating it out in Iraq it was
rare to see a barracks without a gaming console
and three or four people huddled around
with controllers in hand.
The stressors of being a soldier are real so duking it out
with your battle buddy in a digital world
can relieve some of that pressure.
For some, it's more than just stress relief--
they're fueled by the thrill of competition.
That's where competitive gaming, or esports,
comes into the equation.
Esports drew 258 million unique viewers globally last year
according to research firm SuperData.
That tops the 204 million unique viewers
who watch NFL football games in 2016.
It doesn't take a gamer to notice the growing
popularity of online gaming so the Army getting online
or reach a bigger audience through competitive gaming
seems like a logical step.
US Army esports is important because we
get to connect America to its Army
through the passion of gaming.
And the way we're going to do that is year after year gaming
as a medium has been growing consistently and soldiers
have grown as gamers before they even join the Army.
So gaming has already been a part of the soldier community.
It sounds too good to be true but, yes, the Army
has created a new sports team and is actively
looking for soldiers to wear the black
and gold as competitive gamers.
Tryouts for the team were held this year
and members of the team will specialize in certain games,
either as individual players or part of multi-player squads.
Giving soldiers an opportunity to showcase
their digital talents.
This was a shock to a lot of soldiers.
Some didn't even think the opportunity was real.
The Army sent out an Army-wide email
about the esports program.
A lot of people didn't believe it at first.
Meet Sergeant David Blose, an aircraft power plant
repair with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
Blose was introduced to video games by his dad
and he's been hooked ever since.
He's big into computers and video editing
so we got together a lot to play different games.
Every time a new game come out he would show me it.
Whether it be a first person shooter,
flight simulator, Age of Empires.
That was the main reason we bounded.
Blose, being a lifelong gamer, was intrigued by the Army
wide email, so he reached out.
Signed up for it.
Got their Discord channel.
Found the Siege team and then from there
we just started talking.
They announced their tryouts and then
we just start playing for about three months.
Shortly after it was announced more than 6,500 soldiers
applied to be a part of this new program.
It's an in-depth process akin to a tight knit unit working out
a potential new team member.
Doing tryout matches between the different people-- switching up
the teams to see who work well with who.
They had to interview and then they selected their team
based on that.
Soldiers will train and compete in esports tournaments,
take part in recruiting engagements,
and interact with the public on a daily basis.
The selected team members will be
assigned to recruiting command at Fort Knox, Kentucky
for three years.
When not competing they will train together, review tactics,
and practice maneuvers.
As well as maintain their PT and MOS certifications.
So, be in good standings.
Obviously, you must maintain PT.
You must maintain everything-- every duty
and responsibility of the United States Army soldier.
Obviously, pass an additional background
check and you also need to be competitive in that title.
We don't just mean you enjoy playing that title.
You need to have the potential to be competitive.
These soldiers will have to live stream their game
sessions online, creating content
that connects to the American population and the gaming
community, showcasing what these elite gamers are
doing on a daily basis.
The Army's sports program is engaging with the younger
generation and I feel this opportunity
is important to help build the Army of tomorrow.
[MUSIC PLAYING]