Among countless stands of car manufacturers, software developers and engineering universities at Cologne’s video games convention, the sight of fatigue-clad soldiers manning the German military’s brightly-lit stall draws in the curious.
With a stand boasting a helicopter simulator and ultra-fast games, the Bundeswehr, Germany’s army, has turned to the Gamescom fair in its bid to recruit computer-savvy potential soldiers.
The call to arms is clear under a “Centre of Cyber Operations” sign with a keyboard-inspired logo in the colours of the German flag.
“We are looking for people who specialise in information technology — those with a taste for computers are knocking at the right door,” Nils Feldhoff, an army communications officer, said. Dozens of young gamers, visiting the stand at the Gamescom convention, flocked to try their hand at the army’s flight simulator or test their reactions on a two-player game.
However, the military personnel were careful to spell out the difference between the reality of life in the ranks and violent military-based video games.
“We have a clear educational mission: we strictly try to separate virtual games from reality by explaining to any interested young people that this is not a video game,” Mr. Feldhoff said.
If a gamer “wants to become a soldier because he is interested in weapons, that’s not a good argument,” he added.
The move is part of an initiative to change the public image of obsolete equipment and under-investment that has plagued the Bundeswehr.
