There are many ways for American servicemen and women to serve their country, and now, you can add esports to that list. 2018 marks the first year in over a decade that sees the Army failing to meet their recruitment goal for the fiscal year. Because of this, the Army is stepping up their efforts in connecting with young people. What better way to do that than through the world of video games? Video games have never been more popular, and serving in the Army doesn’t sound so bad, if you get to play on an esports team while you’re enlisted right?
In preparation for the creation of the Army’s official esports team, they have begun hosting tryouts in order to fill out the spots on their roster. The Army held Street Fighter 5 tournaments at various garrisons back in July, and the winner went on to compete at PAX West. The Army’s biggest target is, unsurprisingly, ‘Fornite.’ Arguably the biggest gaming phenomenon at the moment, ‘Fortnite’ would be a stellar area to recruit more men and women into joining the Army, although as an esport, ‘Fortnite’ is far from the best game. That’s why the Army is also looking for players of games such as ‘League of Legends,’ ‘FIFA,’ ‘NBA 2K,’ ‘Madden,’ ‘Call of Duty,’ ‘PUBG,’ ‘Tekken’ and ‘Overwatch.’
Tryouts will be hosted in December and teams will be decided in January. Tryouts are open to active duty soldiers, veterans, reservists, and civilians interested in joining Uncle Sam’s team.
