Controversial
Interactive Recruiting Tool , 'America's Army' , Shutting Down After 20 Years.
On February 7, the United States Army announced that
its free-to-play first-person shooter, 'America's Army:
Proving Grounds,' will be taken offline after 20 years. .
On February 7, the United States Army announced that
its free-to-play first-person shooter, 'America's Army:
Proving Grounds,' will be taken offline after 20 years. .
Polygon reports that the United States Army will shut down the game's online features on May 5. .
Polygon reports that the United States Army will shut down the game's online features on May 5. .
Polygon reports that the game, which was developed
and published by the U.S. Army, was frequently criticized
for its tone and purpose since its release in 2002. .
Polygon reports that the game, which was developed
and published by the U.S. Army, was frequently criticized
for its tone and purpose since its release in 2002. .
The game is currently still available for
PlayStation 4 on the PlayStation Network
and on Steam for Windows PC. .
According to Polygon, the shutdown means
that users will lose access to the game's
Play Online mode and player stat-tracking. .
According to Polygon, the shutdown means
that users will lose access to the game's
Play Online mode and player stat-tracking. .
The Army reportedly said that offline features, including a mission editor and private server support, are expected to continue functioning. .
Polygon reports that critics called 'America's Army:
Proving Grounds' a propaganda tactic that
pushed the militarization of American society. .
Polygon reports that critics called 'America's Army:
Proving Grounds' a propaganda tactic that
pushed the militarization of American society. .
The game was released on July 4, 2002, just
one year into the Afghanistan campaign, and
right before the United States invaded Iraq. .
The game was released on July 4, 2002, just
one year into the Afghanistan campaign, and
right before the United States invaded Iraq. .
The game was criticized for trivializing combat
and portraying war as a game while America
endured the longest conflict in the nation's history. .
The game was criticized for trivializing combat
and portraying war as a game while America
endured the longest conflict in the nation's history. .
As of August 2013, over 13 million
people had already signed up through
the interactive recruiting tool. .
At the time, the game's developers told Polygon that
the focus of the game was on teamwork and completing
objectives, rather than killing enemy combatants.