A recent press release published on Pentagon's own news website, DVIDS, claims that the so-called "Nintendo Generation" of military recruits has frail skeletons due to not having been toughened by previous physical activity. At the same time, the US military doesn't shy away from using video games such as Call of Duty: Warzone to enlist young people into its ranks.
Specifically, the issue seems to stem from the claims that recruits between 18 and 25 years of age aren't as physically tough as some previous generations had been, with the implication being that it was video games such as Call of Duty: Warzone that are causing this. At the same time, the article says these recruits belong to the "Nintendo Generation", which actually includes people born in the mid-'80s and mid-'90s.
According to Major Jon-Marc Thibodeau, the current clinical coordinator and chief of the medical readiness service line in Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood, "the [recruits'] soldier skeleton is not toughened by activity prior to arrival," which means that said recruits "break more easily" during active training. Thibodeau blames the recruits' sedentary lifestyle for this perceived issue, though it's worth pointing out that the US military apparatus at large doesn't seem to mind using Call of Duty sponsorships to recruit gamers.
In fact, it's interesting to note that the US spent millions of dollars on America's Army all the way back in the late 2000s, even though the game is now shutting down. It's hardly a stretch to think that the army's gaming budget has only ballooned since, and that the training necessary to "toughen" the recruits' skeletons is offset by the value of access to said recruits in the first place.
As well as being needlessly condescending to the wrong generation of people, Thibodeau has also come up with a list of things that future recruits should do to grow strong bones. Said list includes a "Couch-to-5k" running progression program, mindful dieting, and drinking milk, though he doesn't seem to have considered the fact that the US Army has a controversial Twitch channel that is used to source recruits.
Back in 2020, there were accusations of the US Army Twitch channel running fake giveaways to draw in viewers, which was one of the reasons the said channel was banned in the first place. Clearly, the US Army at large recognizes the value of having a presence in modern media. The idea that its higher-ups would blame said media for the fragility of recruits' skeletons certainly seems a tad tone-deaf, to say the least.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: DVIDS