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Video game players are typically young, tech-savvy, adept with computers, and they know how to work together as a team. In other words, they're prime candidates for recruitment into the armed forces.

The demographic is so desirable that the U.S. army spent $6-million (U.S.) a couple of years ago to develop its own on-line first-person military simulation, called America's Army, which is aimed at giving civilians a taste of military life.

As a "new recruit," each player undergoes basic training in weapons handling and maneuvers, and can then elect for more advanced training to become an expert in such things as marksmanship, medical treatment, parachuting.

Once training is complete, players can form squads and work together to carry out combat-oriented missions.

America's Army is free to download from the U.S. Army's official website — where information about army recruitment and career opportunities is just a few more clicks away. It's an efficient and cost-effective way for the army to market itself to its target demographic.

"Young people might play the game, then visit the GOArmy website, and then visit with a recruiter to find out more information about being in the army," says the deputy director of the project, Major Chris Chambers. "This process may play out over months or years, but that is fine with us, as our primarily goal is to drive interest [in a military career]."

The game is not without its critics. Artist Annie-Marie Schleiner, who heads Velvet-Strike — a group that objects to military-themed on-line games — recently organized a protest of America's Army during the Republican convention in New York.

Ms. Schleiner criticizes what she calls "the increasing militarization of civilian life," and says her projects aim to keep "the U.S. Army and Pentagon computer game developers out of the minds of prepubescent gamers."

Nevertheless, media theorist Zhan Li of the Michigan Institute of Technology, says America's Army is a successful way of bridging the gap between civilians and the military.

"Its a unique space for the general public, U.S. and non-U.S., to interact casually with real-life U.S. military personnel in the context of the military."

Since it launched in 2002, America's Army has been downloaded more than 15.5 million times. Many of those who download and play the game are not even American.

"It's a good game. It's a free game," says Pascal, a 19-year-old student from Jonquière, Québec, who recently joined the Canadian Reserve as an infantry cadet. "I think it's the best infantry combat simulator, actually. The graphics are cool, and the maps are realistic."

Kevin, 27, of Ottawa, adds that the continually evolving nature of the game (it's frequently upgraded with new content and patches) keeps it top notch.

One of the only downsides for Kevin is the in-game chat, which is often unpleasant.

"There is excessive abuse of race, religion and nationality. Some of it is just joking around. Unfortunately, most of it is not," he says. "The recent terrorism events have created a degree of hate and set the stage for much on-line argument."

Pascal has observed that "[certain American players] insult everyone who isn't from the U.S.A., especially French and Canadian, because of their choices about the war in Iraq.

"Only some men do that," he notes, "but the repercussions are felt by everyone."

Major Ken Orr, Sr. Staff Officer at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Headquarters in Borden, Ont., has met with the project manager for America's Army and says he's quite interested in what has been done with the game.

"The military is predominantly a young person's field for a number of reasons. Most young men and a growing number of young women play video games," he says.

While Major Orr says he hopes America's Army will spark an interest in the military among its Canadian players, he says it's also unlikely that the Canadian Armed Forces would ever consider a similar project.

The primary reason for this is the huge difference in recruitment goal between the two countries. According to Major Orr, Canada's annual recruitment objective for all branches of its armed forces is 4,400, while America's quota is 70,000 for its army alone.

"Since they're looking for so many people, they have more resources to put into it," Major Orr says. "We don't have the resources. It takes time, people with talent."

The Canadian Armed Forces does develop CD-ROMs that provide virtual tours and information about various branches of the military, including discs about the Navy, Air Force, and the Royal Military College of Canada.

"I wouldn't say it's totally interactive, but it's a different way of reaching the same audience," says Mr. Orr.