The latest addition to Defence’s suite of on-line games – Advanced Urban Ops – was launched in Adelaide at the Land Warfare Conference recently.

Lieutenant General Peter Leahy, Chief of Army, said the new game would be used to attract people to consider a career in the Army.

“It might sound like a lot fun – but these games play a more important role. The value of these games is their potential for us to increase the reach of our brand in a very cost effective way,” Lieutenant General Leahy said.

“This means the games themselves drive brand as a marketing tool by dispelling any myths about what we do in the field. This creates interest, which in turn drives recruitment.

“In fact, I understand that around 16 per cent of those people who register on the defencejobs website have ‘clicked through’ from the games site,” said Lieutenant General Leahy.

“They also encourage positive approaches to learning because games often immerse players in complex worlds, encourage the player to keep on trying, reward persistence and encourage experimentation.

“They teach young people new forms of literacy brought about by technology and – in the case of the web site defencejobs – provide an insider’s perspective of defence operations.”

Significantly for Defence, the games create a community of interest in the many activities undertaken by the ADF and have proven to be a valuable tool in gaining the attention of young Australians.

For information about a job in the Army, log on to defencejobs.gov.au or call 13 19 01.