Army sticks real soldiers into game

THE ARMY has decided to put the faces of real soldiers into its video game America's Army.

The faces of eight soldiers have been digitised and wrapped around a three-dimensional model of a soldier so that "kids can to relate to them".

The US army is also releasing some "real hero" action figures to go with the game in an effort to boost its flagging recruitment drive. None of the heroes is getting any extra cash to have their image involved in either the game or doll project.

The Army spends about $2.5 million annually on the free first-person shooter game and has distributed 27 million copies since 2002.

None of the soldiers will be killed off during the game. Players will instead mean them in a virtual recruiting office, ask questions about their various experiences and awards and get a better sense of Army life.

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