The military has been under scrutiny recently after both the Navy and Army had widespread bans on users who were mentioning war crimes which is seen as violation of the first amendment. Then, the Army Twitch channel was under fire again after it was discovered that certain “giveaways” led to a recruitment page for the Army. It was also revealed that the US Army Twitter page did something similar, sharing posts that secretly stipulates the allowance of a lecture from an Army recruiter. Children as young as 12 can fill out the forms but recruiters aren’t allowed to talk to children under 16. After the backlash, Rod Breslau has reported that the Army may be taking a break from using Twitch. Now, U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans to file a new measure that would prevent the military from using video games and esports as recruitment tools.
The draft amendment filed on July 22 to the House Appropriations “prohibits the use of funds for recruiting via video games and e-sports platforms.” This is the first step and the House Appropriations bill is the early step in setting the Pentagon’s budget. One version goes through multiple committees before being voted by the entire House. Then, the Senate gets involved, so the Twitch amendment may end up not getting passed. The next meeting for the House Appropriations Committee on Rules is set for the week of July 27.
Speaking about the measure, Ocasio-Cortez said “it’s incredibly irresponsible for the Army and the Navy to be recruiting impressionable young people and children via live streaming platforms. War is not a game, and the Marine Corps’ decision not to engage in this recruiting tool should be a clear signal to the other branches of the military to cease this practice entirely.”