An Army Of One Online

Uncle Sam wants gamers. The Army is developing PC games that simulate the life, activities, and missions of military personnel in an effort to recruit 17- to 24-year-olds.

America's Army includes two role-playing games: Operations and Soldiers, which were unveiled this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a trade show. "E3 isn't a place you usually end up as a naval officer," acknowledges Cmdr. Brian Osborn, who developed Soldiers as part of his doctoral thesis in computer science at the Naval Postgraduate School. The game gives players a look at Army life, using photocell animation and digital imagery of actual army bases, the 42-year-old naval pilot says.

Operations is a training-simulation for up to 32 players who navigate an obstacle course or perform parachute drops from a first-person perspective. The games will be distributed starting in August for free at www.americasarmy.com.