The Iraq Veterans Against War recently held a protest at the Missouri Black Expo against the first person shooter title America’s Army. The game is available free of charge to anyone. It was developed and published by the United States government for both recruitment and public relation purposes. The protesters shouted the verse “War is not a game!”, hoping that the game would no longer be distributed.

A few things are to be taken into account when talking about the title. First and foremost, the game is very realistic. Before you can undergo combat, you must go through a rigorous training course, just like in the Army. Even when you start playing the game, strategies are a must to win. Unlike most first person shooters, you can’t simply rush into the battlefield spraying your rifle. It is still true that it is definitely a video game, but it can teach many valuable lessons.

A video of the event can be found after the jump.