Gamescom, which runs from August 26-30 in Cologne, is promoted as the world's largest video game trade show.
Last year, two-thirds of its non-industry visitors were male, with over 40% of them between the ages of 16 and 25. Those are precisely the young people the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, is trying to reach as it urgently seeks to expand its ranks.
Germany's military aims to have 260,000 active-duty soldiers by 2035. The German government has supplied hundreds of billions of euros to modernize the country's armed forces. Defense has become a priority for Germany in the face of the current global security situation.
Career advice in camouflage
The Bundeswehr set up shop at Gamescom for the first time in 2016. It's been back every year since.
A brand-new, olive-green Caracal off-road vehicle is one of the main attractions. Alongside it are laptops belonging to the Bundeswehr's Center for Cyber Operations — tasked with cyber defense, among other responsibilities.
Under a watchful eye, visitors can try their hand at hacking.
At another station, visitors can put on VR headsets to get a glimpse into the working life of a soldier aboard a naval vessel. Pilots, aircraft mechanics and air traffic controllers present their professions in a 3D experience. Elsewhere, several fit mountain infantry soldiers stand beside a pull-up bar, where visitors are invited to test their strength.
New this year is a career lounge where interested visitors can have what the Bundeswehr is calling "career counseling sessions." The atmosphere is positive, with soldiers promoting their jobs without being pushy, taking time to answer questions from visitors — who have primarily come to Gamescom to have fun, meet friends and play the latest games.
Do gamers make good soldiers?
A representative study by Germany's Bitkom digital association found that one in five people found it likely that video and computer games teach skills that could be useful in wartime — training reaction speed and problem-solving, for instance. However, being a good gamer doesn't necessarily make for a good soldier.
"We need people who are comfortable with technology," Lt. Gen. Robert Sieger, president of the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Personnel Management, told DW. "What we don't want are people who think we're playing an ego shooter or some kind of shooting game. That doesn't do justice to the seriousness of the situation at all. War isn't a game. As a soldier and a general, it is important to me that people understand the seriousness of what we do."
For Sieger, educating people about the Bundeswehr and the range of careers it offers is a central reason for having a booth at Gamescom. "We're an integral part of our country's safety net. We have to simply be here and show what it means to stand up for the freedom of our country, be that as a soldier or a civilian."
Criticism of Bundeswehr presence
The Bundeswehr is represented alongside many other employers in the gaming trade show's Job Area, including Germany's federal police, retailer Edeka and software company DATEV.
Gamescom is, however, still a video game trade show — and not everyone is comfortable with the Bundeswehr getting close to the gaming world. The German Peace Society — United War Resisters has criticized the Bundeswehr presence at Gamescom, along with booths operated by Germany's foreign intelligence service and defense companies such as Airbus and Rheinmetall.
Peace campaigner Marius Pletsch says the Bundeswehr uses inappropriate slogans, designed to appeal specifically to gamers, and distorts the image of military service.
"We think it's wrong to lure young people to the booth by appealing to their sense of adventure. We don't think the Bundeswehr should be represented at a trade show that is primarily about video games and leisure to boost its personnel numbers," he told DW.
For two days, the peace organization will have a booth outside the trade show exhibition halls, providing information about conscientious objection to military service.
Bundeswehr: Not just any job
"Being a soldier isn't a normal job," the peace initiative said in a statement.
Lt. Gen. Sieger uses similar terms, but puts it somewhat differently: "Being a soldier isn't a job like any other. We put our lives on the line for the security of our people."
He reaches a different conclusion than the peace advocates, though. "It would be downright negligent for an organization responsible for our country's security not to be an inherent part of society," Sieger said. "As an inherent part of society and a modern employer, of course we have our rightful spot here in the Job Area, just as we have over recent years."
What do young Gamescom visitors make of the Bundeswehr's presence?
"Morally questionable, but a good employer," said Dennis, a 22-year-old computer science student, although he said the Bundeswehr wasn't for him. Dominik, 26, said he was pleased that the German military was represented at Gamescom. "You can actually have a pretty good conversation with them. They're all very nice," he said. He said he may even consider working for the Bundeswehr's cyber defense division.
This article was originally written in German.
