Airman Challenge
Open the game- Brand
- US Air Force
- Year
- 2012
- Objective
- Lead Gen & Recruiting
- Industry
- Other
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Blockdot
- With
- GSD&M
Objective
The Air Force needed to reach 16–24-year-old prospects on the ground they already occupied — gaming — and get them exploring career options instead of skimming a brochure page. The brief, per Dan Ferguson's case page, was to engage "the best and the brightest" and reinforce the Air Force's image as a high-tech leader; a second goal was to show off the sheer range of roles on offer (60+ careers) and push people who'd already shown interest back toward a recruiter.
Solution
Players sign up — optionally through Facebook Connect — pick one of eight squadron emblems, and land on a map of 16 missions. Each mission opens with a briefing, and before it can launch, the player has to staff it by choosing real Air Force career specialists; get the roster wrong and the mission fails, so learning what each job actually does is the only way to move forward. The mission itself plays out as a short skill-based mini-game built around that career — reaction-time targeting as a Reaper drone sensor operator, for instance. Clearing missions earns experience points, star ratings and promotion through genuine Air Force ranks and badges, each explained in plain terms, with a standing option to request career information or apply.
Results
Over 600,000 visitors played, completing more than 225,000 missions across the 16 on offer. 62% of users fell within the 16–24 target age group, against a 40–60% goal; 81% of that group played for over 10 minutes or finished 2+ missions, against a 60% goal; average playtime reached 34 minutes 11 seconds, against a 20–30 minute goal; and 22% registered via Facebook Connect, against a 10% goal.
- 1
Before playing, the player registers an account on airforce.com/airmanchallenge, either directly or via Facebook Connect.
- 2
Registration doubles as choosing a squadron: the player picks from eight squadron emblems, each explaining what that branch of the Air Force actually does.
- 3
From a holographic mission hub, the player selects one of 16 missions and reads an intel briefing that lays out a Situation and an Assignment, such as defending forward operating base Blackhorse from an insurgent assault.
- 4
Before launching, the player staffs the mission with a team of real Air Force career specialists — for example an MQ-9 Reaper Sensor Operator and Pilot — and the game explains why each role does or doesn't fit the assignment.
- 5
Each mission plays as a short skill-based mini-game distilled from that career's real duties, such as a timed reaction test of tagging red-dot targets with a drone sensor before the clock runs out.
- 6
Mission settings vary across overwatch and escort duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, humanitarian relief in Bolivia, and cyber defense within the United States.
- 7
Missions are scored on a star rating, pushing the player to replay a mission for a better result.
- 8
Completing a mission earns experience points and a rank-up, awarding a real Air Force rank title and badge along with an explanation of what that rank means in the service.
- 9
Progress feeds competition and social sharing among players.
- 10
Throughout play, a persistent recruiting call to action lets the player request information about a specific career or about serving, routed to the regional Air Force recruitment database, with an apply-now button available during gameplay.
