Drones and the Gamification of War
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have an extensive history of global conflicts in the modern era. From the Austrians deploying unmanned incendiary balloons in 1849 to radio airplane deployments in World War 1, it took a little less than 200 years to go from the drone’s humble beginnings to the modern concept conceived in the late 20th century. However, with Ukraine losing approximately 10,000 drones a month since the war started, the Russo-Ukrainian War has seen the largest-scale application of drones in history. While these drones have been crucial to the Ukrainian defense, their successes shouldn’t be seen with complete optimism. When it comes to further gamification of war, caution should not be thrown to the wind.
The gamification of war has enabled complex concepts in military strategy and technology to be understood more easily. However, simultaneously, it can create a sense of isolation that desensitizes the layer from the reality of the situation that they’re in. In the book and movie “Ender’s Game,” Ender and millions of other children participate in what they think is a computer simulation game but is actually an assault and genocide of another race. They don’t know this and are traumatized upon realizing that the game they eventually led is the extermination of an entire species. With the accuracy and precision of drones, fewer humans are necessary on the battlefield, more on the sidelines, away from the horrors of the conflict at hand.
An article from the Guardian reports that a US drone operator was encouraged to think eliminating targets in Afghanistan was like stepping on ants without thinking another thought, viewing their targets as “just black blobs on a screen.” While the goal of these soldiers was to take out insurgents, it was explained as “pulling the weeds before they overrun the lawn.” This would not only put direct targets in sight but any expected “insurgents,” including innocent men, women, and children. This is especially the case if human observers cannot sustain a clear vision of targets.
The US has seen its “counterterrorist campaign” become highly dependent on UAVs or remote-planed aircraft. However, a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies has emphasized that lack of human observation has often led to unnecessary collateral damage when trying to damage terrorist organizations and their affiliates. Not only were innocents targeted, but the victims were also a lot more likely to get involved in extreme terrorist groups. While it may seem nice to remove humans from the battlefield, removing humans from the battlefield eliminates humanity from the battlefield. The rare moments of warm humanity are at risk of being wiped out by the complete terror of war.
What is even worse is that, like in “Ender’s Game,” governments around the world, like the United States, are looking to recruit young people with gaming experience to join their fights. The Guardian reveals how US military recruiters often look to pull in gamers of young ages who are interested in games with guns or military content. While it may seem beneficial to stock up their reserves with committed personnel, these individuals often lack the mental strength and maturity for combat. With many of these individuals being prepped to man UAVs, it seems we are condemning a generation to be unaware of their bloodshed until it is far too late to save them from the trauma it will bring. When that time comes, we will have the government and society to blame for making kids grow into adults far too quickly.
While military innovation has often proven to be connected to relative technological progress in society, we must consider morality above all else when making future decisions. We cannot allow the fields of war to dominate with robots because the only humans that will be present are the innocent casualties who will die without being able to say anything about it. In addition, with all our advancements, we have now reached the time to consider if war is genuinely worth it in this world of ours. If war was a means of conflict among people, how could such a thing be dominated by something that is not our own? Something that cannot negotiate or show kindness but can only follow and kill?