Israel Defence Forces gamifies website to promote viewer sharing of its content

The Israel Defence Forces have gamified their website to encourage viewers to promote its content, setting up a virtual game that awards visitors with badges and points for sharing pages through other social media sites, reports GameSpot AU.

Implemented on the website in July, IDF Ranks: The Virtual Army Game centers around Israel's conflict with the Hamas over the Gaza Strip and aims to make viewers "a virtual part of the IDF," according to a post on the site's blog. The button to participate in the game sits next to a "Rocket Counter" which displays the number of rockets that have hit Israel in the past year.

"Every action you take — reading, commenting, liking, sharing, or even just visiting — will earn you points, and help you climb the ladder of IDF Ranks," the post reads. "Specific actions will win you beautiful badges, and one day you might even become the chief of staff of IDF Ranks."

The game has been criticized for promoting the Gaza conflict, with some accusing the IDF of warmongering through gamification.

"Israel is trying to enlist the people of the world in its campaign with military ranks, badges, and points," wrote Jon Mitchell on ReadWrite last week. "Innocent people are dying on all sides, and the IDF wants to reward people for tweeting about it. Israel has gamified war."

An IDF spokesperson told ReadWrite that the organization does not see the website game as gamification of the Gaza Strip conflict.