PHILADELPHIA , Pennsylvania ( CNN ) -- Shoppers who listen closely as they approach Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , can hear the sounds of gunfire from inside . But it 's nothing to worry about . Potential recruits play virtual-combat games at an Army recruiting center in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The noise is coming from a 14,500-square-foot unit tucked in next to the Banana Republic and Victoria 's Secret shops -- the Army Experience Center , a state-of-the-art facility with a Humvee , a Black Hawk helicopter and an Apache gunship . The facility , the only one of its kind in the nation , represents a $ 12 million , two-year experiment by the Army to boost recruiting numbers . `` Enemy right , enemy right ! '' echoes from the Black Hawk simulator room , where new recruits Zach Ziegler and Spencer Elmore grip M4 assault rifles as they fire at the enemy in a virtual war zone . The two 19-year-olds said they like the upscale feel of the center and the fact that the recruiters were not pushy when they came to inquire . `` It helps them recruit people , but it does n't force them , '' Elmore said . `` You come to play games , and your eye starts to wonder what the Army does have to offer , and maybe it 's something for me . '' The Philadelphia area has proven difficult for Army recruiters , they said , and they hope this center will increase enlistment . The center and its 22 recruiters replaced five smaller recruitment offices in the area . Four months into the experiment , the center has signed up 37 full-time soldiers and five reservists . See the Army Experience Center » . The new marketing approach includes 60 computers and 19 Xbox games for a hands-on , virtual reality experience that youth of all ages can participate in . Some come just to play games after school . `` They have all these kids in here that are 13 , 14 , 15 years old , '' said new recruit Brett Verbich , who signed up to be a Black Hawk mechanic . `` They get more exposed to it now because , you know , they are not going to walk into a regular recruiting station at 14 years old thinking about going into the Army . '' Maj. Larry Dillard , a program manager based at the Pentagon , has been intimately involved with the creation of the center . One of its goals , he said , is to help overcome misconceptions about the Army . `` You can get all of your questions answered , and in the Army experience center you 're not going to get a pushy , hard sell , '' he said . `` I mean , we really just want people to understand the Army . If you come in and decide the Army 's not for you , but you leave understanding the Army better , then from our perspective that 's success . '' As the U.S. wages wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , the Army has been looking at new approaches to attracting soldiers since a dismal recruiting year in 2005 . Other steps have included increasing bonuses , hiring more recruiters and easing some standards . High unemployment tends to be good for Army recruiting , so the latest downturn also has helped sign up more people . The Army surpassed its goal of 80,000 recruits in the fiscal year that ended September 30 .
U.S. Army opens a virtual-combat gaming center in a Philadelphia , Pennsylvania mall . State-of-the-art facility is a two-year Army recruiting experiment . The center includes a Black Hawk helicopter that provides a feel for combat . Potential recruit : It `` helps them recruit people , but it does n't force them ''