British army recruiters have been accused of targeting children interested in video games by arranging for a glossy military magazine to be distributed with the latest issue of a leading gaming publication.

When readers of PlayStation magazine unwrap the February edition from its plastic packaging, they are also presented with a copy of the The Locker magazine, which includes lifestyle features – and details of how to join the army.

The front cover of the PlayStation magazine is an image of a battle scene from a new “shooter” game, while the edition of The Locker that is enclosed styles itself as a “Gaming Special” and promises an article that will explain: “Why the army loves your non-stop, button-mashing skills”. The back cover features an advert calling for “Binge Gamers” to join up because: “Your army needs you and your drive”.

The PlayStation magazine can be bought by anyone regardless of their age and campaigners claim it means The Locker is bound to be read by children.

Charlotte Cooper, UK research and campaign officer at Child Soldiers International said: “It is distressing to see the British Army use a gaming magazine as a vehicle to advertise army recruitment. They know the magazine is being read by thousands of young teenagers who may be easily influenced by their flashy publication and adverts.”

The Locker includes an article under the header Game of Life in which soldiers compare a virtual training exercise to the shooter game Call Of Duty.

Cooper said: “Comparing a military environment to playing a games console is frankly ridiculous and disingenuous, and gives young people no sense of the risks involved in a military career.

Joe Glenton, media organiser at ForcesWatch and an army veteran said: “Sneaking recruitment materials in with a gaming magazine is just the latest example of the British military’s ethically dubious approach to recruiting children and young people.

“Conflating computer games with war fighting has also become a common recruiting strategy for western militaries.”

Emily Apple, a writer and activist from Cornwall, said she was shocked when her 15-year-old son, who subscribes to the PlayStation magazine, showed her The Locker. “I think it’s horrendous,” Apple said.

She characterised the army magazine as an “advertorial” that featured a “strange combination” of features such as how to make the perfect poached egg with details of army recruitment. “It’s all about normalising army life,” she said.

The distribution of The Locker is part of the army’s drive to recruit “snowflakes, selfie addicts, class clowns, phone zombies, and me, me, millennials”.

PlayStation Official Magazine – UK claims to be the country’s best-selling games magazine. It features games that carry an 18 certificate but also others aimed at children. There is no restriction on who can buy the magazine and according to the Internet Advertising Bureau more than a fifth of gamers in 2014 were children aged eight to 17.

Last year the Guardian revealed that the army targeted recruitment material at “stressed and vulnerable” 16-year-olds via social media on and around GCSE results day. The campaign suggested a career in the army would still be open to teenagers if they did not get the grades they hoped for, with critics accusing the army of cynically trying to recruit young people at a time when they were worried about their future prospects.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The Locker is designed to reach both potential soldiers and their parents or guardians, and, like all army content, does not target under-16s who are not old enough to join the military, or play some of the computer games mentioned.

“In line with our distribution strategy, the Official PlayStation Magazine has an average reader age of over 18 years.”