Call of Duty as a Warfare based Game.

I want to briefly look at the way Call of Duty uses game play to attract players to the genre. I want to show how the achievement system works, so I can see how players are distracted from the reality of war that this game is representing.

Call of Duty's online multi player consists of a variety of game modes and challenges that reward players if they reach certain targets. Each challenge or goal rewards the player with something called 'experience'. Experience is collected through achieving these goals and is used to unlock better weapons, different camouflages and reach high levels. The highest rank in the game is a 10th Prestige (the best). There are ten prestige's goals to meet, but it requires the player to level up 70 times to reach one. For example, when I reach level 70 for the first time, I would prestige once. If i wanted to go to second Prestige, I would have to level up another 70 times. Being 10th prestige is the ultimate reward within the online game, but it is hard to do as the higher level you are, the harder it is to rank up. So, completing certain challenges can give you better experience points which would initially make you rank up faster.

Challenges such as:

. Certain amount of Knife kills

. Head shots

. Airstrikes called

. Helicopters used

. Perks used (Perks are boosts that help the player in a game, such as higher jumping or stronger ammunition)

. Kills to death ratio, the more kills you do without dying is called a 'Kill streak'. Kill streaks reward players in game with packages that can give them the upper hand. Such as predator missiles, nukes, choppers, extra ammunition,  UAV, Stealth bombers etc.

Each challenge gives you a certain amount of experience depending on the difficulty, but when achieved will reward the player accordingly. However, what all of this shows is the immoral use of violence within the game. How a certain amount of head shots or airstrikes used would be reward you and make the player feel 'skillful'. Although I admit, the game play of Call of Duty is exciting and immerse, when sitting back and thinking about the morality of the game, I almost feel disappointed in myself for enjoying it. Getting excited over trying to have a good kill to death ratio, or trying to unlock a 'nuke' package in the game seems almost silly to me now. It is immoral violence that portrays warfare WORSE that it actually is. Making it fun to want to find the best way of killing each other, using these challenges to excite the player, definitely feels like the game is desensitizing them by making them forget about the realism the game had initial portrayed.

It is evident how competitive the Call of Duty multi player is, to the point that he Internet is swarming with countless videos of how people have reach certain goals quicker than others. How players have executed 'awesome' kills by using skillful tactics etc. It is very RARE that any player talks about the story behind the game, because it's almost like it doesn't even matter! It is primarily about who is better than who in this genre.

Here are two videos representing how player's glorify their kills/deaths for recognition:

This second video demonstrates '100 ways to die in Call of Duty" It shows all the different ways you can be killed whilst playing the game. However, it is represented in a comical way for the addition of humorous music and the ways in which you 'die' in your act of own stupidity. This video proves how players do not care for the unnecessary violence, they just find it funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3GgxMwndDA&feature=relmfu

Aside from the multi player, the single player campaign also includes incredibly graphic violence to reach to it's gamers. One specific level that ideally stood out more than others was 'No Russian', I level which before you can play informs the player of caution at scenes within this part of the game may offend or disturb you. Although this is good to have caution, it still leaves the player's curiosity to find out what is is that this level is about. Especially if you have purchased the game anyway, I would find it rare that any player WOULD actually skip it. Anyway, here a video link to the levels play through:

This is such a graphically disturbing level in all honesty. Although you do not HAVE to kill any civilians, it is implied frequently by pier pressure from not only other gamers but also from your AI team mates in the sequence. If you don't execute them, you get warnings etc. However, at the end of the level you are shot dead, it is almost like this level had no relevance, just a sort of playable cut scene. You definitely get a sense that you're doing something wrong, but I can't help feel how much it replicates issues in reality with terrorists, is it okay that game developers can just put this sort of stuff in their games? yes with warning, but it still seems highly unnecessary.

Bibliography:

. Youtube