Before the reveal of Call of Duty Modern Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, PC), it was said that the shooter wanted to shock the world by addressing particularly controversial topics. After the presentation, we know what that is supposed to look like.
What did we know beforehand? There were only some hints before the reveal on May 30. that Modern Warfare would lean on the controversial mission “No Russia” from Modern Warfare II in the campaign. Players could shoot at civilians and take part in a massacre to maintain their cover.
Whispers circulated prior to the reveal after some YouTubers and journalists had already seen a presentation. It was said in YouTube circles that the new shooter would be controversial and people were curious to see how the world press would react.
This is how Modern Warfare wants to shock the world: We now know more details about the campaign, which is supposed to be so controversial. Journalists from around the world have described the presentation they saw.
The team behind Call of Duty Modern Warfare seems to pursue three strategies:
- make players feel powerless so they experience the horror of modern war and terrorism from the perspective of the victims
- put players in situations where they have to make decisions within seconds about who is the enemy and who is innocent
- force players to do brutal things because the consequences would be even worse otherwise
This is how powerlessness works: Journalists report that in one scene of the campaign, players control a girl who survives the explosion of a building where her mother dies.
Russian soldiers attack the child’s village with chemical weapons. One soldier kills the child’s brother and father, and the child then has to hide to ultimately kill a soldier herself.
This scene tells the “Origin Story” of Farrah, one of the characters in the campaign.
Taylor Kurosaki, the Narrative Director of the game, explained to Variety: They show this scene to explain the perspective of the characters. They don’t tell it to be provocative, but to show that modern warfare is not pleasant. It is a serious matter and can get dirty.
This is how stress works: In another scene that journalists have already seen, British special forces storm a terrorist cell’s safehouse. Upon entering, they also encounter unarmed women. Every room is chaotic and demands quick action. Night vision devices are in use.
It should be difficult for players to recognize who is the enemy and who is a civilian. Shots are fired through the walls. In one scene, a woman calms a crying baby. In the next, another woman grabs a weapon.
Kurosaki states: “The battlefield was never less clear. Enemies rarely wear uniforms today. This means collateral damage; civilians are a bigger part of the equation than ever before.” These are the situations players must face.
The campaign aims to put players in uncomfortable emotional situations.
This is how decisions work: In one scene, the player encounters an unarmed woman, commanding her to stay still, but she moves and reaches for a trigger for a bomb. The player is forced to shoot her.
This is also part of the new reality of war.
Kurosaki states: It is a job that haunts you. Intelligence reports are not always perfect, leading to decisions that only take a fraction of a second.
Similar concepts have been explored by films such as Hurt Locker, Sicario, Lone Survivor, American Sniper, or Zero Dark Thirty.
However, Kurosaki also states that players should act morally, just like soldiers in the field. Those who act recklessly and too aggressively could be prosecuted in real life. In Call of Duty Modern Warfare, a player can reprimand an ally, and the game can even exclude them.
So, one cannot shoot the apparent terrorist moving towards her baby.
Is the world press shocked? It is at least pointed out that the game operates on a moral minefield. With the new engine, the scenes appear more realistic.
Many journalists find the approach refreshing. In the GameStar preview, it is stated that Call of Duty has not been as exciting as it was in 2019. Apparently, the approach gives the series new relevance.
There was indeed a controversy. Journalist Dean Takahashi from Venturebeat raised the question in a column about whether video games really need to do such things.
To him, this is very disturbing. He asks whether violence should be portrayed in a form of art where players have so much control over what happens.
In response, Takahashi faced significant backlash on social media in the following days. Apparently, some Call of Duty fans objected to such statements, noting that it is “M for Mature.” They accused him of calling for censorship.
