Spain is full of abandoned settlements and to solve the problem, they are transforming the neighborhoods into Call of Duty.
What lies behind the empty houses? Spain is facing an economic and demographic crisis (keyword: “Empty Spain”), which leads to many houses and entire settlements being vacant.
While the population in cities, especially in Madrid and along the coast, is steadily growing, the population in the rural areas of the country is declining. By 2023, almost 82% of Spain’s total population is expected to live in cities (via Statista).
The depopulation of rural areas is based on various factors, such as the extreme climate, the unforgiving terrain, and the poorly developed infrastructure.
Call of Duty in real life
What is the deal with the “Call of Duty” maps? Due to the demographic crisis in Spain, entire neighborhoods are partially vacant. Some entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this to create real “Call of Duty” maps from the abandoned neighborhoods. This refers to large airsoft facilities, such as the Distrito Zero near Valencia (via Instagram).
The empty settlements and residential areas provide players with a special, tactical gaming experience. In urban combat, players are required to take a different approach than on an airsoft park in a forest, where a maximum of 2-4 small huts or barns are present.
These airsoft facilities often seem as if you are seeing a “Call of Duty” map in real life, like the real version of a Spanish “Lowtown”, “Stakeout” or “Vault” – however, Distrito Zero is not as large as Verdansk.
What is this airsoft anyway? In airsoft, players compete against each other in teams with airsoft guns. Modes such as team deathmatch, bomb defusal, or capture the flag are played, which you may know from various video games. However, in airsoft, the game is played not online but in real terrain.
Airsoft guns are of course not lethal. They are replicas of real guns that shoot small plastic balls. The game principle is similar to that of paintball, but the projectiles do not leave colored stains on clothing.
If you are not in the mood for airsoft shooting in Spain and you are satisfied with the digital shooting, Season 4 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone offers you various new content. You can read the full patch notes of the related update on MeinMMO: Call of Duty Black Ops 6: Patch Notes for Season 4 in English
