WTF is Up with Call of Duty?
First, Google "Call of Duty Nuketown Shoot Heads off Mannequins." Also, how many games do you think are in the Call of Duty series? Spoiler Alert: it's triple the number that Joseph thinks, lol. Join Willie and Taylor as they answer his questions about the long-running series.
In this episode, we dig into the main entries in the Call of Duty series. Joseph has a lot of questions because he has no idea how many games exist or how they're all connected. We chat about celebrities featured in the series—apparently, Snoop Dogg is a playable character—tongue twist our way through the complicated naming convention and get lost in the developer battle between Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games. They're mentions of Nuketowm, nazi zombies, the infamous "No Russian" mission, and Hans Zimmer. Later in the episode, Willie asks Joseph if his military experience affected his desire to play Call of Duty, and we wrap with a mini celebration for reaching a small milestone for the podcast. (Reload SFX)
Games briefly mentioned in this episode: No Man Sky, Halo Infinite, The Last of Us Part 1, Atomic Heart, Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Warzone, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Fortnite, Gears of War, Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, Call of Duty 3, Rainbow Six, Destiny, Far Cry, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Call of Duty: Warzone 2, Battlefield: 2042, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized.
Here's the full transcript for this episode.
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Note from Willie: As mentioned towards the top of the episode, I think it’s worth noting that Call of Duty can be seen as propaganda for the U.S. military, and it’s worth thinking about what happens when the fictional world is so closely tied to the real world and puts you in the middle of war as the hero. It’s something that warrants discussion but that’s not really the focus of this episode/podcast but I did want to include some links for reference.
I mentioned high ranking state officials on the advisory board at Activision Blizzard (the publisher of the Call of Duty games). It would be more correct to say that they have former high ranking government officials on their leadership team. What I was trying to sum up quickly is that there are some ties between Activision Blizzard and former government officials. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that but it does make me wonder how much sway the leadership team has on what is or isn’t included in a Call of Duty game. I’ve linked a few staff bios below:
One of the non-profit boards that Frances Townsend is on is the Atlantic Council, an American think tank in the field of international affairs. The Atlantic Council has additional ties to former Call of Duty staff.
Dave Anthony - Art of Future Warfare series announcement of Dave Anthony as a Nonresident Fellow.
The military-entertainment complex: Call of Duty makers have close ties with the Pentagon
Call of Duty as an engagement tool:
How the Military Uses Call of Duty As A Recruitment Tool
U.S. Army Planned to Pay Streamers Millions to Reach Gen-Z Through Call of Duty
Call of Duty Controversies and “re-writing” of history:
Call of Duty Creators Say Oliver North Helped Make Their Game More Authentic
That time Castro appeared in Call of Duty, angering Cuba
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Highway of Death controversy, explained
Correction:
At 44:55 in the podcast I mention a Call of Duty game that was potentially set in 2075 with the primary conflict being with China. After further research, I can’t verify that statement with anything but a questionable source so I’ve chosen not to link any article.
(Spoiler Alert for Black Ops 2) It’s also worth noting that Black Ops 2 campaign takes place in two timelines, the late 1980s and 2025. One of the conflicts in that game is a new Cold War between a Chinese-led faction called the Strategic Defense Coalition and a U.S.-led NATO. One of the four endings leads to an alliance between the U.S. and China, ending the new Cold War.
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