Opinion: Message Written in Blood – Adapting In-game Violence to Modern ”Standards”

Current generation of consoles, just like the one which came before, has introduced a new ”wave” of entertainment. While transitioning from the old and tired PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, many developers have also decided to step away from the reliable World War II formula of first-person shooters, and transitioned to more contemporary settings. Titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Battlefield: Bad Company, have become instant hits and cult classics, as both have revitalised the first-person shooter genre. However, while elevating their digital framework, both titles have also attracted a tremendous amounts of negative public attention, as they were no longer removed from reality, due to their setting, which was situated within the mid to late 2010’s. And while Bad Company featured a plethora of segments, of comedic nature, and was taking place within a fictional state, it has featured Russia as the main antagonist, which was and still is, perceived by many as the root of all evil, which can strike the ”common” world at any time. And while Bad Company was a complete work of fiction inspired by novels and films alike, its direct competitor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, was striking much closer to home.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, touched upon subjects which many have avoided for decades. The series of never ending, middle-eastern conflicts, which have kept the western world on its toes since the 1979’s Operation Storm 333, was always a subject of a taboo. It was like the mythical Pandora’s Box, a box which many were afraid to open, however, Infinity Ward, have decided to turn the key, and unleash its contents. And in 2007, just two years after the London bombings, the previously mentioned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, has graced the shelves of countless stores worldwide. Title in question didn’t poke around the bush, it was a hard hitting, action based, first-person shooter, designed to both impress, and satisfy the player. While the gameplay mechanics were the cornerstone of the title, and have now gained cult classic status, the story was the main attraction.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, started strongly by presenting the atrocities which were currently taking place in the middle east, as the title began with the player-character being executed by an Islamic militant. And from that point onwards, the title was only gathering more pace, as the developers had the player experience, numerous inhuman atrocities, and the beginning of the ominous third World War, at first hand. Once the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, has finally come to an end, the Call of Duty series, as well as the Modern Warfare trilogy, have attracted worldwide popularity by maintaining the quality of the product, and by upholding its controversial nature. Missions such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2′s ‘No Russian‘, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s, ‘Mind the Gap‘, have continued the trend of gruesome on screen controversy, and between the two had thousands of innocents slaughtered, including a child, which was swept away by a blast, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, while all three titles have featured points which were ”controversial”, such were still not the source of the violence, as at their core, all titles in question were much more violent than the three segments put together.

Call of Duty as a series, not just as the Modern Warfare trilogy, have always followed a very simple ideology. An Ideology which can be summed up with a single Latin phrase, “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum“, which directly translates to “If you wish for peace, prepare for war“. Because in the end, all titles in the Call of Duty series, were not about waging war, but about achieving peace, as both sides of the conflict, whether West vs Russia, or America vs Vietnam, were not fighting to further the war, but to achieve peace on very specific, predetermined terms. And within the digital boundaries of each of the Call of Duty titles, such point was emphasised by the developer, by forcing the player to fight vocal human enemies, with clearly visible faces. And such presentation of the on-screen opponents have turned the otherwise pointless violence, into an impactful storytelling tool. As the enemy was another human being, placed within a time and place, familiar to many inhabitants of the western world, and this made killing hard to stomach, at least for some.

Public emphasis placed upon on interpersonal violence within the Call of Duty series, over the years, has been a focal point of many articles, and works of popular academia. It has been treated like a physical embodiment of the devil himself, and each and every mass shooting, and a violent crime committed by a child or a teenager, has only furthered the public persecution of the series. And as the years have gone by, Activision, and numerous developers which work underneath its banner, have begun to tone down the violence within their games.

First title to receive the treatment was Call of Duty: Black Ops II, as Treyarch the developer, has stepped away from the Vietnam and World War II settings it was known for, and created their title in relatively distant future, where wars were no longer taking place between nations, but between fictional Private Military Companies of armoured, and masked, robot-like soldiers. Many have disliked such setting, as by removing the title from the common reality, and by taking away the human element, many have agreed that the title is not as good as the previous entries in the series, as it no longer possessed the core which made it exceptional. As the time progressed, instead of reverting to contemporary, or even the World War II setting, Activision, and its studios, have only further removed the series from reality. With Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, it has completely removed the aspect of the Nation vs Nation combat, and have introduced mechanised super soldiers, which still are a work of science fiction. And with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Treyarch have went even further, and in some instances has removed the human element completely, by introducing robots, and by turning the multiplayer component of the title into a ”combat simulation”.

The disappointment, which filled minds of many as soon as Activision has announced another Call of Duty title, has been constant throughout this generation, and many have hoped for a change in fortune, as this year, it was Infinity Ward’s turn to release the next Call of Duty title. And while many hoped to see another, high-end first-person shooter, set within a contemporary setting, the disappointment has set in once again, as Infinity Ward has released the first trailer for what is now known as Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Another futuristic first person shooter, filled with spaceships, science fiction rifles, and heavily masked enemies.

For many, continuation of the futuristic trend, which has now spread over the entirety of the industry, not just Call of Duty, will not be a problem as large portion of gamers plays the titles in question for their ‘feel‘. Whereas others could argue that violence is still there, and nobody should complain. And Yes – such statement is true, but only to a certain degree. Interpersonal violence, is still widely present within the Call of Duty series, and will surely still be there within its upcoming instalment, however, what will be missing is the frantic, animalistic-like satisfaction.

If you were to ask any ”fan” of the first-person shooter genre, what was/is the most satisfying shooter of this generation, then you’re most likely to hear the words Rainbow Six: Siege. And this is not because it has featured a spectacular 20 hours long, singleplayer campaign which made players question their humanity, but because it oozes with satisfaction.

Rainbow Six: Siege, is a finely tuned, finely crafted multiplayer experience, which outside of its netcode (which is still a bit of a mess), is near perfect experience. In-game weapons represent their real life counterparts in terms of audio, and visual design, and this allows Rainbow Six: Siege to make players feel like they are behind a real firearm, as the kickback, and opponents’ reactions to shots, are tremendously realistic. In-game firearm mechanic grants each and every bullet a level of significance, as a single round, of any calibre can take down even the toughest operator. And operators are the proverbial cherry on the top.

Each and every in-game operator, has its own unique look, function, voice, and backstory, and this allows the players to develop a playstyle, which transforms with each and every new match, and unique encounter. As every operator can be countered with another, and is a variable which alters the level of threat to the player. And such progression of in-game based knowledge development, makes the player acknowledge the opposition, as a group of unique operators, rather than a group of faceless soldiers. And if one was to watch an online match between two groups of people, one would only hear the names of the operators, rather than vague terms such as enemy or opponent, as through exposition, operators absorb a life of their own, become singular entities, and give the title another dimension, which deepens the level of satisfaction which the title possess.

So to sum this up, it has to be stated that games of any kind, can provide anybody with a certain level of entertainment, however, entertainment only gets a title halfway to the optimal success, as in order for the game to be a fully accomplished piece of digital entertainment, it also has to satisfy other needs. And as spectacular as space battles, and laser rifles are, they don’t come close to nail biting realism, which games such as Rainbow Six: Siege currently offer. The upcoming remaster of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, will surely achieve greater success than Infinite Warfare, but in order to be able to state such as a fact, we’re going to have to wait for 4th of November.