[Waypoint] 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' Can't Decide Whether War Is Bad or Badass

[MadLaughter]

Austin Walker of Waypoint talks about the presentation he was given about the new Modern Warfare earlier this month.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...t-decide-whether-war-is-bad-or-badass-preview

Here's their pitch in brief and in as close to their own words as I can provide, without my own editorializing: Yes, Modern Warfare is an action game, but in contrast to the superheroics of other Call of Duty titles, it will have a focus on "authentic and gritty" military action. It's also an action game that will draw from "relevant headline situations" and will include "social commentary," which "has always been part of Modern Warfare's DNA," gesturing to past, headline-grabbing levels like "No Russian."

What sort of social commentary? Well, war, they say, is "more complex than it was 10 years ago." It's "no longer only over there, it's global," and "it isn't black and white. It's morally gray." Enemies "rarely wear uniforms," and violence on all sides causes "terrible collateral damage." In this "tough to navigate world," "one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist." Which is why, for the first time, players will take the role not only of Tier 1 special forces operators, but also "rebels" in an (unnamed) Middle Eastern nation who fight both occupying terrorist forces and "military-industrial" invaders.

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Then, the presentation took an even further turn, as members of the team's technology and art teams took to guiding us through the many new features, technologies, and techniques at play in the new Modern Warfare.

We were walked special new photogrammetry process that makes burned out car doors look more real, and we were shown cutting edge materials tech that made the layered fabric of the ghillie suits really pop. For 10 minutes, we watched and listened as the audio director showed off the way guns echo differently depending on environment and positioning thanks to new raytracing technology. Listen, we were asked, as the bullet shells being flung from the submachine gun's chamber bounce off the side of this bus. Feel the concussive blast of an explosion as a grenade goes off in front of you. Look at these guns, floating in the air, details on display. Look at these guns sway with your body. Look at these guns as you reload them even when aiming-down-sights! Look at these guns.

After that earlier, narrative focused sell, Animation Director Mark Grigsby (back to Infinity Ward after going to Respawn to work on Titanfall 2), stood in front of the theater and told us that his team followed this mantra: "The weapons are the stars, and the player must feel like a badass when they wield them."

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It was hard not to just post the whole thing, because Austin is a great writer. Check out the full article. It seems like the studio is taking baby steps to try and attract an audience partially losing its taste for war, while trying to maintain that mainstream playerbase that wants every grenade to be a religious experience. It's the tinyest of baby steps by a studio, one who presumably has some kind of money changing hands with the military through consultants or advisors or something.

 

[KoolAid]

It kinda sounds like they want to do something like Spec Ops The Line, but I don't know if the main audience of the game is gonna understand the "war is bad" approach that they're doing, and will just be like "I want to shoot people"

 

[Bish_Bosch]

I mean I am curious as to what rebels in the Middle East this is going to build a campaign around. Because barring the Kurds there really isn't a faction that is unambiguously free of Western or Saudi/Gulf backing.

 

[Lant_War]

Honestly after Spec Ops The Line they should stop doing the "war is bad" act if they don't intend to at least match that game in how upfront they are about it.

I mean, I get why they don't do it but if you want to do military porn, go all in.

 

[SamWilson]

It's Call of Duty.

I'm not playing it for some grand statement on the horrors of war.

I'm playing it to be inundated with Michael Bay explosions and gunfights. That's what the series is best at and excels in that department.

I know Mr. Walker finds that distasteful, but it's what people who enjoy the series have come to expect.

The entire statements in the article given by the developers could have applied to MW, MW2, BO2, or BO3 as well.

 

[MadLaughter]

It's Call of Duty.

I'm not playing it for some grand statement on the horrors of war.

I'm playing it to be inundated with Michael Bay explosions and gunfights. That's what the series is best at and excels in that department.

I know Mr. Walker finds that distasteful, but it's what people who enjoy the series have come to expect.

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It's not just Austin pulling this out of thin air, it's based on the presentation the developers themselves gave. And the actual design and ambiguity of the first level they were shown.

The developers themselves are presenting it as if they're evolving past Michael Bay explosions and gunfights.

 

[Kolx]

Isn't the narrative director an EX-ND employee? this could be good.

I mean I am curious as to what rebels in the Middle East this is going to build a campaign around. Because barring the Kurds there really isn't a faction that is unambiguously free of Western or Saudi/Gulf backing.

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The YPG are mainly supported by the US tho?

 

[Baccus]

"war is bad" should be the least controversial statement there is

but here we are

 

[Serene]

Sounds like Far Cry 5 all over again

 

[Baccus]

It's Call of Duty.

I'm not playing it for some grand statement on the horrors of war.

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What if the devs matured and actually wanted to say something? Would you deny them the chance to express themselves for your entertainment?

 

[WellbornWarrior]

It's Call of Duty.

I'm not playing it for some grand statement on the horrors of war.

I'm playing it to be inundated with Michael Bay explosions and gunfights. That's what the series is best at and excels in that department.

I know Mr. Walker finds that distasteful, but it's what people who enjoy the series have come to expect.

The entire statements in the article given by the developers could have applied to MW, MW2, BO2, or BO3 as well.

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The problem with Michael Bay is that he makes bad movies, and developers evolving past that can only be a good thing.

 

[RecRoulette]

I mentioned this in the main thread. A large percentage of the audience is going to ignore all of the thought-provoking stuff because GUNS AND SHOOTING. Seems like a fool's errand, but I appreciate them at least thinking about it.

I can't remember which one it was but there was one of these with a hilarious "America Fuck Yeah" ending which completely threw everything that story was doing out the window

Edit: Shit it was the original Black Ops?

 

[Kalentan]

I mentioned this in the main thread. A large percentage of the audience is going to ignore all of the thought-provoking stuff because GUNS AND SHOOTING. Seems like a fool's errand, but I appreciate them at least thinking about it.

I can't remember which one it was but there was one of these with a hilarious "America Fuck Yeah" ending which completely threw everything that story was doing out the window

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I think that was BO1. Only one that did that.

 

[Hey Please]

A bit off topic pertaining to the game but not when it comes to the attitude. The game is made for "GaMerS" like these:

...But the rest of it? I have no idea what people saw that could be considered great. If anything, it failed to make the player (or in this case, the viewer) feel like a badass, which I felt like was a step in the wrong direction.

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If it ain't about power fantasy or dares to show the nature of war with any sincerity, then it will alienate of a lot Americans and Europeans men/boys/babies.

 

[Dyle]

Sadly it seems impossible to not have that dissonance at least in a big AAA title like CoD. You can either embrace the military fetishism fully or get in a weird situation where it feels disjointed. I guess I at least appreciate that they're trying to do something different and more critical, but I could also see how with the military fetishism of the multiplayer modes it might actively damage that narrative and make the cruelty there, meant to serve a moral purpose, as a form of brutal theatre that could actually reinforce the military fetishism. Even if messy and confusing, in comparison their stance seems to feel more genuine than Ubisoft's in regard to political messaging

 

[Bish_Bosch]

Isn't the narrative director an EX-ND employee? this could be good.

The YPG are mainly supported by the US tho?

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Yeah the YPG receives tactical support for sure but Kurdish militias in Iraq and Turkey not so much. Still the idea that there are rebels free of global influence or whatever they are trying to say is pretty naive.

 

[RecRoulette]

I think that was BO1. Only one that did that.

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Yeah you're right. I seriously thought it was one of the more recent ones.

 

[WellbornWarrior]

I mentioned this in the main thread. A large percentage of the audience is going to ignore all of the thought-provoking stuff because GUNS AND SHOOTING. Seems like a fool's errand, but I appreciate them at least thinking about it.

I can't remember which one it was but there was one of these with a hilarious "America Fuck Yeah" ending which completely threw everything that story was doing out the window

Edit: Shit it was the original Black Ops?

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If presented right, I don't think even edgiest of "hardcore" gamers will stay cool when accidently shooting a child in the middle of a gunfight.

 

[Alienous]

Given the masters Call of Duty has to serve the only part of the internal conflict that I'm surprised about is that it exists.

It seems like it would be something impossible to reconcile, but the very attempt at portraying warfare as ugly and hellish is more than I would have expected.

 

[2CL4Mars]

"Why not both" it's awful in real life and it CAN be badass in fiction and only in fiction.

Simple.

Spoiler

Well not really.

 

[RecRoulette]

If presented right, I don't think even edgiest of "hardcore" gamers will stay cool when accidently shooting a child in the middle of a gunfight.

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I would hope you'd be right, but streaming and youtuber culture has me seriously doubting that.

 

[Kirbivore]

If presented right, I don't think even edgiest of "hardcore" gamers will stay cool when accidently shooting a child in the middle of a gunfight.

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I mean dehumanizing is a thing

 

[MrNelson]

I mentioned this in the main thread. A large percentage of the audience is going to ignore all of the thought-provoking stuff because GUNS AND SHOOTING. Seems like a fool's errand, but I appreciate them at least thinking about it.

I can't remember which one it was but there was one of these with a hilarious "America Fuck Yeah" ending which completely threw everything that story was doing out the window

Edit: Shit it was the original Black Ops?

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I was decidedly less "woke" when that came out, but even back then I felt that it was incredibly out of place and such a weird way to end that story.

 

[SFLUFAN]

They copped out by going with a Chechnya analogy so your Midde Eastern terrorist/freedom fighter will be killing the "acceptable enemy" known as the Russians

 

[Deleted member 48897]

The problem with Michael Bay is that he makes bad movies, and developers evolving past that can only be a good thing.

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I dunno, I remember playing the first few levels of MW2 after all the attention it got and thinking "well, this is nice but what it really needs is an awkward love triangle to really tie it all together"

 

[Deleted member 49804]

Good, I can't neither. It's both.

 

[Auxy]

Happy to see this posted. I caught a glimpse at this earlier and I'm looking forward to reading more. Austin's too good.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

The modern Call of Duty series is pretty much various Tom Clancy's novels. Watching the trailer gave me the impression they want to do a lot of things but ending up being a mess or the same old bullshit.

 

[Khanimus]

It kinda sounds like they want to do something like Spec Ops The Line, but I don't know if the main audience of the game is gonna understand the "war is bad" approach that they're doing, and will just be like "I want to shoot people"

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This is really it. Like the audience expectation is still built around a power fantasy and making sure "the guns feel good." I don't doubt there's ambition within some corners of the studio, but Call of Duty is fundamentally just so uncritical of military power. I don't see them pulling this off.

 

[Armadilo]

It's made by Naughty Dog Devs, they are going to nail it

 

[DSP]

that's basically Metal Gear Solid, I thought people liked that.

 

[SCB360]

Why not both? War sometimes is necessary, doesnt mean it cant be badass

 

[JamboGT]

War is bad, but jets and tanks and stuff like that are also badass.

 

[Deleted member 32018]

War is bad, fictional war is badass, perhaps? It seems to sell a lot of games anyhow...

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

Why not both? War sometimes is necessary, doesnt mean it cant be badass
[/QUOTE

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Considering this takes place in the 21st century and what wars have become with relations to the US invention in the Middle East, no wars are not necessary.

 

[shaneo632]

I don't think a game with a major focus on multiplayer mayhem with killstreaks is ever going to be able to have a thoughtful campaign component that doesn't seem hilariously schizophrenic.

Plus I'm not convinced anyone involved with this franchise has the tact to make an intelligent game about war. And that's fine - I approach the campaigns as 6-hour Michael Bay movies I blast through over a weekend with beer and snacks.

 

[HollowDash]

Infinity Ward pretty much made an SP campaign focused on political message and anti-war story on the first MW. Don't surprise me they're trying to repeat the formula again, i'm all in, let me play with another perspective!

 

[VariantX]

It kinda sounds like they want to do something like Spec Ops The Line, but I don't know if the main audience of the game is gonna understand the "war is bad" approach that they're doing, and will just be like "I want to shoot people"

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Frankly, I don't think they will. The main audience for these games play the MP voraciously and the MP just goes off the rails in wackiness and absurdity.

 

[Cocolina]

*picks up old book and blows dust off*

ah, good, here it is

 

[Buzzman]

Why not both? War sometimes is necessary, doesnt mean it cant be badass

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War is bad, but jets and tanks and stuff like that are also badass.

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jesus fucking christ.
The staggering callousness of this is astounding. I guess It's always """bad-ass""" when it's your own sides tanks and jets and guns blowing up buildings and brutally murdering people.
Maybe think for a second how someone perhaps living on the other end of those things feel.

 

[VN1X]

I mean... it's a shooter. So of course the stars of the show should be the things you're interacting 100% of the time with right? Austin seems to be of the notion that it's somehow at odds with itself because the developers, who went through all sorts of lenghts to recreate assets in a videogame about a modern setting, are showcasing their new features and effects in a presentation about a new videogame.

He's right to question the juxtaposition of it all course but I found his framing to be rather weird and naive in that article.

 

[Carolina Reaper]

It's both, but that won't stop Waypoint from over-thinking it. Imagine expecting depth from COD.

 

[SENPAIatLARGE]

It's a videogame

 

[TheGhost]

Why can't it just be both
If it makes us think a little, no big deal, it will still be fun.

 

[SCB360]

jesus fucking christ.
The staggering callousness of this is astounding. I guess It's always """bad-ass""" when it's your own sides tanks and jets and guns blowing up buildings and brutally murdering people.
Maybe think for a second how someone perhaps living on the other end of those things feel.

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1. It's a videogame, a power fantasy, tech is also cool
2. Lighten up, not every game is made for everyone, don't like it, dont play it, that's ok as well
3. If you dont like this, why are you even in the thread?

 

[Mesoian]

It's both, but that won't stop Waypoint from over-thinking it. Imagine expecting depth from COD.

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Yes, imagine asking for more from your video games.

Crazy, I know.

1. It's a videogame, a power fantasy, tech is also cool
2. Lighten up, not every game is made for everyone, don't like it, dont play it, that's ok as well
3. If you dont like this, why are you even in the thread?

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I mean it's a thread that is literally about criticizing the potential tone of game. Why wouldn't he be in this thread?

If anything, people going "JUST A GAME! WHO CARES! VIDEO GAMEZ LOL" shouldn't be in this thread as they have nothing to add, as they don't and will never care.

 

[Teeth]

It's hilarious to me that people have completely internalized the idea that Yager purposely made their shooting sub-par.

 

[Carolina Reaper]

Yes, imagine asking for more from your video games.

Crazy, I know.

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If the "more" you're asking for from a video game is essentially for that series to stop being what the series has always been (fun), then yeah, that's a stupid ask. So yes, it can be both. Why? Because it needs to be both.

Why can't it just be both
If it makes us think a little, no big deal, it will still be fun.

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Yep. It needs to first and foremost be a videogame.

 

[julia crawford]

It's both, but that won't stop Waypoint from over-thinking it. Imagine expecting depth from COD.

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Comments like these are so strange. You think COD has never had anything to say about war or warfare?? What games have you played?

 

[Deleted member 13798]

This seems rather premature given that we don't really know anything at all beyond what the trailer showed, and there was very little context to pass a value judgment. For what it's worth I thought it was far less bombastic and celebratory of "badass" than previous call of duty reveals have been. It's much more somber and gray area in terms of morality like the first modern warfare was, as far as what tone they seem to be going for.

As far as post World at War CoD reveals go this one seems a lot more tonally consistent than a lot of them have been