“Call of Duty turns 20: an old hand at video games, trained in the Hollywood school

The famous video game “Call of Duty” celebrates its 20th anniversary this Sunday, October 29. Since its release in 2003, Activision Blizzard’s game has enjoyed phenomenal success, selling over 400 million copies. Known today for its online multiplayer mode, Call of Duty began its journey by setting itself apart with its cinematic military campaigns. From its very first episode, Call of Duty immerses players in the Second World War, drawing heavily on Hollywood war films. The game is praised for its pace, convincing dialogue and polished visual presentation. With missions lasting between six and ten hours, Call of Duty is akin to a true interactive film – a cinematic approach in fact, inspired by another video game, “Medal of Honor”, created by renowned director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg asked his studio, DreamWorks Interactive, to recreate the intensity of the battles in his film Saving Private Ryan (1998) in a video game. Call of Duty capitalized on the success of Medal of Honor and quickly became one of the leaders in the video game industry. However, with a new episode released every year, Activision quickly ran out of ideas to tell the story of the Second World War. To avoid repetition, the Call of Duty license turned to the near future with the 2007 game “Modern Warfare”. Missions become more spectacular, and the action takes place in 2011. Call of Duty borrows the codes of classic action-adventure films to offer a modern war experience. Over the years, Call of Duty’s campaigns have lost some of their impact. Players have become more passionate about online multiplayer, abandoning the scripted campaigns. Despite this, Activision Blizzard has only removed single-player missions once, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018. Campaigns help distinguish each annual installment and keep players interested. Call of Duty’s approach to warfare is often criticized for its Manicheanism. The game simply offers a simplistic vision of the conflict, with a clear distinction between the sides of good and evil. This approach contrasts with that of many American films, which take a more ambiguous approach to conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSyrpSNHyI “Call of Duty” is celebrating its 20th anniversary with undeniable success. The game has made its mark thanks to its cinematic military campaigns and online multiplayer mode. Despite some criticism of its treatment of war, Call of Duty remains an essential reference in the video game industry.