We’ve seen and heard the ads all around us. Whether we choose to acknowledge them only tells others who we are in today’s society. I’m referring to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; an amazing blockbuster series from Activision. The way video games have permeated into other media is beginning to catch the attention of markets that know the purchasing power of gamers. Celebrity commercials, food industry endorsement, and TV ads are a testament to the weight that Modern Warfare 3 brings to the table.
Fans line up hours before a midnight launch, anticipating the arrival of another iteration in a beloved series. When I walked into the mall I was not prepared for the amount of people that were there. These launches have come to be a social norm where people in a town can share their love for a game and even exchange online IDs to continue playing together. There were also areas for people to play Modern Warfare 2, the previous game that broke a record with $310 million in sales on opening day. Then I passed by a kiosk selling food and drinks; a smart idea despite the free food provided at the launch, I’m sure they anticipated running out. Alongside the food was an Army recruitment desk; interesting – but I won’t get into that right now.
One dedicated person who I found for this article is Andrew Smith of Lawton, OK. He was the first person there to pay for his copy and wait for the midnight launch at 6 PM – if that isn’t dedication, I have no idea what is. And of course by being such a huge fan; when asked his favorite game, he couldn’t pick between the entire line of call of duty series games. And of course like any skilled player, his first option was to get to the online multiplayer as soon as he gets home. Along with the glory of racking up kills on day 1, he is also a Call of Duty: Elite subscriber which grants players access to tracking their weapon and stats as well as starting their own groups or letting the program find other similar players for them. One thing Andrew did that is becoming especially popular after these launches was take off time from school and work in order to play to his heart’s content. As a bonus question I asked him how he felt about the Battlefield versus Call of Duty franchise war and he of course preferred Call of Duty because of its gameplay.
So while there are those just getting into the market with casual video games, the growing number of fanboys continues to strengthen the hardcore environment of games like Modern Warfare 3. We can only expect this to be a challenge and reward to the developers to bring more innovation to a solid franchise.