As you may know, we’ve discovered new information on Treyarch’s next game, Call of Duty 7. Activision Blizzard has released a COD game every year since 2005, so Treyarch would be next in line after the release of Modern Warfare 2. The insider discussed the music selected for this game:
“Mentioned were Vietnam War era tunes, as well as Cuban, African, and Soviet Union music.”
If Call of Duty 7 truly does put players in the Vietnam conflict, we may face a situation where gamers will have to question the ethics of game development. Filmmakers had to face similar issues with their depictions of war films, and hopefully Treyarch and Activision Blizzard stay wary of inappropriately representing, or even glorifying, the Vietnam War.
Yes, there have been plenty of World War II games made. But World War II happened in the 1930s~1940s, and was a lot more clear cut in terms of why the United States became involved. The Vietnam war, however, is still in many people’s memories and still under heavy debate. In fact, many individuals who play such a game would have direct family members who participated in this war.
ShellShock: Nam ’67 is the only game series on the market that even touches this subject, and hasn’t been commercially or critically successful. The potential problem actually stems from the fact that such a high profile and respected franchise may be choosing this topic. What compounds this even more is that current-gen titles are becoming very realistic in terms of graphics and animation. It’s not like the older days when you could resort to the old copout of “games aren’t even that realistic,” because today’s FPS market demands incredible amounts of authenticity, from the way guns fire to how bullets impact bodies.
We have to ask. Would you be interested in playing through Call of Duty: Vietnam, or does the subject matter turn you off enough to just avoid the title altogether? Let us know in the comment section below.
