Will you make the move? - 1

Warning: with this article I’m merely putting some of my ideas and trails of thought out there. If you are looking for answers or a clear cut article on what is going to happen to the community you’ll probably end up miserably disappointed.

With not even two months before the release of Modern Warfare 2 I deemed the time right to take a look at the past and the future, and the problems the Call of Duty community might face. Needless to say the community is looking forward to a breath of fresh air but to me it seems like we are stuck in a twilight zone of insecurity and questions. No one has that magic 8-ball that can perfectly predict the future and determine whether Modern Warfare 2 will be a competitive success. Whether it will be a commercial success I think is beyond all doubt and bar the very successful World of Warcraft it has been the Call of Duty series bringing in the R&D dollars on which the successes (and failures) of tomorrow’s next big Activision-Blizzard game are built.

It’s not easy for the community right now, the wounds of Call of Duty 5 still fresh in our memories, but let’s not forget that the tables have turned for this game. We don’t have to deal with a quick scheme of transforming a console built game into a pc version just to get an extra buck. We are now facing the new game by Infinity Ward, which beyond all questioning is far superior in creating pc based games then Treyarch (the developer of Call of Duty 5). This means that the next series in the Call of Duty offspring will be far more likely to succeed in a competitive environment but what will it take to become the gigantic success we all linger for?

First of all I think a mentality change is needed with large portions of the community. Those flamers, haters and non-believers who think that their personal preference is the only way to go and that nothing will even come close to the game they love can confuse and destroy the overall public opinion with their hate-spreading comments and remarks. An otherwise great game can be shot down and perceived a completely different way just because a couple of people start a smear-campaign because they are afraid of change.

On the other hand, there is of course the requirement that the game itself has to be good and suitable for competitive play. That it won’t be out of the box ready for competitive play is quite normal, and it will probably require a substantial effort from the modding community to make sure it reaches a standard that allows for competitive play, but that the community is capable of that I have no doubt.  I also have little doubts that this game will be good, the graphics have improved and gameplay will be slightly different but I’m fairly confident that overall there will be some nice improvements and things people will enjoy enough to keep on playing.

But the twilight zone remains as I keep wondering whether people actually want a new game. It’s in human nature that once you have grown accustomed to one thing, you reject the idea of change and transition into something new. Most people can go their whole lives clinging on to what they like, repulsing anything which even comes close to changing that status quo. This is the reason a lot of people go to a restaurant with the intention to try something new but usually end up ordering the T-bone steak with mushroom sauce they just like so much. It was within this particular mindset that conflicts occured such as the Call of Duty 2 versus Call of Duty 4 debacle when Call of Duty 5 was branded a failure. People wanted security in an insecure time and this caused a rupture and a non-unified front.

In all fairness however a new game also opens up new doors. Enhanced graphics could seduce hardware companies to spend some marketing dollars on cross-promotion using Modern Warfare 2. Perhaps we will even see several sponsors directly entering the market by sponsoring teams or competitions. Thousands and thousands of new gamers will also learn about Call of Duty, gamers who have never picked up any of its ancestors. Young gamers who are trying out their first game will receive an action packed shooter under their Christmas tree, springing to life new talent and a fresh boost for the community. This alone could be the most positive aspect of the new game.

 Despite my remarks and the "twilight feeling" I’m having, I still have high hopes for Modern Warfare 2 and I think in the end the community will make the switch. Perhaps the new game will become even bigger in numbers and give sponsors better opportunities. Perhaps we’ll even see a TV tool get developed along the way, something the community has been waiting for since vanilla CoD. However it turns out, we’ll only be able to tell what direction the community is going after the game has released and been in circulation for a couple of months.

And how about you? Will you make the move?