Difference between revisions of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 1"

Revision as of 18:32, 31 January 2023

Introduction

Black Ops 1 is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series created by Treyarch in 2010. The first-person shooter is set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The story follows CIA operative, Alex Mason trying to recall the location of a numbers station that holds a chemical weapon named "Nova 6". The offered game modes include single-player, multiplayer, and a special Nazi zombies mode. The development of this game started in 2009 using the same game engine used by Call of Duty: World At War, IW 3.0. The game was later published by Activision and received positive reviews from critics and the public, receiving a nomination for game of the year, and it has sold over 25 million copies globally.

Gameplay

Black Ops 1 is a first-person shooter game with the same movement and mechanics as previous generations with the exception of Dolphin diving. Dolphine diving allows players to dive across the ground while prone. This mechanic helps players dodge explosives and avoid enemy fire. Players play game modes as soldiers, equipped with a primary and secondary weapon alongside lethal explosives. When low on health, the screen will present blood across the screen which goes away due to regeneration over time.

Multiplayer

Black Ops 1 offers a traditional multiplayer experience where players can participate in a diverse collection of game modes including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Search and Destroy, Search and Rescue, Ground War, Sabotage, Capture The Flag, Team Tactical, Free-For-All, Headquarters. Each game mode presents unique objectives and 14 different playable maps.^[1].

Campaign

Set in the 1960s, the story follows Alex Mason, a CIA operative who is found in a mysterious room, interrogated by an unknown assailant. He is tortured to recall a numbers station. Recalling his past, Mason goes back to the Bay of Pigs where he is beaten and captured by Russian soldiers. He is later imprisoned at a Russian gulag called Vorkuta where he befriends a former Red Army soldier Victor Reznov. After a forced fight between the two, they resolve their conflict and plan to escape the gulag together. Soon after this, they take advantage of the situation and escape the Gulag however while escaping, Mach was unable to jump on the train, leaving mason to escape by himself. In a future mission, Mason reunites with Reznov, and they work together with CIA operatives Jason Hudson and Frank Woods in a series of missions hunting down the chemical weapon, “Nova 6”, created by Russian forces. At the height of the mission, Mason watches Reznov kill the german scientist responsible for creating nova 6. It is later revealed that Mason was the one who killed the scientist as he had been brainwashed by a Nazi scientist during his imprisonment at the gulag. It is further revealed that Reznov never escaped the gulag and he was only part of Mason’s imagination. The unknown assailant reveals to Mason that they are his ally, Hudson, and helps Mason remember the number station that plans to deploy chemical weapons across the United States. Mason remembers the numbers and joins Hudson and Frank in taking over the ship, stopping Nova 6 from reaching the United States of America.^[2].

Zombies

Building off the previous Call of Duty World at War, teams of 4 players fight hordes of zombies, trying to reach the highest possible round. This game mode comes with three free maps known as Kino Der Toten, Five, and Dead Ops Arcade. Kino Der Toton takes place in an abandoned Nazi theater in Berlin where players can play as Tank Dempsy, Edward Richtofen, Takeo Masaki, and Nikoli Belinski. Five takes place in the Pentagon where players are able to play as John F Kennedy, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, and Robert McNamara. The Dead Ops Arcade is a map unlocked after completing the main campaign storyline.

plot

The story follows a mad German scientist, Dr. Edward Richtofen who betrays Doctor Ludvig Maxis by trapping him and his daughter Samantha inside a teleporter, believing they would die. Richtofen then flees from Shangri-La and arrives at an abandoned Nazi theater where he discovers videotapes left behind by Dr. Maxis and Samantha. Samantha had survived the zombie attack and has ever since been hunting Richtofen with endless hordes of zombies.

Ethical Concerns

Zombies

The symbol of undead German soldiers has been changed in Call of Duty: WWII and future games that include the game mode. This was due to Germany's ban on swastika symbols in media. In order for Call of Duty to sell in one of its biggest markets, the game mode was named "Zombies" and the swastika was replaced with an iron cross. Ethical debates arise as many believe that history should not be erased for the sake of profit and that Nazi zombies are crucial to the franchise's identity.

Cuba

The Cuban government denounced Black Ops 1 for its violent content and a graphic assassination attempt on Fidel Castro in the campaign storyline. Many argue that the mission glorifies the assassination of a Cuban leader and stimulates violent attitudes. Despite being condemned by the Cuban government, the game has not been officially banned in the country. ^[3].

Violence

It is heavily debated that violent video games such as Call of Duty lure young children into violent tendencies and create sociopathic attitudes. Controversy has sparked with the link between the two as cases such as an eight-year-old shooting his grandmother shortly after playing Grand Theft Auto, another game with hyper-realistic violence. ^[4]. Despite these cases, there are others who argue that violent video games teach the morality of war and make the point that it is not much different from playing with toy soldiers in the past, shooting anyone in the way. ^[5]

Addiction

Addiction to video games is rampant in the United States and often is ignored when compared to drug or alcohol abuse. The ethical concerns of video game addiction include mental problems such as depression and anxiety due. There are also physical concerns of addiction due to the nature of the lifestyle. The Call of Duty franchise also shares ethical concerns as the gameplay is highly competitive and repetitive.

References

1. ↑ Game Modes | Call of Duty Wiki - Fandom. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Game_Modes
2. ↑ Richard, W. (2020, December 20). The Complete Call of Duty: Black Ops Storyline Explained. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://gamerant.com/call-duty-black-ops-1-2-3-4-cold-war-story-explained/
3. ↑ Richard, W. (2010, December 11). Cuban Government Criticizes 'Call of Duty: Black Ops'. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://gamerant.com/cuba-criticizes-call-of-duty-black-ops/
4. ↑ Jason, S. (2013, August 26). Grand Theft Auto Blamed After Eight-Year-Old Shoots Grandmother. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://kotaku.com/grand-theft-auto-blamed-after-eight-year-old-shoots-gra-1201375715
5. ↑ David, S. (2012, September 7). Call of Duty teaches children ‘lessons of morality’, says war vet. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.videogamer.com/news/call-of-duty-teaches-children-lessons-of-morality-says-war-vet/