Did Call of Duty ruin a generation of gamers?

[Opa Opa]

Okay, so I've read it now. And what stuck out to me the most was this:

John Gibson:

"When I was developing Action Mode [for RO2], I got a group of people that I know that are pretty hardcore Call of Duty players. And my goal was to create something that was accessible enough for them to enjoy the game -- not turn it into Call of Duty, but try to make something that I thought was casual enough but with the Red Orchestra gameplay style that they would enjoy. And we iterated on it a lot. And just listening to all the niggling, pedantic things that they would complain about, that made them not want to play the game, I just thought, 'I give up. Call of Duty has ruined this whole generation of gamers.'"

So you get input from a group of hardcore CoD fans, try to make your game a bit more accessible and fail; so CoD = worst thing ever?

Riiiiiight.

Don't know about Killing Floor but the Red Orchestra games are legitimate FPS games. That's also the reason why they don't sell as well as COD. It's more realistic->the pace of gameplay is slower and people who just rush and don't use their brains get killed in a heartbeat->kids with ADHD can't stand it.

Well, the CoD games are "legitimate FPS" titles. Some people, myself included, enjoy the more arcade-y feel of Call of Duty. That doesn't mean that games that strive for "realism" aren't fun either; but a game like CoD is easier to pick up and play. Thus the great success of the franchise.

[Menegrothx]

All of their games started as UT2k4 mods. Red Orchestra and Killing Floor were huge in 2005. They have transitioned to Steam and continue to do well.

As of April 2009, the game has sold around 400,000 copies.[3] (Red Orchestra, released in 2006)
vs
Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game sold 6.5 million copies in the U.S. and UK alone and grossed $400 million, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time (Modern Warfare 3)

I distinctly remember the early Call of Dutys had you as a Soviet fighting Nazis, and I think World at War did too so this is nothing new.

Oh yeah, that's right. I guess I played Day of Defeat Source, Enemy Territory, MOH and other similiar US vs Germany WW2 games so much during that time perioid that I forgot aobut that Anyways it's the only WW2 game that I can think of where American troops aren't playable at all.

[fastbilly1]

All of their games started as UT2k4 mods. Red Orchestra and Killing Floor were huge in 2005. They have transitioned to Steam and continue to do well.

As of April 2009, the game has sold around 400,000 copies.[3] (Red Orchestra, released in 2006)
vs
Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game sold 6.5 million copies in the U.S. and UK alone and grossed $400 million, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time (Modern Warfare 3)

I never once said that it sold better, or even in the same league as Call of Duty. To me, they are two different styles of game: COD is more arcadey, RO is more simulation. Both scratch different itches and do not directly compete with each other.

[Hatta]

No. The cohort that CoD appeals to has always been devoid of brains. CoD may have brought the average intelligence of gamers down, but only because it skewed the population, not because it makes individual gamers dumber.

[dunpeal2064]

Wow Hatta, what a terrible post.

Most people I know that play CoD do so because they enjoy online gamging with people they know, and it just so happens that everyone else is playing CoD. Its accessible, and pretty consistant in gameplay, so thats what they go to.

Those same people will also play Monster Hunter, which actually requires more patience than I can usually muster, so they obviously aren't impatient brain-devoid gamers.

[BurningDoom]

I'm not much a "Bro" gamer. I'm just not that into military shooters.

But nonetheless, I don't agree. It seems silly to discriminate against an entire group of gamers just because they prefer different game genres than I do.

I mostly play shoot-em ups, 2D platformers, and RPGs. I would suck if someone wanted me to start playing sports games or strategy games. Doesn't mean I'm a "ruined gamer". Just means I'm not too familiar with those genres. Same logic applies to those gamers that mostly play FPS and TPS games.

Stupid article.

[ninjainspandex]

No. The cohort that CoD appeals to has always been devoid of brains. CoD may have brought the average intelligence of gamers down, but only because it skewed the population, not because it makes individual gamers dumber.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Worst games of all time. But not for the reasons the author mentions.

[Hatta]

My post was not intended to imply that if you play CoD that you're not smart. But that there's a large fraction of dudebros who play it, and if it weren't for CoD they'd be watching sports or drinking at bars or whatever else it is dudebros do.

I don't get offended when someone says "Pokemon is for kids". Because it is. It's still fun. That the primary audience is children doesn't threaten me at all. And my assertion that CoD is targeted towards dudebros shouldn't threaten you either.

[Hazerd]

Worst games of all time. But not for the reasons the author mentions.

As far as im concerned CoD is the same as Madden