“Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Oscar Bernardino
From the very early days of video gaming, many of the most popular titles have enjoyed a number of high profile crossovers. Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Donkey Kong are frequently referenced in some of our favorite TV programs while others have taken their notoriety much further.
The 1993 Super Mario movie was, perhaps, the biggest example of gaming moving across to other forms of popular culture. In contrast, our most popular eSports of the present day have been slower in terms of attracting a wider audience but there are exceptions to that rule.
Hearing the Call
Call of Duty is, with the possible exception of Fortnite, the one major title to have enjoyed promotion from other areas. Like some of the earlier releases that we’ve mentioned above, CoD has been referenced in some famous cartoons and it’s clear that some of the writers of our most popular shows must be fans of the title.
Elsewhere, Call of Duty has also cropped up in some of the more unusual places.
Keeping it in the Family
It may be fair to assume that the writers of Family Guy must be avid players of Call of Duty because the game has been referenced on more than one occasion. Two very high profile characters within the show have been involved with Peter Griffin leading the way and playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 in the April in Quahog Episode.
The head of the family was, however, upstaged when Jesus took to the console to play Call of Duty 4. It’s an impressive line up of players who have taken CoD into the online realms.
Take a Spin
The term ‘popular culture’ can refer to a number of different mediums and, on occasions, video games are honored in some unusual ways. Call of Duty follows that trend and this is one of only a few Esport titles that can be found in online slot form.
Within the Call of Duty slot, many of the symbols used are directly related to the theme of the original game. In the bonus round, the quest is to take out enemy soldiers with a view to claiming some free spins or, potentially, some cash wins. Details behind the mechanics of free slot games can be found at vegasslotsonline.
Vegasslotsonline is a portal covering many hundreds of slot releases. Knowing how each title works is vital and the reviews here should be studied before parting with real stakes. Within those pages, there are other slots that continue with the eSports theme.
On the Cards
Many will already be aware of a popular card game based on Call of Duty. The real-time card game has a loyal following on the back of its development by the well-known producers at Upper Deck.
Also coming under the loose ‘merchandise’ category is a series of action figures and a number of outlets have been producing these since 2004. The first to move was Activision who focused on soldiers from the second world war era. Four years later, McFarlane Toys produced a more diverse range and it’s proved to be popular among the CoD community.
The Big Screen
Call of Duty has also made it onto film with a couple of notable fan releases kicking things off. Find Makarov was the original while the sequel – Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish was a more famous follow-up that made its debut at Call of Duty XP.
There have been plans in place for a much bigger production featuring some truly big-name stars including Tom Hardy and Chris Pine amongst others. The original concept for the box office blockbuster movie was conceived in 2015 but delays have come along for various reasons and the latest information from the production studio Activision Blizzard suggests the film is no longer a priority.
That’s a frustrating piece of news but for anyone looking to fill a void when they’re not actually at the screen playing Call of Duty, there are plenty of alternative options. The classic video games of the 1980s and 1990s have found it easier to cross over into films and other genres but modern eSports have a tougher route. That’s not been the case with CoD and that factor simply underlines its standing as one of the best games around.
