Call of Duty WW2 May Serve a Bridge between Gamers and History
Sledgehammer Games realized they had a massive undertaking when they took the reigns on Call of Duty WW2. Because of that, they went through years of research to make the game as authentic as possible. Thus, we may be looking at the most realistic and historically accurate COD title yet.
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In order to obtain their data, Sledgehammer spoke to historian Martin Morgan. He’s written two books on World War II, interviewing veterans–thousands–to gain a true understanding of the conflict. Morgan himself regularly leads tours through continental Europe. Taking all this into consideration, it’s interesting when he says Call of Duty may be a blessing for the subject of History.
Speaking in an article within EDGE’s July Issue (#307), Morgan said that Call of Duty WW2 may provide a bridge between gamers and history, roughly put:
“The living memory of this conflict is receding very quickly. Just this past week, three veterans that I’ve interviewed have died, and that happens every week.
“There are going to be more and more people who, through no fault of their own, are just not familiar with the subject. Now we’re bringing the subject matter to a very large audience of people who have no living memory of the war. They can’t remember an elderly grandfather who fought in it. There’s no context aside from what they might learn about it and public education in the US just sort of abdicates responsibility for the subject.
“I’ve written two books; nobody read them. We’re living in a world where people read less and less. What’s going to replace it? Projects like this [Call of Duty: WWII], that have strong emotional themes, and also strong educational themes.
“I have this looming sense that this [Call of Duty: WWII] is going to be big. It may be the biggest thing that has ever happened for this subject. I’m not saying that because I’ve become a Sledgehammer Games zombie who just spouts off propaganda. I say it because one thing we already definitely know is that this is going to be big. Band of Brothers was released in 2001; Saving Private Ryan was released 20 years ago. There was no social media universe back then, and now there is.”
A fresh perspective. While many gamers are focused on multiplayer changes and the difference in game mechanics, it’s strange to think that someone as esteemed as Morgan is banking on the game’s benefit to history. Even though it seems like a hefty expectation, it may actually be reachable. Ever since Activision and Sledgehammer revealed they were going back to ‘boots on the ground,’ previous negativity toward the franchise has seemingly calmed across social media.
If you would like to know more about Morgan’s work, know that his books, Down To Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy (2004) and The Americans on D-Day: A Photographic History of the Normandy Invasion (2014) are available on Amazon.
On top of giving an actual historical account, devs have since declared that they are staying true to depictions of women and racism in WW2. In other words, we may receive an in-depth look into the era. Not to say we shouldn’t expect a fun, riveting game. A whole package is what it looks like.
Call of Duty WW2 will arrive worldwide on November 3rd for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Rumors point to a Nintendo Switch release as well, so we’ll have that news for you when it’s officially confirmed or denied. Simply stay tuned with COGconnected.
Happy gaming.