Fans do their Duty as game pulls in €360m in a day

CALL of Duty: Black Ops has blasted entertainment records by raking in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, a dramatic and lucrative indication that video games have cemented their place as mainstream entertainment on a par with movies, books and music.

For the hordes of devoted fans who waited to get their hands on the military shooter, this is hardly a surprise. For them, popping Call of Duty into a console is the equivalent of turning on the TV to watch the latest blockbuster movie.

But, while movies happen at you, video games allow the user to affect the story’s outcome. That hands-on experience fit the emerging social-media era where consumers demand a voice in whatever they do.

Across two years, with a budget well in the tens of millions of dollars, the developers of Black Ops created a world that immerses players in Cold War-era battles with settings ranging from 1960s Cuba to Vietnam and the Soviet Union.

Its intricate graphics and details – down to the gruesome sound a knife makes when pulled from an enemy’s neck – are amplified in players’ homes through big-screen TV sets and powerful speakers.

In one mission, which takes place with John F Kennedy in the White House before the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, players must shoot their way through Havana to assassinate a young Fidel Castro.

Cuba state-run media has levelled harsh criticism at the game, calling it “doubly perverse” by glorifying assassination and stimulating “sociopathic attitudes in North American children and adolescents”.

“What the United States couldn’t accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually,” said Cubadebate, a state-run news website.

Though game developers see their creations as art, not everyone agrees. Last week, the US Supreme Court heard arguments over a California law that seeks to ban the sale of ultra-violent video games to minors. Parents’ groups and politicians say games should be regulated like firearms and tobacco rather than like books and movies, which are protected by the First Amendment. A ruling is expected next year.

Many liken these games to movies – and it’s an apt comparison. Along with the hyper-realistic cinematic scenery and surprise plot twists, there are well-known actors – including Gary Oldman and Ed Harris – lending their voices to the main characters.

A big part of the appeal of Call of Duty is its multiplayer feature, so gamers can fight against someone anywhere in the world.