Is Call of Duty's release ill-timed?

I am glad that someone is saying this. It is a horrible and callus way to sell a game. They could have released it 1 week earlier or later. It would not have effected their sales and would have shown some respect to our brave men and women.

Of course people like you who dont play these games might have issues.
I have played ALL the COD games and find them very true in what combat men have experienced in warfare. Of course you dont mention the persoanal sacrifice or the comradeship that is highlighted in these games. The larger concept of GOOD vs EVIL and that sometimes the ends DO justify the means.

You want to know what it's like being a soldier, and what they go though, than this game will show it too you in spades.

@Steve. I do play games, as it happens.

Where's the personal sacrifice in sitting on the couch staring at a flat screen TV?

Perhaps these games do provide a clear experience of what it's like being a soldier, and what they and their families go through. Only without the pain, the widows, the orphaned children, the crippled veterans, the psychological damage, the difficulty of re-integrating into society, and the long-term social fallout.

I'm not so sure. All too often these days I think the media plays a big part in raising people's attention to things that would otherwise go unnoticed. Had I not read this article I would never even have connected the two events. I bought the game yesterday, I and my family paid our respects today. Whose to say releasing the game one week earlier or later is any better? Soliders are dying every day. Perhaps we shouldn't release the game at all? We could talk about the ethics of game publishing, but I think you would have to compare them to the publishing ethics of all other types of media - I think you'll find them just as guilty.

"I have played ALL the COD games and find them very true in what combat men have experienced in warfare."

Give me a break! Thats the biggest crock of crap I have ever heard. Have you even read any soldier's personal accounts of what its really like in Afghanistan or Iraq? Have you ever lost a friend or loved one? A video game is nothing like real combat. For one, your sitting on your ass instead of lugging 100 pounds of equipment through a desert for 2 days. Then fighting. Good luck with your uber aim when you have 2 days a fatigue to cope with.

This video game is just a glorified shoot em up. Same crap, different graphics. Its all been done in the past. Everyone just gobbles up the hype.

I am going to blow you tools up. Go Ultranationist Group!!!!!!

If the author is gonna whine about his 5 yr old playing or being involved with any type of game like this, then he has the problem....I would have problems with a 15 yr old playing this game, but I am guessing the author threw in the 5 yr old to make everyone feel sad. Your son better not be near this game, if he is, then don't ever write an article about parenting..And yes it is not great timing, BUT all new vid game releases do come out on Tuesdays, and the vid game company wants to put this game out as soon as they can, the 2 million plus people online playing it on tuesday proved that...This is nothing like real war at all, but we are all adults, and hopefully know what our soldiers of the past did to grant us our freedom, BUT once again this is a video game, and realistically the kids who play it, probably sit thru rememberance day assemblies in a fog anyways....So please don't whine about something you have obviously never picked up

@Stocker. - here's you, right here. There's my point, way over there. Whoosh. I still don't understand why you people think I don't have gaming experience. I bet I could whup your ass in Half Life 2 any day. And I play a mean game of Risk.

@Dudley - true, there's a strong militarisation aspect in the film industry too, but at least they released stuff like Jarhead, which takes a more thoughtful approach. Thanks for a considered response.

@Mohumand - get out much?

As a former infantry soldier, I thought I would just point out that a videogame is nowhere even close to what "combat men have experienced in warfare". Anyone who says that is just plain ignorant. Furthermore, what personal sacrifice is there in a videogame? Comradeship? You don't rely on your xbox live friends to carry your load for you because you are sick or injured, to ensure that your weapon is clean because you are procuring food or resources, to share their limited food with you because you haven't been resupplied. To say that a videogame of this sort could possibly highlight the intracies of "good versus evil" is also laughable.

That said, if it remains a videogame and people don't give it the magical qualities outlined by Steve, I see nothing wrong with people enjoying playing it. I love playing video games - realistic first-person shooters included. I think many people have a fascination with war, and for some, a videogame is as close as they want to get to it. Others enlist and experience those things described above. I have no problem with someone providing a product that makes people happy and, for the most part, causes no harm.

Its just a game so if people do not like it they should just keep it to them selves. And you would not let a 5 year old play it you should be more worried about the effect it has on teens.
And i do not need to be a soldier to know has horrible war can be i read alot about it and seen real pictures of people who have suffered because of it. Some people i know and hate some people that would laugh at a man being shot or burning alive and nuclear explosions i play lots of video games playing a first person shooter dose not make me join up any faster [not that i would want to in first place].

Why would your five year old being playing COD 6? It's rated M, language, and obviously, violence.

These video games may not be the exact same thing as real war but, they do set an influence. In ways like how you die very quickly. In the game, you actually die and play another character. I know it's not the same as a real war, obviously, you'll be gone for good.

The reason why the gaming companies put it out on that day is because Rememberance day is about remembering the war in Flander's field. By putting it out on that day, little kids who love these games, get to think they're "avenging" all of the soldiers who fought. It's basic buisness, every company has done something dirty like this, why start freaking out about it now?

WHAAAA!!! I'm a soldier and I have NO issues with games or their release dates. The release date for MW2 was the 10th of November, NOT November 11th. Take a look around on the 12th of November, the parades are over, the vets go back to their home and to most are forgotten as you go about your daily lives for the rest of the year. Prove me wrong, buy a Support The Troops magnet, or wear red on Fridays. You may not agree with where the leaders of the world take the military, but the least you can do is support us and our jobs. Which in the end is providing you with a safe place to post online about how horrible video games are and how it corrupts society, I suggest you focus your attention on other things.

@MM - Bravo. Thank you for finally saying it like it is.

My husband is a soldier who has done 1 tour to Bosnia, and 3 tours to Afghanistan, along with countless DART ops and he was one of those going to the store to get this game when it first came out. He loves these games and finds them a great escape from the real guns and glory he deals with as part of his job.

Myself not being a gamer (I just found wii active and realized I like it though so that might change) don't understand the fascination with games especially these kinds.

@ Steve, you say " You want to know what it's like being a soldier, and what they go though, than this game will show it too you in spades."

Well Stevo I'm gonna have to call bullshit on that one because out of all my friends that I have lost overseas, not a one of them has been able to crawl to a corner and magically heal not one of them has been able to grow new legs or arms, and many of them have wounds you can't see..... before you say things are realistic maybe you should strap on a real flack jacket and grab a C-9 and head overseas and tell me how realistic it is.

These games do not show what its like to be a soldier, all they do is serve to make the military look fun and comedic which is something that it truely is not.

PRO PATRIA

Obviously they released the game today to honor Rememberance Day/Veterans Day. It's nice to see that the gaming industry cares about our veterans.

Listen folks,

I am a vetern of afghanistan and also an xbox owner. All though some of you may be offended I can almost gaurantee to you that the youngs soldiers of todays army did not take the release as a insult to rememberance day.If you dont support the game or its release date then why buy it?
Freekee, I am the same as your husband. I was just on a two week deployment out west to train and I made sure my wife had went out to prepurchase a copy. I also agree that its obviously not realistic as compared to real war but some people are nieve enough to believe it is. Soldier on.
Anyways. thanks to infinity ward for another great game.

I probably qualify as one of the young soldiers(2 tours in afghan) that he was talking about and he is true. I was not insulted at all, it's a VIDEOGAME. I was in line around 23:00 on monday night so i could play the game on thuesday. And I don't want to be disrespectful but if you don't want you're 5 yrs old kid to play or be around this game just don't buy it and it might be a reason why it is rated as MATURE.
Finally i must say I tottaly agree with Unknownsoldier's point of view.

I think it is a brilaint idea on behalf of activision marketing wise to realease it on the 10th. The original modern warfare was realeased on nov 11 a few years ago. I believe activision has done nothing wrong releasing it on the 10th. what is sad is how the media, mostly main stream television is manipulating peoples thoughts on the war. I hope most people realize that there is being a war faught right now under false pretenses...come on people its just a game, cry about the war that is killing inocent people in "the name of god" and "oil"....

this is stupid if people paid attention every C O D (call of duty) game that has been released has come out the day before remembrance day at least to the best of my knowledge and now all of a sudden you giving words on how wrong it is . as MM said it came out on the tenth get over it

Really? Does it really matter what day they released it on? People don't care for rememberance day. How many stop on the street to auctually have a moment of silence? not alot. How many kids are auctually intrested in event's of our past? not many, they find this an accuse to miss class, and sleep during the remeberance day celebration. I don't know why you find releasing the game before remeberance day was to bad. Yes, i pay my respects to soldiers past and present, but really were in a new age. All activision wanted was their billions of dollars from this game, so they don't give two cents about when they released it.

Last year call of duty came was released on November 11 2008 nobody complain last year and it was made up of actually battles that took place in WW2.

Hey it's just a game. Game isn' t reality if you didn't already realize. Games are meant to be fun. The definition of fun can vary from person to person. Part of the freedom veterans have giving you is lived dailly. Please do!
War isn't fun. No one lined up at the recruitment officeat midnight for the opening of The Persian Gulf War. Or the 2003 version. Or any continuation of present war.
I'd say 2% of society actually really took a moment in solidarity and sincerity AND personally thanked a veteran. The rest of the people just went carried on without pause. Going to big box stores and oiling the machineries of capitalism with their money using the excuse that they are too busy to take a whole day given to them for rememberance of veterans and the armed forces. Sadly there were very few poppies worn in my city.
People are so disconnected from the global conscienceness with their own petty realities now-a-days.

Enjoy Call of Duty, it's a fun game.

you should have wrote this last year... when call of duty world at war was released in Canada on NOVEMBER 11. But most companies held it back til the 12th

ummm...ameri8can game..veterans day and rememberance day(Canada).not same date..so release date by an American game has no sympathy for other countries days of rememberence????

Danny Bradbury, MSN Tech and Gadgets
Great blog. "Is Call of Duty's release ill-timed?"
You asked the question, and people responded. I'm always amazed at how people become so offended and sometimes even illogical over inteligent debate.

To be honest, the date never even stood out to me, I figured it was a coincidence.
interesting way to look at it. I also have 3 sons, 1 is 5 years so I can understand your bringing it up.
I have played all the COD games, and also bought COD6. Sometimes my son climbs up onto the computer desk and watches me play for a few seconds before I notice and have a chance to hide behind a building and then ask him to leave.
Sometimes I even question myself.. I find these games so damn fun, yet it erks me to have my child see me playing even, sort of like im embarassed about playing that kind of game. I guess thats instinct? Is it a sin to kill pixels? haha... maybe, but its fun. Just dont let the kids see you!

Thanks for the brain juice Danny!