Call of Duty World at War
Call of Duty World at War, and its appropriateness are the most frequent questions I get for Ask GamerDad at WhatTheyPlay.com (a new one is coming, promise). The reason why is simple, this is a series with pedigree AND this is a series the kids like. The only problem is, it was definitely made for adults and adults only. Here’s why –
The game tells two little told tales in World War II gaming, that of the Americans scouring the islands held by an increasingly desperate Japanese enemy and the bitter and cruel vengeance wrought by the conquering Soviet army from the East.
But the game begins as brutally as it ends. I mean that literally as we see an American GI getting tortured and having his throat slit (by Japanese captors) and the Russian begins with a similar scene of torture, one that invites the player to shoot his prone tormenters in the head for vengeance.
This brutality extends into the game itself, blood is evident and explosions cause corpses to fly and even break apart. Legless enemies are scattered and if one isn’t so dead and grabs you, you get treated to a painful looking samurai sword or German bayonet stabbing. Fortunately both GIs and Russian grunts can quickly stab the enemy in the side of the neck with a quick button press.
The Japanese held their islands in a death grip and the story of how the Japanese soldiers (many drafted just out of College or High School – some old and infirm) fought to the last man, even sending out soldiers screaming “Banzai!” and charging your positions. The Japanese have clever ambushes and tunnels, and these are best handled with a flame thrower – which is clearly and awful way to die. In the Soviet campaign you take on the role of the suicide attacker, winning against a more advanced enemy, and wreaking brutal vengeance on Berlin itself. All this cruelty and brutality is … realistic and historically based. And that is the only redeeming feature this game offers teens.
My grandfather fought against the Japanese in WWII. I have no idea what kind of engagements he fought in but I now feel I have some perspective on how terrifying it must have been. Especially grenades. Grenades are truly horrifying. The Soviet side of the WWII has been told in games before, but not their brutal advance into Berlin. My point is that there’s some historical value and the game’s presentation of newsreel-like footage is compelling – this game will lead many who play it to study World War II. Others it will lead online to fight and refight the war against all kinds of opponents.
It’s a visceral thrillride and a terrific game. Not as strong as the excellent Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat but proof positive that WWII still packs a gaming punch.
If you let your kids see R-rated war movies, they’ve definitely seen stories more adult and mature than this. It’s an order more disturbing than a T-rated Medal of Honor title, but maybe war should be presented as that disturbing. Remember, people play wargames not because they want to be in a war – but because they want to be scared and have to challenge themselves against “death.”
Oh, in the top example I spared the Japanese because I was a US GI and I generally took the opportunity to summarily execute Nazis with cold dispassion. Once I did it out of kindness, my machine gun was surely swifter than the flamethowers my Soviet mentor wanted to use.
I’d say, depending on the kid, I’d go 14 and up on this at most. There’s no real reason to play WWII games until you start learning about the real deal in history class.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Part of me wonders if it might not be disrespectful to imagine that playing a video game in the safety of your home could give you any perspective on the experience of an actual soldier.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
In the options somewhere, you can tone down the violence. The beginning scene, and others, are edited for younger viewers. Just thought you should know…
March 4th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
1. I didn’t at all say that playing a video game in the safety of your home could give me any perspective on the experience of an actual soldier. I said playing Call of Duty WaW made ME understand my grandfather’s reticence to talk about his experiences in combat. That insight is actually pretty damn respectful.
2. Good point Brian – my bad. I began this quest by commenting on ESRB ratings so I tend to forget about parental controls. I fully expect kids to turn them off right away (kids still know more than parents about this stuff). It might be a prejudice over that 1990’s deal where a Mormon rental shop was editing out all the R rated bits in movies with nobody’s permission. Sullies the “artform” and all that. But that’s me being old and square I guess. I know they put the edits in themselves, I just:
a. Don’t think they work – they are easy to circumnavigate.
b. Even with the violence toned down I’d still say 14+ because of the subject matter. I just lost my 12-year old readers, I know, but I was serious when I wrote the word Brutal over and over again. Even toned down, this war is hell.
c. This review – all my reviews here actually – is more meant to talk about the experience of the game.
d. My main discussion point was that teens shouldn’t play it if they know nothing about WWII. I actually believe that. I doubt anyone else in the debate thinks about things like that.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I agree with the review. I learned about WW2 in history class last year and I tried to use that as an argument to play shooters like CoD because the stuff described in the class was much more gruesome than any T rated shooter (I particularly remember a bit about the French Revolution and I forget who it, was but the man the suggested everyone be beheaded and in the end was going to be put in the guillotine and tried to shoot himself but only succeed in shooting his jaw off the hinge.)
March 4th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I tried it with the content (reduced) – you can’t use this option in multiplayer, so there’s that – and the result was less bloody. You could still tell there was torture, but you’re looking away. People don’t bleed and they do burn, but with the content reduced they burn without actually burning – which is somehow creepier.
My favorite thing? They had to clumsily pixelate actual WW2 footage. Big digital blob on the part where the Japanese execute a bunch of soldiers. There’s worse on the History channel.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I agree with you 110% on this on GD. Having played all the CoD titles and being a parent myself, this is not one I would let my son play until he was probably 16. As you said, it is historically accurate, which also means it shows some pretty brutal stuff.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I’m just upset that the filters don’t even work in multiplayer. Is TreyArch that lazy? The main thing i like in the CoD games is the multiplayer.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Wampa: It’s not that they are lazy, but that it changes the game too much. Filtering changes what is rendered on your screen, so in multiplayer if one person had filtering and the other didn’t it would be almost impossible for them to stay in “sync” with the server. So what is unnoticeable or inconsequential lag (or speed up due to less rendering) in the single-player game due to filtering could mean the difference between wining and losing in a multiplayer match. And since there are all kinds of tournaments, ladders, and leagues built around the MP aspect of all the CoD games, that would not be good.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Funny, they do that in gears of war.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Er, i sound like a jerk there. I should of made it more clear that the filter worked fine in
Multiplayer for CoD4 and Gears of war, so for the next CoD game, i expected them to at least make a filter for multiplayer.
March 7th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Sounded snarky, but snarkys generally acceptable – but only if you’re right. And I think you are. The real reason is that the ESRB doesn’t demand it and for some reason the anti forces haven’t noticed this.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Although the game may be brutal, I strongly disagree with any connection between Call of Duty World at War and World War II, the game’s predecesors were more historically accurate, Call of Duty World at War has closer connections to the fictional war in Gears of War than World War II.
My personal opinion of this game is pretty low, it doesn’t take much to see that both this game and its prequel, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, are overated. The storyline seems so… forced, and so somber that it is difficult not to burst out laughing at the geeky-sounding voices in the game. I felt detached from the story the entire game, it simply is too serious even for the most brutal war movie. Multiplayer is better, but it is an exact clone of Call of Duty Modern Warfare, albiet with slightly less accurate weapons and decreased weapon range.
I do agree that the cruelty and gore experienced throughout the game makes this game a 14+ at least.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I think call of duty 5 is great for kids, because it is not violent at all. In fact, if you are thinking of letting Dm and Hm buy this game, I say go ahead!
April 19th, 2009 at 9:22 am
This is the most Kid friendly game since cookin’ mama cook off. It is packed with moments of friendship and love, and I will definitely buy it for my kids( ages 4 and 5). I played this game at a good friend of mine’s house, and I was astounded. Sometimes you hear stories about how this game is very bloody and Gorey, but those stories were written by Ubisoft, the rival of Activision and the other companies that made this game. Buy It!
July 8th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Now, does it only not filter the ONLINE multiplayer or also in the in-console and inter-console multiplayer?
August 31st, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Im 12 and i have played this before bloody very gorey (body parts flying everywhere) and lots of langugage! kids under the age of 9 shouldnt play this cause this will make them think (modern day) jappenese or germans are evil
November 6th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Hey I’m curious which game would you say is worse (as in more violent)? Left 4 Dead/ Left 4 Dead 2 or CoD WaW? I have Cod WaW but they are worried about L4D1/2. I’m 15 and I want to know what you think.
March 6th, 2010 at 4:46 am
my mom is realy annoying me she keeps saying no and i realy want it
September 17th, 2011 at 11:34 am
i soo wana get it