Ahmad Fabinyi

Call of Duty is a goliath in the world of mainstream gaming. Its annual release schedule, while regularly criticized, has allowed it to retain relevance over an extended period, and its Warzone free-to-play mode has transformed the franchise into a quasi-live-service entity, drawing in countless players every month. Naturally, this means that Call of Duty is often in the spotlight , with no shortage of attention being drawn to any potential controversies or questionable decisi

Although Call of Duty 's newest update has been a hit with many fans, Modern Warfare 3 Zombies fans haven't been so enthusiastic . Despite Season 2 having a zombie theme, it added no content to Zombies at launch, although it does plan to add some with a mid-season upd

Global Offensive brings in fresh versions of well-known maps, weapons and FPS game Maps-modes that older players will certainly remember. Bundled with 17 maps total (including 9 classics), there's plenty of room for nostalgia when exploring a now exceedingly-detailed de_dust or admiring the new cracked window physics in cs_office. While fan-favorites like cs_militia and cs_assault are curiously absent (impending DLC, anyone?), Valve has done a tremendous job in regards to updating the maps - while retaining the vibrancy and atmosphere that helped them stand out. The new bomb defusal and hostage rescue maps are nicely designed and feature a lot of tactically-heavy areas, despite their comparatively short s

The recent explosion of generative AI technology over the past few years has caused plenty of concern among creatives in virtually every industry. While companies like Nintendo have made statements about AI that suggest a bearish or conservative approach, other companies have been either silent or outwardly enthusiastic about the technology's potential. Certainly, generative AI is impressive tech, but it stands to benefit large corporations rather than the interests of individuals. Indeed, artificial intelligence, as it is coming to be known, might help companies save money at the cost of real people and creativ

This is precisely what is happening now, as a recent report from Wired alleges that Call of Duty parent company Activision has been making a thinly veiled push toward artificial intelligence in its flagship franchise. The exposé contains testimonies from various AAA developers, while quoting internal emails from Activision promoting the use of AI in its games. AI, specifically generative AI that utilizes GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 architecture, seems poised to threaten the work of countless skilled workers across the gaming space, as writers, artists, and programmers are now faced with the real possibility of losing their jobs in an industry that has long been growing hostile toward workers rights. These concerns are embodied by the allegation that a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cosmetic was made, at least in part, with generative

The best of these sections takes place during the mission, "Betting Against The House", in which players are tasked with searching the airport for Riley. After finding him, however, players must escape in a helicopter piloted by Riley. Throughout the escape, players must mow down various enemies as the iconic "Ride Of The Valkyries" plays, resulting in a dramatic seque

The bots of CS:GO seem to have lost the edge of the Source bots, consistently getting clogged in hallways and generally providing less of a fight on higher difficulties than their predecessors. However, Go has the handy feature of allowing players who have been killed to control a bot, which makes gameplay go by much faster and prevents people from getting bored waiting for a new round. It's a fantastic addition to the game, and tremendously improves both online and offline play in regards to bot-populated serv

For all the criticism it receives, Call of Duty is an undeniably huge franchise, arguably the most significant and popular franchise in the gaming market. There's a real fear that if Call of Duty can 'get away' with selling an AI-generated skin, then any franchise, big or small, can do the same. A world where art of any kind is being increasingly developed with generative AI, which is trained on the work of real, human artists, is a worrying prospect, both for those that make art and those that consume it. This is why the Call of Duty AI reports are concerning: it could set a bad precedent, and it's indicative of the ever-encroaching threat of technology replacing human work, making less compelling art in the proc

It's clear that the games industry will have to contend with AI generation moving forward: recent releases like Foamstars are confirmed to use some AI art , and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike is a direct response to the burgeoning implementation of generative AI in gaming. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone tuned into the worlds of gaming or tech news, but this instance of Call of Duty possibly incorporating generative AI puts a fine point on the is