I'm not going to lie to all of you and say that I don't have an obsession with Call of Duty's "Nazi Zombie" game-mode. It's very addicting, and nothing is better than killing zombies online with angry 12 year old stereotypes. (Just FYI, not everyone with a high voice on Nazi Zombies is a 12 year old boy. It seems that girls also like to play, and both groups get offended when mistaken for each other...)
At any rate, I feel the need to legitimize my fascination with such a repetitive and ultimately unbeatable game. It's a stretch, like many of these posts, but Nazi Zombies helps us deal with a basic truth: we are all going to die. Inevitably.
To give a quick summary of the game, Nazi Zombies is about surviving waves of progressively stronger undead soldiers. There is an infinite number of zombies, which means that you WILL die eventually. You might get to round 5, or you might survive to round 40; you're still not going to live forever.
Most players don't even consider the possibility of dying on, for example, round 3. However, the more you advance in the game, the likelier it is that you will get your face chewed off by one of the living dead. It seems to me that life is a bit like that; in other words, the longer we have been alive, the more aware of death we become. It's certainly the case that young people are usually under the impression that they will live forever.
Well, I'm sure you are waiting for an obligatory clip that isn't fail. This shows a pretty badass player getting to level 45. You'll notice, of course, that he still dies in the end...
Also, disregard this clip! Freaking cheaters....
To recycle some people from my last post, Heidegger talks about the realization of death and its effects on humans (Dasein, if you care enough to click the link) in his writings. The subject also comes up in literary masterpieces like The Death of Ivan Ilyich, written by Leo Tolstoy, and a myriad of other works. The realization of death isn't necessarily a bad thing, although it is unpleasant; it can make our lives richer, and prepare us for the challenges we face in killing zombies and leaving a reputation for pwnage. Or deep personal fulfillment. One of those things.
I love this game!Great incite on the idea of the "longer we suck air the more aware of our demise".
ReplyDeleteThanks. I appreciate your insight.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post! I have a couple of friends who really enjoy playing this and I've never really understood why. Although I doubt they've thought of it this way, I really like your take on it, that maybe we play these games to try and cheat death. I'll have to share it with them!
ReplyDeleteFigures that guy would die on a Hellhound level.
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't think you'd be able to pull this article off, Jon. Good job.
Thanks Connor, writing about Nazi Zombies was one of my highest goals for this blog.
ReplyDeleteI certainly understand the draw of Nazi Zombies...they're one of the only reasons I'll play COD. One of my friends even talked about starting a Nazi Zombie club, but I don't think he ever got around to it.
ReplyDeleteKind of a stretch, but I'll go with it. I've never played COD, but I'm sure my boyfriend is obsessed with it. I just don't see the point in playing a game mode where you HAVE to die in the end. For me, gaming is a way to escape life, which encapsulates the whole mortality thing. I really liked the post, it was very entertaining.
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