David Goer is a multimedia expert.
He has written screenplays for famous movies including the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, TV series such as “Da Vinci’s Demons” and “Constantine”, and video games including “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and “Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR series”.
Goyer recently took time to discuss “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,” the latest entry in the billions-sold first-person franchise from the “Foundation,” an Apple TV + series inspired by the books of the late Isaac Asimov, writer and executive producer.
Despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, game developers at Treyarch and Raven Software have chosen not to add any hint of crisis to the game, says Goer, who was a story writer and consultant for “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,” now available for PlayStation 4 devices. , PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PCs on Battle.net (rated adults for ages 17 and up).
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“People have asked me about ‘The Foundation’, will the idea of COVID be woven into the show even though this show will take place in the future,” Goer said. “For me personally, as a creator, I always find this somewhat irrelevant. I like to keep the intent of the story and concept pure, especially when you put years into something and don’t try to focus on something that’s happening historically because it may or may not be relevant yet. A year or two from now. “
The same strategy prevailed in the last Call of Duty, he says. “We didn’t adapt to anything that was happening in the current events. It was really about going back more specifically to that first game and what about that game that made the experience so enjoyable? Woods, Mason, Hudson, paranoia, operations were deniable. Weaving in real secret missions. “
Call of Duty: Black Ops legacy
“Call of Duty: Black Ops” was released in 2010 and is one of the best-selling video games of all time. Players have played the role of CIA agent Alex Mason, who appears to have been brainwashed by the Russians. Along with Sergeant Frank Woods and CIA Agent Jason Hudson, he sees the action in Cold War situations in Cuba, Russia, and Vietnam.
“The player is the hero,” said Goyer in the new game. “The player is totally the protagonist. You yourself or whatever character you have created. You interact with Woods and Mason.”
Q&A: “Call of Duty” writer David Goer
Q: So in this new game, do you have a hand in creating your character?
Goyer: That was what was interesting. The player has the ability to create his own character and imprint that character in the game either with his character traits or any traits he wants to perform. (The game) Do not assume that your character is a man (or) a woman. The gender can be non-binary. And the in-game story and gameplay, to some extent, adapt to that. This was what was really exciting.
Q: Tell us more about the introduction to “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War”.
Goyer: To some extent, it is more than a straightforward sequel to the original Black Ops game. It kind of nests within the two, and does not necessarily nullify the other. When I met Treyarch and Raven, they wanted to get back in shape. So, if you think about what makes Black Ops Black Ops, it’s the idea that everyone has their own version of the truth. There are undeniable missions and things like that.
It’s an attempt to regain that but at the same time push it in a different direction. One of the things that was most exciting to me when I first joined the Black Ops franchise was the fact that we were weaving into true history, true historical black ops operations … which gave it what James Cameron called the veneer of authenticity. We have (former president Ronald) Reagan in this and (Foreign Minister) Alexander Haig in this. Obviously it’s fiction and I can’t give away a lot of plot points, but a lot of the game is also about some real historical processes that the general public knows now only because of the declassification of things. “
Q: What idea is reality? It definitely appears in time.
Goyer: Everything old new again. Treyarch has obviously been working on this for a long time, and I’ve been working on it too. Whatever happens now just makes him more relevant. It’s funny how a lot of old foes that were once thought to be tacky got some way back to bite us in the rear. Another thing that I think is the hallmark of Black Ops games is paranoia. You just look at where we are in the world right now, and everyone is paranoid about it all. Everyone is debating what is the truth and what is the reality – it is taking place today.
Q: I have played two previous Black Ops games. What does the comeback look like?
Goyer: it is fun. By the time I played the second game, I had learned a lot. You can’t necessarily communicate information in a video game the same way you can in the movie or on TV, especially if you work with branching narratives. This is a completely different ball of wax. It gave me a boost when I was doing a Star Wars VR project after working on video games. Having completed my Star Wars VR project in the meantime and then back into video games, I had a better understanding of what was and what wasn’t possible. Various delivery methods. Better understand what this means when you as a gamer or VR user are part of the story or drive the story.
Q: What do you say about the media and the power of video games now?
Goyer: Media has changed since the advent of the printing press. It’s always changing and always evolving, the way we consume the story. There was radio, then movie, then TV, then there were computers, then there were video games, and now there is VR, and now there is streaming where you can watch things on demand. The epidemic has clearly hastened this change, shifting the balance to video games and live broadcasts. Even the concept of what’s popular has changed. You can have a great video game or streaming show and do it from the comfort of your home, no matter how terrifying the outside world is. Stories are constantly evolving, and it is dangerous to say that stories must always be consumed in one way. Fifty years from now, stories will be consumed differently than we do now. Those who stick to the past somewhat may find themselves left behind.
Thinking about what I have been experiencing during COVID. I’ve been playing a lot of video games with my kids and I’ve been watching a lot of broadcasts, and they get me excited. It is a good idea to escape to these stories.
What do you think of “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War”? Share your game review with USA TODAY correspondent Mike Snyder on Twitter: Embed a Tweet.
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