LOS ANGELES (AP) – At the beginning of “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” the recently released installment in Activision’s blockbuster military shooter franchise, the player is dumped from the sky in a drop pod onto an urban battlefield, smashing into skyscrapers and landing in a futuristic, war-torn rendition of a city that’s rarely depicted in video games: Seoul, South Korea.
It’s a “Wizard of Oz” moment for the “Call of Duty” series.
The interactive medium has long built digital playgrounds based on real-world locales. However, recent technological leaps, as well as an endless string of games set in ubiquitous locations like New York and Los Angeles, have motivated developers of some of the year’s biggest and most anticipated games to boldly go where they haven’t before.
“I think designers are on the lookout for compelling places you want to be,” said “Advanced Warfare” senior level designer Colin Munson. “It’s fantasy fulfillment. That’s probably why we always see New York and Los Angeles. We made it a concerted effort at the beginning of development to broaden our levels. Seoul was one of the first that came to mind.”
Munson found that the city’s sprawling shopping district seamlessly served as a shooting gallery, and Seoul’s wide streets – normally a no-no in first-person shooter level design – made for the perfect spot to unleash a swarm of enemy drones 50 years in the future. (Ironically, video games are a national pastime in South Korea, but few ever take place there.)