Every mainlineCall of Dutygame so far has received an ‘M’ rating in the US, and it appears thatCall of Duty: Vanguardis no different. The game has received an M rating for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of its reported blood, gore, intense violence, strong language, use of drugs, and suggestive themes.
While some violent aspects, depictions, and themes come with theCall of Dutylabel–or the simple act of creating a game meant to plunge the player into a recreation of modern warfare–others are more specific.Call of Duty: Vanguard’s portrayal of zombies, for example, has been spotlighted by the ESRB for its depictions of decapitations and dismemberment, which may be a different kind of violence from the usual gunshots.
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However, the Zombies mode isn’t the only reasonCall of Duty: Vanguardis getting an M rating. Despite the visibility and audio problems that arose in thefirstCall of Duty: Vanguardopen beta weekend, the game still depicts soldiers dying to a variety of bullets, grenades, explosives, fire, and more. Specific cutscenes may also show the consequences of an airstrike, the execution of restrained prisoners, or a close-up of a soldier being stabbed in the throat, all of which are apparently considered more intense violence than the usualCall of Dutygameplay.
Also worth noting are the realistic battlefield sound effects, which include frequent gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain, as well as blood splatter. This may be nothing out of the ordinary forCall of Dutyplayers, but that may well be why all previous mainlineCall of Dutytitles as of writing have also gotten M ratings. Reportedly,Call of Duty2022 will be about fighting Colombian drug cartels, which may net it an M rating as well–especially considering that portrayals of marijuana-related items inCall of Duty: Vanguardwere also used as evidence by the ESRB’s rating summary.
The final reasoning provided for the game’s M rating is the presence of strong language. Strong language has been present in multipleCall of Dutygames set across different time periods, presumably to add to the feel of realism. Real-life soldiers are notoriously prone to swearing and cursing, so it may follow that video game soldiers should pick up similar speech patterns. Regardless, the result appears to be a title gamers may not wish to play around minors, especially minors who might parrot words without understanding them.
Call of Duty: Vanguardlaunches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
