One ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare’s multiplayer skins and its description were changed in an update following controversy over them.
The skin belonged to operator Wayne “D-Day” Davis, available to play as in bothCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandCall of Duty: Warzone. One of the character’s skins was called “Border War,” which was a reference to policy regarding the U.S.-Mexico border.
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When equipped with the skin, D-Day appeared as a parodied Border Patrol agent, wearing the outfit and armor, as well as a cowboy hat. Further, the skin previously had the questionable description, “Show them the errors of their ways and make them pay.”
The operator skin and its description are somewhat ill-considered, given the controversy surrounding the U.S. border policy. Although it has been available for a while, the Border War skin’s recent removal seems appropriate.
This removal comes a couple of weeks afterInfinity Ward got rid of the “okay” gesture, a hate symbol among white nationalists, inCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandWarzone. Infinity Ward likely pictured that D-Day’s Border War skin incited similar feelings for players ofModern WarfareandWarzone.
Infinity Ward’s actions here indicate that the gaming industry is still engaged in battling and eliminating toxicity and inflammatory content from its platforms. The Border War skin could be seen as a multiplayer option supportive of America’s police institutions, which have been widely criticized following the killing ofGeorge Floydin Minneapolis, Minnesota by a police officer.
Along with Infinity Ward, several other companies in the gaming industry have acted to remove instances of inflammatory content in their games. For example,police cars were removed fromFortniteamid the Black Lives Matters protests and Twitch removed the police emote from its platform.
AlthoughInfinity Ward’s actions appear minor, hopefully, they inspire other developers to make similar changes as issues come up regarding inflammatory content in games. A continued unity in the gaming industry pertaining to racial injustice is important for spreading awareness of the issue.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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