Video games like Call of Duty can blur boundaries by bringing elements of popular culture into what was previously considered high art. The first person perspective also blurs lines between audience and game. Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality is demonstrated in Call of Duty, as players take on the role of a soldier and complete missions to feel like a hero in a simulated reality. Games allow players to immerse themselves in a postmodern simulacrum and live unconventionally through their avatar. Call of Duty looks back nostalgically on past Cold War events, though it depicts American success more strongly than real history. Players can incorporate real historical missions like the Bay of Pigs invasion into the fictional game world.

2. Blurring of Boundaries
Video games in a violent and sexual context can be
viewed as postmodern, because of their status as
‘popular culture’ as opposed to high art. Andreas
Huyssens the cultural theorist has called this distinction
‘the relentless hostility towards mass culture.’
Another way the boundaries are blurred in video games
is shown through the lack of distinction between the
audience; and the game in first person; perspective
gaming, such as ‘Call of Duty 4’. (Activision 2007)

3. Baudrillard
 Baudrillard’s theory hyper-reality in used in Call of Duty 3 where
the game is set in the cold war – the game is controlled by the
end user which means you are the soldier and have to complete
the challenges in order to go up every level. The game is in first
person which means it immerses the gamer even more as you
feel like you are actually in that reality and actually shooting
people. Even though the game gives you an avatar but the end
user is in control which means you are in control as the game is
meant to be you. The whole purpose of the game is to make the
end user feel like a hero when he defeats the enemies and form a
team to get everyone safe and this relates to Baudrillard’s hyper-
reality as he claims that ;the distinction between reality and its
representation, have collapsed. We now live in a reality defined
by images and representations.

4. Baudrillard continue...
 People can argue that all video games are postmodern
to a certain extent as they intend to create a state of
hyper-reality for the player to fully immerse
themselves into. For example in ‘Call of Duty 3’. The
players can become someone different from
themselves and exist within Baudrillard’s theory of a
simulacrum of the game. They can have a house,
commit crimes and generally live in a way that is
unconventional or different to their actual life.

5. Nostalgia
 The game ‘Call of Duty’ looks back on the past because
it is based around events in the cold war which looks
back at the war and look through the success. As they
make America seem superior in this war, when
although they did win but weren't successful in every
mission they’ve had.

6. Intertextuality
 The game allows the players to complete the missions
where in which one of the mission is called ‘operation
40’ where the end user have to undertake a daring
assassination attempt during the Bay of Pigs invasion.
If you were wondering what ‘operation 40’ is, it is
basically a real event which happened during the
actual cold war and was unsuccessful because of the
invasion military of Cuba however, in this game it is
successful which allows the end user to incorporate
real life events within the fictional world.