Modern Warfare 3 Producer Predicted a Sad Truth About Video Games That is Still Happening Today

For the longest time, video games have faced a kind of paradox in the world of entertainment; despite their cultural acceptance, they’re often scapegoated for the atrocities of our reality, and game developers seem to understand this more than anyone else.

For instance, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the franchise at its absolute peak, the game’s producer, Mark Rubin, essentially predicted what would happen in the future: Video Games would continue to remain the quintessential scapegoat for real-world violence.

Games Like Modern Warfare 3 Getting the Blame for Violence Is a Debate That Just Shouldn’t Exist

Unfortunately, blaming games for real-world violence has become part of a cycle, cropping up after every major tragedy. From DOOM in the 1990s, Grand Theft Auto in the 2000s, to Spec Ops: The Line and Modern Warfare 3 in the 2010s public outcry has pointed fingers at popular games as the supposed catalyst for horrific acts.

School shootings, in particular, have sparked this debate repeatedly, with the same old accusation that games have desensitized and normalized the young members of society to violence. However, the complexity of such behavior often points to deeper, systemic issues that games simply don’t create.

Back in 2011, Modern Warfare 3 was riding a wave of unprecedented success, yet even then, Rubin recognized this cycle, saying in an interview that:

“We’re not trying to make a statement, the game is not socially conscious, we’re not promoting any political direction. We’re making stories. And, you know, it’s quite simple. These are ‘guys in wars’ stories, they’re like the WWII films we’ve all watched, the space war films we’ve all watched… the human spirit wins. That’s what it is. The press does tend to point at the games industry, but well, fifty years ago it was rock-‘n-roll, before that there were book burnings. There’s always someone to point at.”

Those final words Rubin spoke then resonate now more than ever, underlining a distinction that is often ignored: the difference between a medium used for storytelling and as a way to express the very real issues that drive violence.

Plus, when you think about it, his reflection wasn’t just prophetic; it highlighted how video games are the “current thing” to serve as a convenient sidestep and a way to avoid the more challenging conversations about why such violence occurs and what’s at its core.

There Is a Distinction to Be Made Between Politics Being Blamed for Real-World Violence With Games

At the end of the day, the problem is bigger than video games, and focusing on them as a cause distracts from addressing more profound issues like mental health care, gun regulations, and social isolation.

After every tragedy, rather than examining systemic shortcomings, society often turns to familiar scapegoats—now video games—when the real answers are more complex.

This is a crucial distinction that is often overlooked. Blaming games is simple; fixing the root issues is not. Remember: people would rather build schools that are “built to withstand violence” and condemn such acts on video games than help a person heal.

What’s equally important is that video games do indeed reflect our society’s larger narratives. Games like Call of Duty do shape perspectives, crafting images of heroism, conflict, and morality that have deep cultural resonance.

While some games, like Spec Ops: The Line, critically examine the psychology of violence and war, Call of Duty leans into patriotic tropes that, intentionally or not, often reinforce specific ideologies. In this sense, games can influence society’s lens on global issues and offer simplified portrayals of complex conflicts.

But they’re hardly unique in this; many forms of media and art reflect societal values and even critique them. Just as movies, music, and books once faced accusations of corrupting the youth, video games today are scapegoated as a misguided shortcut to explaining societal violence.

Considering all that, all we can hope for, then, is that one day, we will finally begin addressing the challenging questions at the heart of these tragedies instead of finding the next scapegoat, as Rubin predicted all those years ago.

With all that said, what are your thoughts on Rubin’s words? Do you agree with him that people always find scapegoats to blame for bigger issues? Let us know in the comments below!