Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p.

1
Observation One
Friday, September 5, 2014
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

Note: This observation took place over the full 15 minutes of the Contingency mission.

Background Information: The observations that I took happened in Petropavlovsk, Russia. The
objective of this mission is to infiltrate the Rybachiy naval base.

Figured World: A certain social space with their own rules pertaining to that one space

My figured world is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. You follow two characters named Roach
and Ramirez as you try to stop a corrupt US General set on getting revenge while also fighting
against the Russian army who is being used by a terrorist named Makarov. The game takes place
in major places such as Afghanistan, Russia, USA, and South America. The story follows
guidelines used by our army today. Certain protocols and rules are expected to be followed by all
soldiers. Theres a chain of command and you follow all orders given to you. You set out on
missions in either 4 man teams or a full on assault. While doing more covert missions you tend
to be stealthier. Keeping noise to a minimum and staying out of sight is key. On the other hand
missions that take place in a full on assault require more shouting to get through all the
explosions on the battlefield. In this particular mission Task Force 141 was infiltrating an enemy
naval base. Due to these circumstance being extremely quiet and stealthy was the appropriate
behavior here. The group had to keep noise to a minimum and they had to move carefully and
quietly so they would not be seen or heard. Later on in the mission the task force was discovered
and resorted to force to complete their objective. This called for them to be completely opposite
of how they were a few minutes prior. There was more shouting to get orders to other soldiers
across the field.

Actors: People who fill certain roles in a figured world

Cpt. John Price: Price fills the role of Captain of Task Force 141. There isnt any time
for games when he is around. When he has a mission he gets it done without fail. Even
though he follows all orders given to him, if there is a time where he thinks its wrong he
will do things his way.
John Soap MacTavish: Soaps role is second-in-command of Task Force 141.
Whenever Price isnt relaying orders he is the one giving them. Soap is a lot like Price in
many ways, but also different. He isnt as serious and is seen cracking the occasional joke
here and there. When things get serious though, so does he.


Artifacts: An object that is relevant to the culture of a figured world

AGM: This was available to Task Force 141 near the end of the mission. AGM stands
for Air-To-Ground Missile. It was a crucial element to the success of the mission. The
missile strikes were able to clear heavy resistance that was blocking the way to the
objective.
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
Nuclear Warhead: Ending the mission was the launch of a nuclear missile. It detonated
over the United States which was currently under attack from the Russian army. Upon
being detonated an EMP was sent out that disabled all electronics. This caused many
casualties on the Russians side. The EMP was a key factor in the US Army pushing back
the Russians.

Communities of Practice: People with the same views and interests in a community.
Task Force 141: Price, Soap, Ghost, and Roach. These four men started out with one
single goal. They wanted to bring down Makarov and end the war that he started. After
witnessing Shepherds betrayal that all changed. Their focus shifted on avenging their
fallen comrades, saving their own lives from Shepherds forces, and bringing an end
corrupt man at all costs.
Ultranationalists: Makarov. Makarov is continuing the communistic ideals passed down
from his old mentor Zakhaev. He wants all countries to kneel to Russia and will stop at
nothing to achieve his goals. Makarov went as far as firing on his own people in a
Russian airport to frame America. With this incident he was able to receive support from
Russia and their army to invade America to further his own plans.
Russia: Russian Army. All of Russia has fell into Makarovs hands. He tricked them into
thinking the US went in and massacred all of the people in the airport. Nonetheless as
soon as word got out all of Russia cried for war. They didnt hesitate at the chance to
invade America.
Shadow Company: Shepherd. Their only goal is to make them look like the heroes. To
do this they will take down anyone in their way even if they were allies. Shepherd was
the one in charge of Task Force 141. He had them do all types of things to further his
own goals. When they werent needed anymore he killed them.
The US Army: The Army. Their goal is to put an end to the war. They had got put into a
corner and all seemed lost, but the EMP was their ray of light. With that small chance
they were able to push back the Russian army.

Domain: A domain is what the community as a whole is striving towards. I t shows how the
community works and grows together.

The War: The obvious domain is the war. Many people contribute to it like the US Army and
Task Force 141. All of them are coming together as one trying to put an end to the war. On the
other side is the Russian army. All of Russia is uniting to take down America and avenge all of
the lives that were lost at the airport.

Practices of the Community: Ways that people communicate and share ideas to help each
other fulfill their goals.

Completing Missions: One of these practices is going on and completing missions.
Everyone realizes that by doing this they further complete their goal of winning the war
against the Russians.

Literacy Practices: A type of practice that deals with written, verbal, and nonverbal aspects of
a community.
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1

Commands: The most common literacy practice throughout the mission is commands.
These are mostly said by Price, but they are given to everyone. This is a very common
social norm amongst soldiers to receive commands from their superiors.

Observation One:

3:00mins: The mission starts off with Price and Roach meeting in the woods somewhere in
Russia. They start to advance to down the path to their current objective. When they come to the
road theyre stopped by a Russian convoy. They let the pass then proceed to take out the
remaining guards at the front of a bridge. Once the pair cross the bridge they are met with an
enemy BTR (a small tank) and have to escape into the nearby woods.

6:00mins: After the run in with the BTR the Russians are now looking for the pair. As they
move through the woods they pass multiple groups of soldiers looking for them. At two points
Roach is instructed to take out guards. After that they come to a clearing with a large group of
guards patrolling up a hill. The two chose to let them pass and silently moved up the hill behind
them.

9:00mins: The pair has moved past the patrol and has now reached a ridge overlooking a small
town. Price calls in for air support from an AGM. Once told Roach calls in the AGM, but I
quickly shot down by a SAM turret. The pair then moves down the ridge to meet up with other
soldiers after the SAMs have been dealt with. Task Force 141 has now been found by the
Russians and a firefight ensues. The group quickly finishes and moves closer to the naval base.
Once again Roach is instructed to use the AGM to lighten some of the enemys defenses.

12:00mins: By this point there is a full fight between the Task Force and the Russians. The
group is slowly advancing towards the Russian submarine. The group is then stopped by an
enemy helicopter. Roach is then instructed to use the AGM multiple after this to lighten the load.
The group then reaches a vantage point to watch over Price as he enters the sub.

15:00mins: Now Task Force 141 is defending the sub from the oncoming enemies. Once again
the AGM is being used multiple times. After the last AGM strike Ghost tell Price that the
submarines missile silo is opening. After repeated cries of the missile silo being open the nuclear
missile launches with Price stating that it was a good thing. The mission ends with Ghost telling
command that there is a nuclear warhead in the air.

Observation Two:

3:00mins: The mission starts of as Roach and Ghost are told to invade Makarovs safe house on
the Georgian-Russian border in the Caucasus Mountains. The team is looking for a computer to
connect their DSM to so they can get valuable information about Makarov. As they move
forward in the forest they are ambushed with landmines (commonly referred to as Bouncing
Bettys) and Makarovs men on all sides. As they men make a push to the estate they witness
vehicles driving away trying to escape. They were quickly taken down and deduced as nothing
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
more than decoys. A quick firefight ensues then the team breaches the house and are met with
more enemies.

6:00mins: After dispatching that small group of enemies Roach and Scarecrow are then
instructed to search the rest of the house for remaining enemies. There a three separate breach
points that have enemies hidden at them. One is upstairs and two are down below. There is an
ammo cache in the located in a back room in the basement. After this Ghost contacts Shepherd
and tells him Makarov isnt there. He then contacts Price and asks if things are going better on
his side of things. Roach is then told to connect the DSM to Makarovs computer to start
downloading all the information.

9:00mins: As youre connecting the DSM youre told by Ghost that enemy forces are
converging on your positon. Once Roach is done Ghost tells him to prepare by setting up
claymores around the perimeter and going to the ammo cache to restock on ammo. Once this is
completed the download is started and multiple enemies from all sides start pushing towards the
house to take out the team.

12:00mins: The firefight between sides continues as more enemies assault the team. The DSM
starts off slowly downloading information, but soon starts downloading at a faster rate.
Makarovs men are increasing in numbers and getting closer and closer. Just as a big group of
enemies come the DSM finishes the download. Ghosts tells Roach to retrieve and the team
makes way towards the extraction point.

15:00mins: The team is making an all-out dash to the extraction point. Along the way they are
met with more of Makarovs men. Taking them out Roach comes to a clearing as the helicopter
is arriving, but is injured by an RPG. Roach awakes from unconsciousness and is given a gun to
hold back enemies as Ghost is dragging him away from the fight. Shepherd and his men arrive to
assist as they help Roach to his feet. Shepherd asks if they have the DSM and once they
responded yes he proceeds to shoot both Roach and Ghost. After he collects the DSM from
Roach half-dead yet still conscious body Shepherd instructs his men to throw the bodies in a
ditch. After dowsing them in gasoline Shepherd throws his cigar on the bodies then leaves as
they burn.

Observation Three:

3:00mins: The mission start with Nikolai telling Price and Soap that he will be waiting at the
extraction point in three hours. Price tells him not to bother because its a one-way trip. The two
then advance to a ridge overlooking a patrol of Shepherds men known as Shadow Company.
Price tells Soap to wait until they split up then they take them out. The two advance farther and
take out the remaining men. The pair then rappels down a cliff killing two guards at the bottom.
They enter a cave which is full of enemy forces. They advance but quickly hide as a large enemy
patrol is heading towards them. The group notices that the previously killed guards cant be
contacted and decides to send a small group to check it out. They then take down one more
enemy the advance into a large opening filled with enemy soldiers.

Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
6:00mins: The two quietly and quickly move by the group. When they get to the exit two guards
come through. Price and Soap take them out and move to the next area which is full of steam
from pipes and machinery. Another group of enemies come into the area looking for the pair.
Price and Soap quickly take them out and move forward. Price takes out another guard as the
radio turns on with an enemy soldier stating they lost all contact with one of their patrols. Soap is
told to pick up a riot shield so the two can advance across a bridge. The radio comes on again
and the pair learns that Shepherd is evacuating the base as enemy guards inform Shepherd of
unknown hostiles in the base but Shepherd corrects them telling them its Price. Soap and Price
move forward and engage in another firefight.

11:00mins: After moving past these enemies the two come to another open area. There are some
more men in there and Price state that they are trying to buy time for Shepherd. They get past
these enemies and come to a breaching point. When inside the two eliminate the remaining
soldiers and see Shepherd has rigged the place to blow. The pair manually override the doors and
make it out in time. Once outside Shepherd orders a Danger Close (meaning that there are
friendlies nearby) airstrike in another attempt to kill the duo. Unaffected the two move forward
and are met with another group of Shadow Company. They quickly eliminate them and head
towards a door which leads to a Zodiac (a small boat) and they chase after Shepherd.

Interview:

1. How did it feel knowing Shepherd was using you and your men to achieve his own
goals?
Price: I never trusted that man. There was just something about him that didnt sit
right with me. Naturally I was angry at the thought of him betraying us and his own
country for his own motives, but there was another feeling somewhere deep inside me. It
couldnt have been sadness. Ive seen this happen plenty of times its nothing new. I
might be feeling guilty. I sent those men there unknowingly to their deaths. It could have
easily been me and Soap, but it wasnt and theres nothing we can do about it now.
2. Explain your reasoning behind intentionally firing a nuclear weapon on your allies.
Price: The enemies were pushing farther and farther into the United States. Every
second thousands of good soldiers died because of our superiors indecisiveness. I was
not about to sit around and let that continue. I am willing to do what is necessary. That
missile saved thousands of lives and gave valuable time to soldiers to get back into the
fight. I did what was right. Even if they wont admit it.
3. Tell me about what you were feeling going into your last mission.
Price: The same thing anyone feels. Fear was a big portion of it among a myriad
of other feelings, but none of those mattered. The one feeling that mattered was the
feeling of letting people down. Letting all the soldiers who gave their lives thinking that
they were fighting for a good man with a just cause. Letting down two of my best men
who gave their lives trying to put an end to this war and fought until the very end. That is
the feeling I was feeling the most. That is the worst feeling of all.
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
4. Explain what went down at the old airfield.

Price: It was a classic tactic. Shepherd used Makarov as a cover so he could
eliminate the rest of our team. Luckily for us we picked up on his true motives and
defended ourselves. Halfway through the fight I got a hold of Makarov. Bitter enemies to
the end we were, but in times of need the enemy of my enemy is my friend I guess. We
were able to get Shepherds location and just barely escaped. Shepherd knew we were
coming, and that was just the way I liked it.

5. How did it feel when Shepherd killed Roach and Ghost?

Price: Ive seen plenty of men go on the battlefield. Thats what happens its war.
Im not saying it makes any easier to see another person just die like that, but after a
while you get used to it. Thats the frightening part of war. Humans can used to killing
and watching other be killed just like that, but when it happens to those who are closest it
hurts. To answer your question I felt a little bit of everything really. Sadness at the loss of
two good men. Anger at the man who killed them and was considered a hero for it.
Frustration for not being able to stop him sooner. There were a lot of feelings, but one
stood out the most. Determination. No matter how it happens. No matter when it happens.
I. Will. Stop him.