The Most Controversial Mission in Video Game History (No Russian)

In 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dropped and everyone loved the campaign. But one mission stands in infamy...No Russian (Mission 4) The development team initially conceptualized "No Russian" as a level where the player would pilot an AC-130 and eliminate zombies in Moscow. This idea was later scrapped, and the team drew inspiration from post-9/11 air travel anxieties to create a level based on a terrorist attack at a Moscow airport. Lead writer Jesse Stern believed that people have a natural curiosity to experience mass shootings firsthand, and this served as the basis for having the player control a terrorist. Stern cited documentaries about the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the Columbine High School massacre as evidence, stating that "these are human beings who perpetrate these acts...you want to take it apart and figure out how that happened and what, if anything, can be done to prevent it." Game designer Mohammad Alavi had different intentions for "No Russian." He wanted the level to be a catalyst for the game's narrative, with the goals of justifying Russia's attack on the U.S., creating an emotional connection between the player and the antagonist Makarov, and doing so in a memorable and engaging way. The level's development was largely focused on designing the massacre. Alavi altered the level to extend the massacre and removed scenes with children or families to minimize player trauma. The limited amount of gore was changed when the lead artist's wife questioned the authenticity of the level without blood. Due to the level's emotional nature, some voice actors became tearful while reciting their lines. The level's content was met with strong opposition from some Infinity Ward members, while others suggested that the player should control a security guard instead. Alavi noted the varied reactions from game testers, many of whom were initially angry and confused but eventually began shooting at the civilians. One tester's refusal to play the level led to the implementation of the skip feature. Reception was mixed, a lot people being against the level and calling it things like “sickening” and “pathetic” for even showing it. Some international versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 were censored due to the graphic content in the "No Russian" level. Activision removed the level entirely from Russian versions of the game because Russia did not have a formal rating system for games. #callofduty #mw2 #videogames