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.
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
Commented [XS1]: Add some more background
information. The average reader is not going to know what
COD is and it would help if you added information like
where the important locations in the game. Another
example of something to add would be what Rybachiy naval
base is. Zachary Esposito
Commented [XS2]: You say that the game follows him
but he is not listed in the actors list. If he is one of the main
characters of the game then he should probably be
mentioned in the actors section. You could just give some
information about who his character is and what his
relevance to the plot is. Jackson Stone
Commented [XS3]: In the first sentence of observation
one, you mention a guy named "Roach" Who is he? Is he
relevant enough to be put in the Actors list? Brenden
Oneyear
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
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.

Commented [XS4]: This EMP sounds important enough
that it should be the artifacts. This is because it was "key
factor in pushing back the Russian's". Another reason I
would suggest adding the EMP to artifacts is because it left
such impression on the battlefield. Zachary Esposito
Commented [XS5]: Here and throughout your
observations you mention "Ghost". Is he a ghost that helps
the soldiers out during the battle? Or is he another soldier
just like Roach and Soap? If he is, then I believe he should
be added to the Actors section. Brenden Oneyear
Commented [XS6]: This is an important character to the
plot of the game. He could have be mentioned in the actors
section. He plays a crucial role in the story and should be
mentioned. Jackson Stone
Commented [XS7]: Is everybody in the war striving for
the same thing? If not then the other goals could be added
to the domain. For example the "bad guys" probably aren't
striving for peace but some other goal. Jackson Stone
Commented [XS8]: You may want to reword this
definition. This definition is a little vague. It is also very
similar to literary practices. Jackson Stone
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 more than decoys.
A quick firefight ensues then the team breaches the house and are met with more enemies.

Commented [XS9]: I feel like commands needs to be
expanded because it is so important in the game. I know
when I played the game if you didn't listen to the
commands then you could end up dying. A way to fix this
would be adding information about the chain of command.
Zachary Esposito
Commented [XS10]: I like the slow introductions of each
new member or weapon throughout the observation. This
allows me to easily understand who or what they are.
Brenden Oneyear
Commented [XS11]: I think this sentence needs to be re-
worded in a way that expresses how, you shoot down the
SAM turret, and the significance of the SAM turret. Did you
need to shoot down this turret so that Roach's AGM could
safely provide air support? Brenden Oneyear
Commented [XS12]: What are you trying to say by "The
group quickly finishes"? Did Task Force 141 find a way
around the Russian firefight or did they battle with the
Russian and defeated them during this fight? Brenden
Oneyear
Commented [XS13]: You do a good job during your
observations. You are very detailed in what is happening.
This makes it easy to follow as if we were playing the game.
Jackson Stone
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
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.

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
Commented [XS14]: Maybe add the name of the
campaign level for each observation. This would make it so
that the reader knows where in the story you are currently.
It also makes it easy to go back and find more information
because you know the exact spot where you did the
observation. Zachary Esposito
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
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.
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
Assignment One Xzavier Smith, 2014, p. 1
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.










Commented [XS15]: Great job showing the pain Price is
going through. This makes me feel emotions that I would
watching a war movie and that is good. Also great use of
start and stop sentences at the end. Zachary Esposito