With the riots and protests that have gripped the US since the death of George Floyd, there has been an outpouring of social backlash to what occurred on all spectrums of public discourse. There also appears to be a new facet to this backlash, with game such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and NBA 2K20 now adding in-game messages and tributes focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement.
For instance, NBA 2K20 has added three shirts so that players can outfit their in-game avatars if they so choose. They are free to acquire and wear shirts that say "Black Lives Matter", "I Can't Breathe" and "Say Their Names". There's also an in-game message stating "In Memoriam: George Floyd", with the tagline Black Lives Matter #BLM. Interestingly, it includes a message stating that online play will be suspended from 1-3PM CT today, which is from 2-5 PM EST.
For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it's a little simpler, as this is the in-game message players are seeing whenever they log onto the game:
Black Lives Matter. Our community is hurting. The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community enures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be.
There will undoubtedly be more in-game tributes and additions to all types of games over the coming weeks, and we'll keep you updated when and if that occurs.
To read TechRaptor's official stance on the Black Lives Matter protests, see what we're doing to help, and find out how you can get involved, click here.
What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments!
