Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 predict the US-China trade war 13 years early?
Video games are often an escape from the real world, a place for gamers to enjoy some fun without thinking of what's happening outside. But sometimes, they're a bit too realistic. When Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launched in 2012, its plot and technology of the near future seemed more sci-fi than anything. But in reality, some of it has become a bit too real for my taste, and it's a combination of cool and scary how much the game's campaign has seemingly begun to come to fruition. Image via Activision BO2 is widely considered one of the best CoD games in general. Its stellar multiplayer offering paired up with an awesome new take on Zombies to steal hundreds of hours from gamers everywhere, but its campaign missions have become the subject of focus thanks to several viral posts on the internet the past few days on apps like Instagram and TikTok. Within the events of BO2's campaign, a cyberattack greatly hinders the Chinese stock market. In response to the attack, China bans the export of rare earth materials, which brings about a new Cold War between China and the United States. Well, in case you've been avoiding the news lately (and who can blame you?), there has indeed been a trade war between the US and China as the countries have traded increases in tariffs back and forth over the past few weeks. But today, a major plot point of BO2's plot became a reality. On April 11, "shipments of seven rare earths placed on an export control list last week by Beijing have ground to halt," according to a report by Reuters, "raising the risk of shortages overseas as Chinese exporters begin the long, uncertain wait for government licenses." China produces about 90 percent of the world's rare metals, such as magnets, and it's a crucial part of the global economic chain for both exporters in China and importers around the world. In response to this, the world economy will possibly destabilize even further than it has recently. Thankfully, the similarities between BO2 and its current real-world counterpart end there for now. However, the campaign mission list also begins its current day arc on April 19 and 20, 2025, which are both next week. Let's hope that a US fireteam doesn't invade Myanmar looking for info on a rare Earth metal, further escalating the conflict, like what happened in BO2's "Celerium" mission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=g4R5DTP_P_s The campaign goes on to feature drone attacks (common in modern warfare these days), assassinations, conflicts in Yemen, Pakistan, and other locations, and large-scale battles the world over. For the sake of all of us, let's hope the BO2 similarities end at rare metals. The post Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 predict the US-China trade war 13 years early? appeared first on Destructoid.
Video games are often an escape from the real world, a place for gamers to enjoy some fun without thinking of what's happening outside. But sometimes, they're a bit too realistic.
When Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launched in 2012, its plot and technology of the near future seemed more sci-fi than anything. But in reality, some of it has become a bit too real for my taste, and it's a combination of cool and scary how much the game's campaign has seemingly begun to come to fruition.
BO2 is widely considered one of the best CoD games in general. Its stellar multiplayer offering paired up with an awesome new take on Zombies to steal hundreds of hours from gamers everywhere, but its campaign missions have become the subject of focus thanks to several viral posts on the internet the past few days on apps like Instagram and TikTok.
Within the events of BO2's campaign, a cyberattack greatly hinders the Chinese stock market. In response to the attack, China bans the export of rare earth materials, which brings about a new Cold War between China and the United States.
Well, in case you've been avoiding the news lately (and who can blame you?), there has indeed been a trade war between the US and China as the countries have traded increases in tariffs back and forth over the past few weeks. But today, a major plot point of BO2's plot became a reality.
On April 11, "shipments of seven rare earths placed on an export control list last week by Beijing have ground to halt," according to a report by Reuters, "raising the risk of shortages overseas as Chinese exporters begin the long, uncertain wait for government licenses."
China produces about 90 percent of the world's rare metals, such as magnets, and it's a crucial part of the global economic chain for both exporters in China and importers around the world. In response to this, the world economy will possibly destabilize even further than it has recently.
Thankfully, the similarities between BO2 and its current real-world counterpart end there for now. However, the campaign mission list also begins its current day arc on April 19 and 20, 2025, which are both next week. Let's hope that a US fireteam doesn't invade Myanmar looking for info on a rare Earth metal, further escalating the conflict, like what happened in BO2's "Celerium" mission.
The campaign goes on to feature drone attacks (common in modern warfare these days), assassinations, conflicts in Yemen, Pakistan, and other locations, and large-scale battles the world over. For the sake of all of us, let's hope the BO2 similarities end at rare metals.
The post Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 predict the US-China trade war 13 years early? appeared first on Destructoid.
