Mind Mode

Call of Duty isn't the most loved brand. In fact, even the people who play Warzone regularly will tell you that it's a love-hate relationship. Gamers and non-gamers alike view Call of Duty as a violent waste of time that doesn't really benefit their lives. Sure it's fun, but there's tons of mindless fun for people to engage in besides Call of Duty.

That's why we thought about how we could make COD truly loved by impacting our players' lives in a lasting manner. We noticed the global mental health crisis (1 billion affected, Source: WHO) and wondered how our game- which in the mainstream might be seen as bad for our players' mental health- could help players improve their minds and their lives.

So, we partnered up with Headspace to create Mind Mode. This new game mode in Warzone enabled players to get help from guided meditation narrators to improve their level of emotional control and other mental faculties. These narrators kicked into action when players were placed in milestone events during a match. Ex. Getting killed and waiting to revive, being on a kill streak, having no kills at all, almost winning a match, taking damage etc.. During these critical moments, through our guided gameplay, we helped players use mental techniques that could translate to their real lives. Knowing how to remain focused, maintain composure, control anger, use breathing techniques and so much more helped them not only get better at the game, but also the game of life. It made meditation- which is very effective at helping those with mental issues- a fun activity to those who viewed it as a boring waste. And it made Call of Duty a good use of time that could be loved and appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.