Squid game meets capitalism: Black Ops 6 teaches us the true meaning of "game over"

Squid Game meets Capitalism: Black Ops 6 sells premium illusions as players pay more for fewer rewards and Activision teaches the true meaning of 'Game Over'.

Niklas Bender
Freelancer and news editor at PlayFront.de since 2022. Preferably on the PS5 and various genres.
3 Min Read

Fans of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" are once again "excited" - and in the most cynical way imaginable. The latest excitement? The premium reward track of the time-limited Squid Game events. For a mere 1,100 Call of Duty points (the equivalent of 9.99 euros), you can secure a handful of digital goodies that will warm neither your wallet nor your gamer's heart. A bargain - at least compared to a trip to the real hell.

Pure capitalism or a real tragedy?

Let's summarize: The price is the same as the seasonal Battle Pass, but the value? More like the winnings from a coin-operated machine with a broken payout unit. Players have a narrow window of January 2 to 24to "enjoy" this digital sleight of hand. Oh yes, and unlike the Battle Pass, there's no way to win back the points you've spent. Pure capitalism, or as Squid Game would call it: a real tragedy.

The timing could hardly be worse. Players are already on edge because of the excessive microtransactions, which seem to be a discipline in their own right in "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6". Double XP tokens? History. Anti-cheat? More hole than cheese. Stability in online mode? Haha, good joke. But instead of fixing these problems, Activision seems to have decided that the real enemy is not the hackers, but the players' fat wallets.

At the Squid Game event, it's mainly the wallet that loses out

And then there's the irony: an event based on Squid Gamea series that criticizes capitalism - while trying to capitalize on it all. Reddit users have made this point not overlooked and wonder if anyone at Activision has even seen the series. Probably not, otherwise the price might be a little less grotesque.

Of course, the Squid Game event is just the tip of the iceberg. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" currently seems to shine more with monetization than with innovation. Players are noticing - and are venting their frustration online. But hey, why get annoyed about a broken connection in single player when you can think about buying your next pair of virtual pants for 20 dollars instead?

Perhaps the true message of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" lies in the translation of the famous Squid Game phrase: "May the best man win." In this case, it's Activision, and the loser - well, you know. Game over, fans.

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