In Gamer Theory (2007), McKenzie Wark argues that gaming is no longer just an innocent pastime, but rather a problematic condition closely connected to the political fears and desires of the society we live in. While video games may pose as entertainment, they in fact also serve to explain the ongoing “war on terror”, recruit young men to military service, train in-service soldiers and even treat soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus, to engage with video games and simulation is partly to exist in a political territory shaped by the needs and fears of American society. Because of their close connection to current political and material issues, the virtual Americas and its adversaries produced by these digital media deserve attention.

From this perspective, this paper examines the virtual geography of the immensely popular military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The aim is to investigate how this game configures the needs and purposes of US society by producing both the Middle East and the US as apocalyptic battlegrounds. The focus of the paper will thus be on the virtual geography and the implicit narrative of this military computer game, arguing that while the game places great emphasis on a realistic gaming experience, the virtual geography and the narrative as such reproduces a set of political beliefs that have little to do with the physical world but a great deal to do with the concerns of the post-9/11 political landscape in the US.