Abstract Submission Deadline: October 1, 2016

It is no surprise that Call of Duty is one of the best selling game franchises of all time. The games have been celebrated for their historical accuracy, bonus zombie content, and competitive multiplayer gameplay. Call of Duty's popularity has spawned toys, comic books, and even a special edition Jeep Wrangler. In January 2016 the Call of Duty World League was founded for players to compete on a global stage for millions in prize money. Events can be watched on sites like Twitch and MLG.TV.  

Yet not every new development in the series has been welcomed by fans. The games are frequently criticized for patches and other innovations that change gameplay, overpowered killstreak rewards, and poor storylines. The incorporation of science fiction themes has been especially controversial; the trailer for the upcoming Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Infinity Ward, 2016) is the second most hated video in YouTube history.

The purpose of this edited collection is to provide an accessible scholarly overview of the Call of Duty franchise. Proposals for essays on the following subjects are especially welcome: historical accuracy; militarism and military thinking; fan produced content and the ways in which players engage or do not engage the content; player vs. producer conflicts; intersections between games in the series and other popular media texts; pedagogies that incorporate the games; esports and competition culture; global publishing and localization; and science fiction gaming.

For full consideration, prospective contributors should e-mail a brief abstract or complete chapter length essay to nategarrelts@ferris.edu by October 1, 2016. Materials received after the deadline may not receive full consideration. At the top of the abstract please include the title of the essay, your name (and the name of any co-authors), school or work affiliation and title, e-mail address, and phone number. Contributors will be contacted by email as soon as a decision is made and receive additional information at that time. Final essays of approximately 6,000 words will be due by January 15, 2017. The book is under contract with McFarland & Company, Inc.

Nate Garrelts, Ph.D
Professor of English
Department of Languages and Literature
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI 49307
nategarrelts@ferris.edu