By Adam Kemp

Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of hubbub about new video games being released. 2011 has seen the release of many great games, including Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Gears of War 3, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the latest installment of one of the most successful video game franchises ever.

Shooter games nearly always do well in bringing in a large amount of profit, as they are appealing to a very wide array of different players. According to EuroGamer, Modern Warfare 3 grossed over $775 million worldwide in the first 5 days after its release.

I think a big part of why shooter games of this type are so popular because it doesn’t take a whole lot of learning or practice to have fun with them. They also don’t require a great investment of time or effort. With the option of playing matches just around 10 minutes long, these games can be fun to anyone ranging from the casual occasional gamers to the serious die-hard competitive types that play in their parents’ basements.

Although these games do have their perks, I think they get too much attention. With Modern Warfare 3, there was a craze of pre-ordering games and many people waiting in line for hours to be the first ones to get their copy at midnight.

I’ve played Modern Warfare 3 myself. I had fun, but it wasn’t really anything special. It’s essentially identical to previous installments of the Call of Duty franchise. You shoot people; they die. You get shot; you die. I’d be just as happy playing one of the older games as I would the new one.