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Modern Warfare 2 Released, DC Blows Up Again

Yesterday was a big day for DC in pop culture, and not just because of the long awaited release of Wale’s Attention Deficit album.  The latest sequel in the long-running Call of Duty franchise Modern Warfare 2 was released in what is poised to be the biggest video game launch ever. What does this have to do with DC you ask? As this blogger found out during a marathon gaming session last night, a good chunk of the game takes place in the District, as well as an unnamed suburb in Northern Virginia.

As per usual for action games and movies, DC gets destroyed in spectacular fashion; this time by Russian troops during a war that reaches the USA’s shores.  As you fight alongside your squad in the National Mall, through Federal Triangle, and eventually up to the White House, familiar monuments and federal buildings crumble around you.

Seeing the destruction of our city didn’t really phase me; Independence Day did it first 13 years ago and its become almost obligatory in every disaster movie since.  One thing did bother me though: despite hours of gameplay in DC, the player never gets to see anything outside the federal enclave. Why must every game/movie/TV show set in DC only show the monuments? Speaking more generally, when will the “real DC” finally make it into pop culture?  District residents know that the heart of the city isn’t 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but rather at 14th and U, Dupont Circle, and Wisconsin and M.   But does anyone outside DC know that? Nearly everyone on the planet would recognize a picture of the Washington Monument, but how many people would recognize the DC flag?

District residents know that the heart of the city isn’t 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but rather at 14th and U, Dupont Circle, and Wisconsin and M. But does anyone outside DC know that?

Maybe things are changing. Obama has really helped shift the spotlight towards the District.  Wale keeps shooting videos in real DC neighborhoods, and every other reality show is being filmed here lately.  Even Hollywood films like the upcoming How Do You Know? have scenes in places like Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle.  Perhaps its only a matter of time before public perception shifts, and the world finally recognizes that DC has a unique culture and flavor all its own, independent of the federal government.

I for one, cannot wait for that day.