There are entire communities within gaming dedicated to beating games in novel ways. Whether that's speedrunning Mario or using Donkey Kong bongos to beat Dark Souls, there's a time-honored tradition of using creative means to finish difficult challenges. However, Kirk Sheely has attempted something almost as impossible ā getting through Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare without shooting anyone.
(Speaking of COD, we bet you didn't know these five actors were in Call of Duty games.)
Originally reported by Kotaku, the YouTuber posting under the name Nullface, calls the project Modern Peacefare ā running through the game on what he considers a Pacifist Run.
As you can see from this first gameplay video, it's certainly a challenge, although having AI soldiers as back-up is certainly helpful.
He said about his project, "An attempt to play through Call of Duty: Modern Warfare without killing anyone. The rules are Iām only allowed to kill when the game will not let me proceed in any way without doing so (usually in a glorified cutscene, such as the kind that require me to shoot a vehicle before the story can proceed)."
The second gameplay video demonstrates this practice even more, although, surprise, enemies make it a tricky thing to execute.
There are hundreds of ways to play games "wrong", as this single-serving Tumblr by current Riot Games (and previously Borderlands 2) writer Anthony Burch shows. This is yet another way that gamers have gotten creative by trying to find alternative means to use a game for their own enjoyment.
(Games are often silly enough without our help, I mean just look at our Top 10 video game Easter eggs list.)
Others include players such as Twitch's Bearzly attempting to beat difficult games with increasingly unfit peripherals, like the Donkey Kong bongos:
Or Aussie Rudeism, who is on a campaign to play every single Overwatch character using their actual weaponry, or as close as he can get to it with various peripherals such as DJ Hero turntables, or making his own with tactile controller inputs like Makey Makey. Here he is using a Nerf bow getting a double kill as Hanzo:
Makey Makey are a kit of sensors that allow you to turn anything into a programmable input for the PC via passive conduction, using your body's capacitive energy like a giant touchscreen. Which, of course, also lets Rudeism try and play as Winston the science gorilla using nothing but bananas, naturally:
This approach to making anything into a controller has also led to brand new games blossoming into existence. Line Wobbler, from indie developer Robin Baumgarten takes a single LED strip and one of those sproingy door stoppers and turns it into a one-dimensional dungeon crawler. Pushing, pulling and twanging the springy controller lets you advance, retreat and attack enemies as you attempt to reach the end, recently being turned into a Christmas tree in London's St. Pancras station.
This is a game that simply couldn't happen without the philosophical approach embodied by trying to finish Call of Duty: Modern Warfare without hurting a single soul. The same urge that compels people to try and finish Half-Life 2: Episode 2 while carrying a garden gnome from the very first level to the rocket launch finale. The creative essence of gaming differently. God speed to all members of the playing it wrong crew.
If you enjoyed this piece, check out our list of the 12 greatest gaming spin-offs. We still can't believe how popular #4 has been...