What if someone challenged you to try to find a way to make a billion dollars in two weeks? Maybe you could write an awesome book, direct one of the greatest movies ever, or invent something revolutionary that changes everyone’s lives.

How about making a videogame? Yes, a video game.

Superstar video game company Activision Blizzard released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on November 8. In just 16 days, the game’s sales had reached a billion dollars, even surpassing James Cameron’s Avatar which made a billion dollars in 17 days. Wow, that’s a lot of money.

Though this amount of sales was staggering, gaming industry experts and fans of the game, who anxiously awaited its release, knew it would be a smash hit. In just 24 hours the game had made $400 million dollars.  After five days, it had made $775 million.

Senior Charlie Potesky wasn’t particularly surprised by these numbers, saying “I guess that makes sense. It is a popular game series and it has made a lot of money.” Indeed it has, the entire Modern Warfare series has now made over two billion dollars.

For those who don’t know what Call of Duty is, it is a first person shooter video game where you play as American soldiers, British Special Forces, or a combined task force of both America and England. The player is forced to go stealthily behind enemy lines or go guns-a-blazing through global enemy hotspots. The series is especially known for its frantic online multiplayer option, which is the main reason people buy it.

Although the series is a knockout hit, some at VHS question its entertainment value.

“The game (stinks). Everything about the game (stinks), the main story, the online multiplayer, it all (stinks)” says junior Nick Longo. Nick’s feelings about the game are shared by senior Jack Cummings who says, “It is impressive that it was able to make a billion dollars, but I still find the game to be frustrating.”

While some hate it, others can’t get enough of it. It is very common for students to go to the midnight release at the local GameStop and then miss the next day of school. Some students even miss a second day of school because they can’t break their addiction to the game.

Whether you love Call of Duty or hate it, the sales of the videogame don’t lie – this video game is one of a kind.