Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, like other entries in the franchise, has not been afraid to embrace humor. In the past, fans have seen the “Press F” meme acknowledged, wacky voice packs featuring Snoop Dogg, playable movie icons like the Predator, and so on. In the latest game, players can slay foes as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their teacher, Master Splinter, suggesting that nothing is off limits for the FPS franchise. The newBlack Ops 6event celebrating the history of theBlack Opssubseries continues the goofs and gags with its final reward, acknowledging a community meme that has existed for years now: John Black Ops.
If this approach proves popular for Treyarch, perhaps the developer will deliver more events that embrace community memes. And if the studio is in search of material, it need look no further than theCall of DutyZombies fan base, which has been poking fun at the mode it adores since its inception.CoDZombies memesrange from “revive me bro I have a Ray Gun” to the Tombstone perk jingle taking on a life of its own, but it’s the M14 Gang and Olympia Gang trend that could provide the perfect basis for the event.
Players can acquire the John Black Ops skin by collecting all the other rewards from theBlack Ops Tribute event. The meme is a reference to an internet joke where a customizable playable character with no voice or name of their own is treated as a key player, and has often been used when players ask who the Sitting Bull soldiers are onBlack Opsgame covers.
Where Did the M14 Gang vs. Olympia Gang Meme Come From?
WhileCall of DutyZombies began in2008’sWorld at War, and really picked up steam with that game’s final DLC map, Der Riese, for many players it is the originalBlack Opswhere they fell in love with Zombies. The franchise as a whole hit its stride, with 2009’sModern Warfare 2being a gigantic hit and givingBlack Opsan even bigger audience of potential fans, while Treyarch had also started to master its round-based co-op mode. Maps like Kino Der Toten and Ascension quickly became iconic, and across every map in the originalBlack Ops(as well as the earlyBO2maps), there were two weapons available in each starting room: the M14 and Olympia.
These weapons cost the same amount but emphasized two drastically different playstyles. Olympia users loved the satisfying nature of the double-barrel shotgun, preferring to quickly blast down the target in front of them with a hard-hitting weapon. M14 users valued the more statistically powerful weapon, as its accuracy and larger magazines allowed for easier headshots to quickly build up points. While players had their preference and would often stick to one of the two guns, it was only years later when the M14 Gang and Olympia Gang memes started becoming a trend, with said templates usually featuring a grainy image of either gun in the corner and a brief bit of text stating why their gun of choice is superior (or why the other starting option is lackluster).
How an M14 Gang vs. Olympia Gang Event Could Work
The simplest and most interesting way to make such an event exciting is to bring back both of these iconic guns as final rewards for completing the event. Along the way,Treyarchcould grant players emblems, calling cards, and more cosmetics based on the two weapons. Even Operator skins could be rewarded, with the characters donning some clothing covered in imagery of one of the weapons, making their allegiance clear. However, there is one other thing that Treyarch could do to make this meme-focused event unique: add the element of choice.
Since the entire “Gang War”CoDZombies meme revolves around choosing a side and playfully arguing, letting players pick which “Gang” they want to be a part of could be a terrific way to get gamers more invested in the event. The goals could be kill-based, with a real-time tracker showing which side is winning the fight in real-time. Perhaps players would only get M14 items if they chose that side, with the Olympia-themed items being unlocked viaBlack Ops 6’s Vault after the “Gang War” has run its course. Essentially, the event could be a limited-time version of whatCoDZombies’ Factionswere supposed to be, making good on a broken promise from over half a decade ago. With its John Black Ops joke, Treyarch has opened the door to giving a host of community memes a place within its actual games, and the M14 vs. Olympia debate is one of the best possible Zombies jokes to be granted that honor.
