Call of Duty Movie Director Peter Berg Once Called Video Games “Weak” and “Pathetic”

Berg’s issue was not only with military shooters

In the same interview, Berg broadened the criticism beyond Call of Duty and similar games such as Battlefield. His view of gaming as a pastime sounded bluntly dismissive.

“I think anyone that sits around playing video games for four hours…It’s weak,” Berg said. “Get out, do something.”

The basic point that people benefit from varied interests is hardly controversial. A balanced life is generally useful, whether someone loves games, films, books, sports, or highly specific documentaries about shipbuilding. But calling players “pathetic” and “weak” lands differently when the speaker is later hired to direct a film intended, at least in part, for that same audience.

Why this matters for the movie

A Call of Duty film is not a small bet. Activision’s franchise has been a dominant force in games for more than two decades, with annual releases, global multiplayer communities, and a brand built around modern military spectacle. Paramount taking it to theaters means the studio is trying to turn a gaming giant into a mainstream action franchise.

That also means the director’s relationship to the source material will be watched closely. Hollywood has become much more careful with video game adaptations in recent years, partly because audiences can tell when a project treats the original work as a brand name rather than a creative foundation.

Berg has plenty of experience with large-scale action and military-themed drama, including films that lean into tactical realism and physical intensity. That background helps explain the hire. Still, those 2013 comments give fans an obvious question: has his view of games, and the people who play them, changed?

A long road to 2028

The Call of Duty movie is scheduled for 2028, so there is a lot still unknown, including casting, plot, and which part of the sprawling franchise the film will draw from. The resurfaced interview will not decide the movie’s fate, but it will likely follow the project as it develops.

It is also worth remembering that Steven Spielberg was reportedly interested in making a Call of Duty movie at one point. That history underlines how long Hollywood has seen the franchise as potential event-cinema material.

Now Berg has the assignment. If nothing else, the first few interviews should be more tactical than usual.