Edmontonian helps bring inclusion and diversity to upcoming Call of Duty video game
A passionate fan of video games is living her dream as she helps write the plot and character development of an upcoming Call of Duty release.
Shelby Carleton works remotely from Edmonton as a narrative designer for Call of Duty Vanguard, developed by Sledgehammer Games.
“I always loved video games and writing,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
It was a high school tour of Edmonton’s BioWare studios that showed Carleton that she could work in the video game industry. That visit further inspired her to study English and video game development at the University of Alberta.
She described this newest iteration of Call of Duty as an all-rounded title, offering an extensive campaign mode taking players into World War II battles, multiplayer, zombies mode, and battle royale-style Warzone.
“The single-player campaign itself covers many different areas of the world and our main characters, there’s five of them, and they each come from a different walk of life,” Carleton said. “So you get to see World War II from all these different perspectives.
“I’m really excited for people to see these new areas and stories that you’ve maybe never heard before, you get to maybe learn a little bit as you play.”
Shelby Carleton works as a narrative designer for Call of Duty: Vanguard (CTV News Edmonton)
For Carleton, the most rewarding part of her job is bringing more diverse and inclusive storylines to the industry.
“We are doing a lot different than all these games early on,” she added. “Hopefully, when you’re sitting down to pick a character, you see somebody that you love, that you feel represented by.
“I’m just proud to be at a studio that is contributing to that (inclusion).”
Call of Duty Vanguard releases on Nov. 5 on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.