But it lacks a blockbuster in the shooting-game category on the scale of "Call of Duty" and needs "Battlefield 3" to flourish to make inroads in that genre this holiday season.

WSJ: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Faces Off Against Battlefield 3

They may be primed to become powerful platforms for the kind of triple-A titles you see on the Xbox or PS3 like Call of Duty: Black Ops or Mass Effect 2.

FORBES: Hit Game Engine Launches On iPhone Thursday, Android Later

If any such problem developed, Sharon was instructed to call the twenty-four-hour hospice nurse on duty, who would provide instructions about which rescue medications to use and, if necessary, come out to help.

NEWYORKER: Letting Go

On starting his course three years ago, his ambition was to work on a big blockbuster title like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto - but now he's more interested in becoming an indie games producer and join the the "bedroom developer" revolution.

BBC: Video games industry: Rise of the 'bedroom' developer

Call of Duty did white-knuckle adrenaline better than any other game on the market, and other games tried to ape it.

FORBES: E3 2012: Uncharted is Replacing Call of Duty as the Game to Clone

Certainly popular today, especially among young gun buyers more familiar perhaps with Call of Duty than the deer blind, an all-out ban on modern sporting rifles could dent the industry.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

Communities of graying gamers have sprouted up world-wide as generations reared on Pong and Pac-Man have become addicted to the latest iterations of Halo and Call of Duty, but are no longer as fast with their trigger fingers.

WSJ: These Videogame Sites Are for 'Mature' Audiences Only

After my first failed attempt to stay online long enough to play through some of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multi-player, I finally got on and stayed on last night.

FORBES: 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' Multi-Player Review (PC)

We'll hear more about Call of Duty: Ghosts at Microsoft's big next-gen console unveiling on May 21st, so hold tight.

ENGADGET