Activision donates $3 mil to its veterans charity

By Ryan Fleming November 14, 2011

To commemorate Veterans Weekend (and following the success of the game the foundation was named after), the Call of Duty Endowment has announced that Activsion Blizzard will donate $3 million to the service, a charity set up by the uber-publisher to help returning veterans finding jobs once they leave the service.

“The Endowment has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to many organizations and colleges throughout the United States,” Activsion said in a statement. “These funds have contributed to more than 700 veteran jobs, more than 2,500 veterans receiving job training, and more than 30 receiving scholarships.”

The charitable foundation was funded by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in 2010. Activision previously donated $2 million to the fund, and since its inception, the Endowment has given over $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to various veterans services.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The service also awarded a $250,000 grant to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation. “The grant will support the Chamber’s Hiring our Heroes program and allow the National Chamber Foundation to host hiring fairs in 25 cities nationwide in 2012, which is expected to result in at least 3,500 jobs for veterans.”

It has been a good month for Activision, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 quickly became the best-selling game of the year, and made a lot of money in the process. A whole lot of money. In fact, it has become the biggest entertainment launch in the history of entertainment. Some might call that it a success. With over $400 million in sales in one day, and more profits to be had over the coming weeks, Activision and Call of Duty are sharing the wealth and helping out Veterans at the same time. You can find out more about the Call of Duty Endowment at their website.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Best Perk-a-Colas in Modern Warfare 3 zombies, ranked

A lineup of perk sodas from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Ever since perks were introduced to the series, they've been a staple in every game mode in Call of Duty. For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, you can obviously pick your perks during multiplayer, but not so in Zombies. This mode has always made perks work slightly differently, using different names, but similar mechanics. This time around, the Perk-a-Colas have returned, and these cans of refreshing soda just so happen to give your character a massive improvement. You can grab one from a vending machine on the map in exchange for your points, but they don't come cheap. Since these perks last you the rest of the match (or until used for some of them), you will want to choose your flavor wisely. These are all nine Perk-a-Colas in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ranked from best to worst.

It is important to note that the location where each perk machine spawns on the new Zombies map is random for every match. There's no way to know where any specific perk will be, but you can see where perk machines spawn on your map as indicated by a downward pointing arrow.

Gaming

The best field upgrades for Modern Warfare 3 Zombies

A man holding a mysterious glowing vial.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Zombies mode puts a slight twist on the mechanics you are already familiar with. It now plays much more like a souped-up DMZ mode rather than its old round-based format. And Field Upgrades have been modified in terms of both their effects and how you get them just for this game type. There are six different Field Upgrades you can bring into the map and use on a cooldown timer to help improve your chances of survival, but you can only pick one at a time. You will begin the game with only one option, but steadily unlock the rest as you level up. Once you have them all, the question then becomes which is the best Field Upgrade? We've managed to exfiltrate with the answer.

Healing Aura
Regardless of whether or not you're playing with a team or running solo, Healing Aura is no doubt the best Field Upgrade to bring on any Zombie run. When activated, you and any teammates in the area will not only gain immediate healing, but it will also instantly revive any downed teammates. The downside to all this power is that this upgrade has the slowest recharge time and is unlocked at level 19.
Aether Shroud
This is another upgrade that you will be glad to have. Aether Shroud makes you you temporary invisibile to all Zombies. This won't make you invincible, mind you, and PMCs can still take shots, but if you're getting swarmed and have no way to escape, becoming instantly invisible to a bloodthirsty pack of zombies can save your skin more often than you think. This upgrade has a medium recharge rate and is unlocked when you hit level 39.
Frenzied Guard
Just past the halfway mark, Frenzied Guard has a massive upside, but not without some risk. When you pop this Field Upgrade, you instantly repair all your armor, but also draw all the aggression of any enemy nearby for 10 seconds. However, another perk is that anything you kill during this time also repairs your armor, so situationally, it can be great or detrimental. This one recharges slowly, unlocking at level 9.
Frost Blast
Frost Blast does exactly what you expect: it fires a freezing blast that will slow down any enemy you hit with it and deal a bit of damage. It's decent in a pinch, but not a game-changer. You can get it when you hit level 29.
Tesla Storm
An odd ability on paper, Tesla Storm is only good if you have a team working together. Activating it will create a lightning chain between you and your team that will damage and stun enemies that get close to any one of you. It lasts for 10 seconds and can be great in the final moments while holding out for an extraction, but not in other situations. It recharges slowly and is the last upgrade you unlock at level 50.
Energy Mine
This is your default Field Upgrade, so it makes sense that it's the "worst" on the list. Energy Mine isn't exactly bad; you simply lay down a mine that does what a mine does -- explodes. It's just that setting up traps like this in Zombies isn't all that applicable except when kiting a boss around or waiting for the helicopter. It has a medium recharge speed.

Gaming

How to fix packet burst in Modern Warfare 3

A soldier shields themself from an underwater explosion.

The last thing anyone wants to see when booting up a game like Modern Warfare 3 to head online with your friends is to be stopped by an error. Online games are susceptible to all types of problems beyond the player's control, leading to plenty of frustration and disappointment in a possibly ruined experience. While there are more substantial issues that can completely prevent you from playing, seeing the packet burst issue is almost worse because, while it does let you play, you will experience a ton of lag that makes the game essentially unplayable. If you've been struck by a packet burst error in Modern Warfare 3, here are some possible solutions so you can get back to fragging.
How to fix packet burst errors

If you spot a symbol of three squares on the left of your screen while playing Modern Warfare 3, it means you're suffering from a packet burst. This is essentially an error where something is messed up in the communication between your system and the game's servers, resulting in terrible performance. While it could be simply an issue on the server side and not related to you at all, which you can check by looking at the Modern Warfare 3 server status here, there are a few things you can do to potentially fix the issue on your end.