Conan O’Brien has long suffered through video games he doesn’t remotely like for the “Clueless Gamer” segment of his talk show, but the time has finally come for him to actually enjoy himself. Joined by Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Terry Crews, O’Brien tried out Battlefield 1 and saw the horrors of war — and gave a eulogy for an unlucky tree.
“I’m interested in this one because it’s about something I know about: history,” O’Brien quips to Crews. “I’ve read a lot about World War I, so I’m gonna be looking for the smallest mistake these guys make.”
The two begin the game’s prologue mission — an emotional section that sees several soldiers die non-ceremoniously as the chaos continues around them — blasting waves of soldiers as the “date of birth” and “date of death” numbers continue to flash on the screen. A tree, apparently alive for almost 300 years before the onset of World War I, is also among the casualties. Rest in peace, you deciduous delight.
“We’re all gonna die, man. We’re all gonna die,” Crews says solemnly after O’Brien calls him a “relentlessly positive person.”
To return to a more sunny mindset, the two take a “bunny break,” which looks like the best experience in the entire world. We’re just hoping the bunnies don’t have to be exposed to the horrors of war.
Though Crews doesn’t consider himself an especially skilled gamer, he did build a custom PC recently so his son could play the latest games and he documented the process online for his followers to see.
O’Brien, meanwhile, is unlikely to continue playing the game outside of the show, but we encourage you to give the Battlefield 1 campaign a try. Even if you’re not a fan of shooters, its bleak, harrowing take on the horrors of war is impactful and somehow still manages to be a hell of a lot of fun.
