# [Vince Zampella didn’t just make hit games. He changed the medium.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2025/12/22/vince-zampella-death-call-of-duty/) – Gene Park Gene Park for The Washington Post ([Apple News+ Link](https://apple.news/ADbMcPiiqQRWMRkHYZS0CtQ)) > "I was nervous to meet them all, but Zampella above all. I had nothing to fear, as he was just as warm and energetic in person. Of course, I talked to him about “Saving Private Ryan” and “Allied Assault.” He was well aware of the impact he made on young folks like me, and he always seemed humbled by it... > > ...He remembered visiting Arlington Cemetery with his then-18-year-old son, heartbroken to see soldiers his son’s age on those gravestones. Maybe the Zampella touch was just a human one — everywhere in the past generations of games, and missed in those to come." I didn't cut my teenaged-teeth on the *Call of Duty* games or *Medal of Honor*. We were a strictly Nintendo house pretty much until I was [[PlayStationMemories- PS4 Week#PlayStationMemory number 1— PlayStation 3 for Christmas|given a PS3 in the Christmas of 2011]]. We did get *Call of Duty 3* for the Nintendo Wii. All I remember from that game was my dad asking why there was not a toggle to turn off the foul language. My exposure to *Call of Duty* came at friends' houses, primarily in Spec Ops modes or just run and gun multiplayer. I remember spending hours playing Demolition on Rust with friends locally. Vince and the team knew what made for a fun, addictive gameplay loop. I remember No Russian, of course. One of the all time greats that still sends chills down your spine. I enjoyed *Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order*. I still haven't played *Jedi: Survivor*. I even interviewed multiple times with EA to work on documentation for *Apex Legends*. I was aware of Zampella, but not as deeply as I probably should have been. Like Gene said, he changed the entire medium.