First day sales of Activision Blizzard's video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2  were huge -  almost 5 million copies in the first 24 hours on the market. It is being touted as the "top entertainment launch ever." From a marketing perspective, what's it all about?

First, check out their video ad:

The "Mature" rating and warnings of the new Call of Duty video game simply increases its appeal.

What makes "playing war" so damn compelling? In general, video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 give people a tremendous sense of power and control. A push of a button or click of a mouse and the bad guys are dead. TV educator Fred Rogers, of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood (who was actually my neighbor growing up in Pittsburgh!), used to say that kids were so attracted to guns because it immediately extended their impact on their world and made them feel far more powerful.

I must say, as a generally peaceful guy who does not spend a lot of time playing video games, just watching the Call of Duty preview really grabbed me. The realism of the graphics is incredibly compelling and made me want to jump in and "play." Even though I didn't want it to, it did. 

I'm seeing marketing opportunity. As a staunch advocate of the power of entertainment to teach, I ask: Can we make peace as compelling? Though some argue that good news (like the absence of war) is no news, I disagree. I challenge us all to apply the same money, creativity, and marketing ingenuity to sell peace as we do war. And to do it with broad market appeal and profitability - not just for us do-gooding, tree-hugging pacifists. IT CAN BE DONE. End of sermon.