Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling, known as one of the most public faces of the Call of Duty franchise, has stepped down from his position, he said on his Twitter feed today.

Activision sent over an official statement on the situation this afternoon:

We sincerely thank Robert for his many years of service. He's been a trusted and valued member of the Infinity Ward team. We wish him all the best on his decision to pursue future opportunities.

[Twitter]

Will we ever see a Call of Duty game with a female protagonist? Commenter Nameloi wonders if the modern military shooter genre will ever give females a starring role on the battlefield in today's Speak Up on Kotaku.

Will there ever be a modern military game with a prominent female character(s)?

This is something that I have pondered for some time now seeing how popular these games are I find it odd how they completely erase any sort of idea of women in the military.

I think having a woman as a lead character in one of these types of games could be interesting from a storytelling perspective.

Nazi zombies are the stars of both movies and video games. With good reason. You combine a Nazi and a zombie and you've got twice the bad guy.

The premise is now set in (poly)stone with this statue from Sideshow, which shows an undead member of the 1000-year Reich in full lurch. As with most premium Sideshow statues it'll cost $350 when it's released later this year. You should be able to get one from your local comics store or favourite online toy retailer.

Semi-reliable British news source The Sun reports that terrorists are using Call of Duty and Halo to keep in touch with each other and train for terrorist attacks.

"Kids' fave keeps their plots secret," The Sun blares, which may well be possible. Scum terrorists may be using Call of Duty voice chat over Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 as they would Skype or burner cell phones to discuss plans to kill innocent people.

But why Call of Duty? Why Halo?

The Sun reports: "Sources say plotters choose realistic conflict games so they can mask their deadly discussions as harmless web chat."

Oh, yes. That's why they play Halo, of all games. This makes total sense unless you know anything about Halo and the wide gulf between it and the phrase "realistic conflict."

But maybe Call of Duty is a good fit for terrorists? After all, the paper does report that: "The terrorists choose incredibly realistic 'first person games' where the controller works through a complex simulation of war scenarios, carrying out missions and battling enemy fighters."

We can only hope that the terrorists are stupid enough to consider Call of Duty to be "incredibly realistic". If the next big terror plot is architected through Call of Duty, may we only have to wait for the terrorists to fall back and let their health regenerate before the authorities take them out.

Game Fanatics: TERRORISTS are using online war games like Call of Duty to plot attacks, The Sun can reveal. [The Sun]

Maine resident Cassandra Grant, 22, faces charges of second-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor after a round of Modern Warfare grew into a nine-month relationship with a 15-year-old Connecticut boy.

According to authorities, Grant met her unnamed victim (which I suppose is the correct term here) in March of 2011 while playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (likely Modern Warfare 2) online via her PlayStation 3. Grant was 21 at the time, the boy 14.

Over a period of nine months the two communicated on a regular basis via webcam, voice chat, and telephone, culminating in a live meeting in December, during which the two engaged in sexual activity.

The boy's parents uncovered the relationship after the meeting and called the police.

Grant turned herself into Monroe, Maine authorities on Monday and was released on $10,000 bail. She'll be in court on March 21. Police confiscated her PlayStation 3 and cell phone as part of the investigation.

There's a lesson to be learned here, both on the part of parents and would-be internet paramours, but it's a lesson they should already know; I won't beat a dead horse.

However, I can't help but be curious. Every time I get on Xbox Live I have to deal with these annoying-as-hell teenage players. Who in their right mind hears that and thinks "Yes, that is what I want to sleep with"?

I probably just answered my own question.

Cops: Woman had sex with teen she met playing online game [NewsTimes.com]

We've all encountered some pretty hilarious gamers on Xbox Live, whether they're intentionally comedic or not. The diverse age range means that many of these encounters involve some kid battling with his mom or dad to stay online for just a little bit longer.

Two guys camp out in an airplane in Call of Duty, and the star of our video apparently has the wherewithal to take them out, so he's obviously frustrated at his mother's incessant shouting. She really, really wants him at the dinner table (or some other request that I can't make out through her shrill shouting). Listen as her son absolutely loses it in a wild anxiety attack.

• WATCH: A desperate attempt to finish a round of Call of Duty is made in the video above.
• WATCH: Nathan Drake probably looked really weird while wandering the markets of Yemen all doped up.
• PLAY: InstaMatch is our Gaming App of the Day.
• WATCH: A sad documentary-style Halo fan film.

Did you see a particularly interesting video on the Internet? Know a friend who puts together awesome video game movies? If you have suggestions for Watch This, Play This, drop me a line at tina@kotaku.com and you may just see it featured here the next day.

Anyone who films himself or herself ranting about a ban and posting it online might have issues. Anyone who does that while wearing a plastic bag might be nutso.

In this video, a PS3 owner, who was apparently banned from the PlayStation Network, bitched and moaned—while wearing a several snuggies and a plastic bag on his head. He punched out holes so he could see, but not one so he could breathe (because that would make too much sense).

Apparently, the guy was banned over some sort of spat that broke out during Call of Duty. He and another player traded messages and insults, and according to the dude in this video, his own superb FPS skills caused jealously.

The individual isn't only upset that he was banned, but super pissed that he spent ¥10,000 (US$124) on his account over the past four years. He gets so worked up that he tries to tear a manga in half. And fails.

4年間鍛えたオンラインゲームの１万円課金アカウントがBANされマジギレ [YouTube via NicoNico Douga]

Publisher Activision took home a small victory in its longstanding legal battle against Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vincent Zampella earlier this week, convincing a Los Angeles judge to drop a fraud claim against it, according to a news report.

Bloomberg reports that State Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle dropped one of two fraud claims against Activision on Monday, though he let a promissory fraud claim stand.

For a full explanation of the complicated, longrunning legal battle between Activision, Electronic Arts, and the two ex-Infinity Ward heads, check out Kotaku's previous coverage.

Activision Wins Dismissal of One of Two Former Executives' Fraud Claims [Bloomberg via Gamasutra]

There is trolling in the name of evil, in which you act like an asshole. But there can sometimes be trolling in the name of public good. Like this.

Authentic military terminology is a part of the game, kid! War isn't all murder and explosions. There are communications protocols to maintain as well.

When some terrorist asshole's got everyone pinned down, there's only one way to solve the problem—up close and personal. Put another way, you can't kill Chuck Norris at close distance; close distance to Chuck Norris always kills you.