Call of Duty is one of the most popular game franchises in the world, thanks in large part to the captivating war environments they create time and time again. This atmosphere combined with exciting, fast-paced combat and creative campaigns make it the most successful first-person shooter franchise in video game history.

Mikal Vega is one of the men behind Activision’s latest and greatest and their partner studio Sledgehammer, Call of Duty: The Vanguard. As the director of the second unit, the former Navy SEAL was responsible for orchestrating the motion capture used for his action-packed story sequences, guiding the actors through their stunts. Considering his military career and the work he did on sets for Michael Bay, he’s the perfect man for the gig.

I recently moderated a conversation on Twitter Spaces with Vega, now Director of Performance Capture for Treyarch, to discuss his time in the Navy SEALs, his job in Hollywood, his passion for video games and how they helped him connect with his son while serving in Iraq.

InsideHook: When did you first start playing video games?

Mikal Vega: I have played video games all my life. I know I might not look like it on the outside, but I’m a great player and always have been. I even had one of the first systems released, Tennis For Two, and played it a lot. I had all the first systems after that, the ones the world forgot about. My favorite games at the beginning were of the fantasy genre.

How did you start to play Call of Duty?

I played Call of Duty since they made the game to be honest. The big one that really took me was Modern warfare 2. But I also have to give it up to Covert operations versions, because that’s when they introduced zombie mode, which I play the most when I’m just doing regular multiplayer. I played Call of Duty with my son while I was on tour with the military overseas. I played with him while in Iraq and felt like I was back in America with my child. I enjoyed the process of playing and improving with him. I have played throughout my serve and have used it to connect with those who are dear to me.

It is not only the veteran who serves in a war, but also the family. I was able to reduce the distance with him with the game. The price of absence is paid by everyone in a certain way, there is no way that it cannot affect my daughter and my son. Especially in times of war since September 11. I was gone 10-11 months throughout the year, doing what I had to do. The connection wasn’t the best of course, I just accepted it, although it could get frustrating at times.

How did you decide and finally join the Navy SEALs?

I started in the bomb squad, before starting field training. I stayed there for nine years. Did a lot of operations. Over time, I began to understand that my place was going to be in the teams. I discovered that I did not fit well in the ODL [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] community. I tried to get orders for the SEALs for six years, and I finally got it. I passed the selection the first time. There were 183 people at the start of the process and only 11 at the end.

Via the BUDS [Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL], you have to have the right mentality to get by. I was ready to die in BUDS. It was an acceptable result for me. Coming out unscathed is a bit of a miracle in itself. That was my state of mind at the time, I wasn’t going to give up no matter what. It was an acceptable risk for me. I suffered a lot of injuries while on duty, but they were all worth it. To anyone considering enlisting, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Have you had a time in your military career when you felt that call of duty, where you were really affected by the work you were doing?

There was an incident at the Green Zone Café, when a bomb exploded in the international zone of Baghdad, Iraq. My team and I were the first to introduce ourselves, so I was the land force commander. We conducted operations in the MACO zone and neutralized a second bomb that had been driven deeper into the green zone. We had to systematically clean an apartment complex that this guy had snuck into. This event led to another round of target packets which resulted in the capture and neutralization of a terrorist cell.

I remember deeply when we entered the rural village that we had liberated. This young lady came out and she was crying those tears of joy and thanking us for what we had done. The man who terrorized them had beheaded their neighbors and left their heads on their doorsteps. They were really terrible people. That moment was at the start of my wartime career, at the start of my deployment to combat, and a time when I felt like I was doing exactly what I had to do with my life. I felt like I was where I needed to be.

How did those experiences translate when you finally retired and started working in Hollywood?

The next deepest moment in my life was when I acted on the set of Transformers 3 with Michael Bay. I saw this kid who couldn’t have been more than three or four years old, and our eyes met. I started to walk towards him and he was almost catatonic with excitement. I weighed 260 pounds at the time with a bald head, mustache, tactical gear, and a rocket launcher on my back. He looked at me like I was a superhero.

I picked up this kid, who is starting to cry and suddenly I cried too. I began to feel the profound impact that you could have through the creative arts like filming, compared to the destruction we have done on the battlefield. Make no mistake, I’m not saying force isn’t necessary, as it most certainly is in some scenarios. But my own path as a warrior has become a more balanced pursuit.

How did you start working with the Call of Duty franchisee yourself?

I have been introduced to the people who do Call of Duty by a friend, who will remain anonymous. He put me in touch with a few people at Activision and I did an interview. They were looking for me to advise them on this shoot they were doing with Treyarch Studios. They needed to film a motion capture and were unable to do so by their usual means. I was lucky to have a good relationship with Rouge Mocap [a motion-capture studio] here in Los Angeles. They are like family there and we were able to organize ourselves to do some preview scenes with the stunt coordinator. We were able to put together something much more convincing than they used to do. Suddenly we were their go-to new guys for this kind of job.

Did you have any scenes or footage that you captured motion for and enjoyed the most?

Our main responsibility was the finishing moves, and the majority of them that we recorded did. I learned the challenge of recording action for video games, there are so many different angles to cover. I love stepping into this fantasy world because in many ways that’s when we really start to let go and have some fun. Because of this, I really liked that Rambo was in Call of Duty, and the execution we were able to do with him by throwing the guy’s knee, doing a 180 degree turn, and then shooting him with an explosive arrow. I’m sorry but it doesn’t get better than that. These projects are fun for us, and I know they are fun for the players as well.

What was it like to work on Call of Duty: The Vanguard?

I am very proud of the work I have done with Sledgehammer Games as the Second Unit Director on Call of Duty: The Vanguard. Their number one priority was for us to honor and respect the events of that time with accuracy and precision. I have to imagine it’s very strange for the guys who went through this monumental war to have video games made about it, and I wanted to do the best job possible for them. The people in the studios didn’t just want a good story, they wanted one as authentic as possible.

Has your military career been useful to you to accompany the actors and interpreters during the filming of certain sequences?

Personally, I find it useful, but I don’t need the actors I work with to understand what can be going on in a soldier’s head. In fact, I believe it would be next to impossible, given the complex nature of our experiences. What I need is for them to give the best of themselves, put their talents to work for the role and take effective leadership. The best I can do to share my point of view is to try to paint an emotion on them. It’s the closest we’re going to get. I also use my military background to help inspire the people I work with and put them in the right frame of mind, through these stories that I have.

How did you feel when you first played the game?

It was a really amazing experience to be able to play the full campaign for Avant-garde, this is the first one I worked on from start to finish. I played it on hard mode, so I could really experience it, and because I feel like playing easy is just a loophole. But it was really special to see all the elements that made it and see the final product, which of course I enjoyed.

What has it been like to work with the Call of Duty franchise as a veteran?

I respect this Activision and Call of Duty don’t just use veterans stories – they strive to honor veterans through their stories. People have really underestimated the gaming world as a community, and it’s amazing to be part of it from the inside out. Not only that, but the game is an amazing storytelling platform. If you see a game with a real storytelling, you know how powerful the storytelling element can be.

I also learned how inclusive it can be and the positivity it can bring to certain causes, like what Activision continues to do for veterans. I have a few veterans in my unit, but it wasn’t just the fact that they served that brought them to my team. I have them there because they are also great at their jobs. They give back a lot through the Call of Duty Endowment, which does a great job. It feels good to be part of this crew.