More than one of the founding first-person shooter games, Call of Duty is an immersive experience that recalls a place and reality few have entered, much less emerged from.

While the game has undergone several incarnations since its introduction through Microsoft Windows, one thing remains unwavering: this is not a game for boys, but men with more than gamer glory in mind-and the means to permanently commit it to flesh.

These Call of Duty tattoo ideas not only speak of the fan and enthusiast, but echo the courage and nerve of our WWII and modern military brethren. Inking the symbols, weapons, and icons of the first four series is a salute to both the video game and heroic souls in combat.

Just as the Call of Duty world extends into Black Ops, Ghosts, and Zombies, so too does one’s wealth of tattoo designs. Now is your chance to seize your weapon of choice, and celebrate a crucial facet of your identity. Whichever side you’re on-US, Red, or British-you take your role seriously, and with unflinching style.

Video games leave a special kind of legacy in memory and the heart; they’re more than just the next tech wave or passing fad, but complex chapters of the psyche. The best video games answer to our most basic needs as well as loftier goals, and allow us to step into the shoes and identities we were meant to carry.

Your Call of Duty tattoo may not morph you back in time or in the presence of the otherworldly, but you’ll leave your mark in this one all the same.