What does your younger brother think of Black Ops 2?

Call of Duty means something to everyone: the game has become an all-encompassing projection, a prism through which our own thoughts about the games industry are reflected. Black Ops 2, then, must carry the weight of an entire industry, and its media will spend the next six months engrossed in analysis and hyperbole about what the future holds. Like it or loathe it (and almost everyone I know loathes it), Call of Duty is a comically entertaining romp that indulges our supersoldier fantasies - but it's also so much more than just a video game.

I'm 25 years old, and I often think I've heard it all: Call of Duty is stupid, it's a cookie-cutter clone year after year, and its gargantuan success gobbles up smaller, worthier games. But lately I've realised it's too easy for those of us who exist on the periphery - the hardcore contingent of know-it-all gamers - to think we're in the right. When a series (or, barf, a franchise) gets as massive as Call of Duty, the sad fact of life is that the devoted game enthusiasts are just the tip of the iceberg.

I've no doubt most people reading this will have already had their say about this week's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 trailer. But what about the kids on Xbox LIVE who make mincemeat out of all of us; what do they think about the Black Ops 2 announcement? What about their brothers, sisters and parents?

Enter the Gaston family.

I have three brothers, and out of the four of us only one (Simon. Hi Simon!) doesn't actively play Call of Duty. Whereas I - slightly older, slightly more obsessive about the industry - have played every game in the series, my younger brothers James (20) and Matthew (18) started with Modern Warfare 2.

"Black Ops 2 looks interesting," says James, "although I'm not quite sure what to expect. The whole futuristic style reminds me of Halo, and if I wanted to play Halo I'd just play Halo."

James' favourite game in the series is the first Black Ops. "I racked up a whopping 14 days of online gameplay," he reminds me (he reminds everyone about it, quite frequently). What kept him playing? "The grind incentive and customisation features allowed me to switch it up, and what's more epic than seeing your personalised gun in the final killcam?"

The various customisation options were also a big draw for Matthew, who also found himself besotted by Treyarch's last romp: he levelled up to 15th prestige, and played the Nuketown map so much even I got bored of watching it.

"One thing I would like to see in multiplayer is more customisation," says Matthew. "If they give us vehicles as killstreaks then being able to pick a camo for them, or your custom emblem on the side, would be a nice touch."

Could it be, then, that a large contingent of Call of Duty's most loyal fans aren't even fussed about Black Ops 2's grand announcement, the brand new Strike Ops mode, and the switch to a futuristic setting? "I hope they give Zombies a twist," adds Matthew.

But perhaps last year's game didn't help Activision in the long run. Both James and Matthew found themselves disappointed by Modern Warfare 3. "Modern Warfare 3 is overrated," says James. "The game itself was decent, but online play in comparison to Black Ops was a massive disappointment." He's not yet forgiven me for giving Modern Warfare 3 a 9/10.

My mother, however, isn't really interested in new features.

"All I want is to never have to hear 'Why don't you bloody die?' when I am awoken from my slumber at 4am," she says.

Over the last decade, my mother has gotten used to her children playing games into the early hours of the morning, but few recent titles have managed to cause enough noise to awaken the family home.

Does she worry about the game's addictive nature, and whether Black Ops 2 might manage to get its hooks into her children? Does she think Matthew, currently about to embark on his last year of sixth form, can afford to hit 15th Prestige in Treyarch's sequel?

"Of course I'm worried but it's like with drugs - you know that they are addictive, but you close your eyes to the horrors and hope that the worst won't happen. Playing excessive amounts will affect [Matthew's] school work - sleep deprivation is not healthy."

If there's one thing Activision should be worried about, though, it's that neither of my brothers currently feel compelled to pick up Black Ops 2 on launch day.

"If it does let me down I don't think I'll be too surprised," says Matthew, begrudgingly admitting that he'll almost definitely acquire a copy before Christmas. James feels the same way: "I will purchase it, but not at full retail price."

And what of me, then, who makes his living writing about games like Call of Duty?

"I know you enjoy the gaming world but I do worry slightly that it will be a short career," says my mother.