Michael Phelps answers the 'Call of Duty'

When he's not competing in the swimming pool, Michael Phelps prefers to compete on virtual battlefields.

The Olympic gold medalist was one of several athletes and celebrities attending Activision's Call of Duty XP fan event in Los Angeles last weekend.

The event offers fresh details on the next installment of Call of Duty, the military-themed first-person shooter which will launch in November. During the three-day event, fans learned about changes to the franchise's popular multiplayer mode in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which moves military combat to outer space.

Attendees including Phelps, NBA player Karl Anthony-Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and actress Michelle Rodriguez got their first opportunity to play the game. More players will gain access to Infinite Warfare's multiplayer through a public beta launching on October 14.

"There are always so many small changes that happen from game to game," said Phelps during an interview with Paste BN. "After the fourth game, I finally felt like I understood everything."

The game's biggest addition is "combat rigs," special tactical combat suits tailored according to the player's strategy. They include options such as Phantom for players who prefer to battle covertly, or Warfighter for those who want a more standard assault class. The game also introduces new gear including black hole grenades and firearms with ammunition that ricochets off walls.

Phelps started playing Call of Duty about six years ago, and considers himself a "huge fan." While training for the 2016 Olympics, Phelps said he played nearly 500 games of Call of Duty in between practices.

"Even when I do step away from the pool, and I have some down time, it's fun for me to be able to compete," said Phelps.

He's also a pretty big trash talker, at least when playing with friends. "With my friends, I'm a 10," he says on gauging his urge to talk trash while playing. "When I'm playing online, I usually don't have my headset on. Being a competitor for a living, I can kind of get heated up sometimes."

Life after Rio remains busy for Phelps, who won six medals (five gold) during the Olympic Games last month. He's getting married to his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, in about two months, and is focused on spending time with his three-month-old son, Boomer.

"For a lot of his life, I've been traveling," said Phelps. "So it's been nice being able to get to spend some more time with him, watching him grow some more and just hang out."

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.