Why Call of Duty represents everything that's wrong with the world...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years, you've undoubtedly heard of Call of Duty, one of the most popular video games in the world. Why is it so popular? Well, if you're a gamer, it's easy to understand its popularity. Its biggest draw is its online multiplayer platform, Battle Royale. The game is centred around a large open-world map where gamers from all over the world duke it out to be the best. You can play it solo, as a pair, triples or quads, with friends or strangers. It's fun, collaborative, and adventurous until it's not.

But I'm not here to talk about Battle Royale. I'm here to talk about the Call of Duty mobile version and the multiplayer games that exist outside of the big map battleground of royale. I don't own a games console which is good because I hate losing and gaming can be addictive which is a double blow. If I did own one, I'd quickly get sucked into a five-hour gaming blackhole binge fest forgetting the value of daylight. That's the negative side of gaming that I thought I'd avoid by playing the mobile version instead, only it didn't quite work out like that.

Now for those unfamiliar, the mobile version is very similar to the console version, only much smaller and equally addictive. If you're anything like me, naturally competitive and relentlessly stubborn, then a quick game is rarely just one game. It becomes hard to put down and the more you play the more frustrated you get and the more obvious the games issues become. Okay so I hate losing, not because I'm a sore loser but because it's not in my DNA to quit l just keep going until I figure out how to win. But when you're playing a multiplayer game, it doesn't only depend on you and that's where the issue starts.

Call of Duty is a multiplayer game, and the mobile version is no different. In fact, most of the gameplay is designed to be just that, multiplayer team games. You play online against people from all over the world, or at least the region where your primary server is based. They have millions of monthly users all over the world, so you're up against a wide range of people usually identified only by their made-up call names. Now the game has issues with bugs, online lag, and cheaters, but that's not what makes me mad, although it doesn't help. As I pointed out earlier, I'm competitive and I grew up playing sports so I know how to play in a team. Not everybody does.

I think it's fair to say that the online environment, in general, is geared towards individualism. There is so much negativity and hate online that it overshadows all the kind-hearted and supportive togetherness that does exist. Social media companies and everybody else that's online to make money have realised that negativity creates traction and that increases engagements so they don't do anything about it. This brings me to my main issue with Activision and Call of Duty. For a game centred around multiplayer team play action, it's frustrating to the point of anger to realise the game makers encourage and reward selfish play. Online is where communities go to die. People of all ages express themselves negatively in an online environment and they are rewarded with views, likes, and increased exposure which reinforces the same behaviour. Nobody learns to be a good person online they learn only to care about themselves.

So let me explain. When I play Call of Duty mobile, I tend to play a lot of ranked matches. These are multiplayer games held among people of the same online ranking as you. I play at the Legendary level, in the top 0.1% of all players, but this happens at every level. In these games, there are a few different types of matches. Domination is a game where two teams of five face off against each other with the objective of dominating the map. There are three zones, A, B, and C. A and C are placed at either end of the map close to each opposing team's home base. The other zone, B, is in the middle of the map. The winning team holds two or more bases for as long as possible until the target score is achieved. So all you have two do is capture the bases and protect them from the opposite team.

Then there is a game called hardpoint. This is the same concept as domination, except instead, there is only one zone that moves around the map. This zone is available for an allotted time, and during that time, the two teams fight it out to secure the zone until it moves to its next location. Again the objective is to hold the zone for as long as possible until the points objectives are reached. There are other games, including Team Death Match and Front Line, which are simpler games where each team's only goal is to get as many kills as possible. But I want to focus on Domination and Hardpoint because these games are the ones I have the most issue with.

In both games described above, the objective is to secure a location on the map and defend it against the opposition team for as long as possible. Therefore, the only way to win is to capture the base or the hardpoint. Simple. Well, you would think so. It is beyond reason why I still play this game because the amount of players who fail to play these games properly is unbelievable. Remember, these are team games, two teams of five players, so you're only ever as strong as your weakest link. I should also point out an essential element in these games, it is played online with a random player selection, so for the most part, you don't choose your teammates. They are selected randomly from the pool of players within your rank online at that time.

So here it is, my issue and everything that is wrong with the world. Activision promotes and encourages selfish behaviour within the game. Players, therefore, don't learn from their negative gameplay and continue to play selfishly, and most likely, if they play enough, it also creeps into their everyday lives. How so? I hear you ask. At the end of the game, players are scored on their contribution to the game and an MVP player is identified. Players then get given points so they can gain and lose points and therefore move up or down the rankings. This is, though, a team game, so the points you earn aren't always directly influenced by you, but unfortunately, there is a way to prioritise yourself and earn points even if your team loses.

Let me lay it out for you. Let's say you're playing the game of hardpoint, and you spend over a minute in the hardpoint, the sole objective of the game. But you die a lot to do that because you're essentially in the kill box. The game's purpose is to be in the hardpoint so the opposition is doing their best to stop you from getting in and kill your avatar once you are. Don't worry; a kill is not permanent but just a part of the game. It is, after all, a shooter game based on soldier warfare. Tactical military units of five members (teams) working together to secure the game's objectives. So, picture this game, you've busted your gut to get to the hardpoint, you've died a lot, you've sacrificed for the team, and you're earning points for every second you spend in the hardpoint. It's hard work. Your team, the other four players, aren't helping. They are making no effort to get into the hardpoint and win the game, so you're fighting a losing battle. It's infuriating. The game ends, and you lose because the opposition spends longer in the hardpoint. You lose points because you lost and because you died a lot. More so than your teammates. Not because you're a worse player but because you're putting your avatar in the firing line repeatedly trying to secure the game's objectives, the hardpoint. Then you see that the so-called MVP of your team gets positive points, but he/she spent zero seconds in the hardpoint. They have a lot of kills, but they've severely handicapped their team by failing to follow the game's objectives. Regardless, Activision rewards their selfish gameplay with MVP status and a points reward. The rest of us get punished for their selfish play. We lost points.

What makes me so mad about this is that it happens time and time again. Players deliberately avoid the game's objective, such as capturing the base or the hardpoint and avoid getting in the firing line of the opposition's team. They get kills, but we lose the game, and they get rewarded. This is selfish play, and Call of Duty is riddled with it. Players are constantly rewarded for abandoning their teammates and playing for themselves. Now, as someone who grew up playing sports, this is beyond unacceptable behaviour. In the real world, if we were playing football (soccer) and I had a teammate not pulling his weight, he'd find out about it. The whole team would turn on him and chastise him for letting the team down. It doesn't matter how skilful or talented the player is. If he doesn't pass the ball or make the tackle, we're more likely to lose because we're essentially playing with one less player. In football, you might lose your place in the starting line-up, or if you continue to play selfishly, you might lose your place in the team entirely. Online, there are no consequences for your selfish behaviour. Instead, you are rewarded for it.

This me-first mentality is where our society is heading. Although comparing online gaming to the negative downfall of community spirit may seem over the top, you have to remember that we are talking about tens of millions of players. That's quite a robust data sample, and it's alarming to see how the owners of the game, the regulators, reward negative gameplay over team players in a team-based game. Instead of promoting and rewarding unity and team sacrifice, they reward selfish and ignorant players with this me-first mentality.

Thankfully, there are lots of other players like me who understand the game and know how to play in a team, but we are increasingly becoming the minority, and it doesn't stop at Call of Duty. The evidence is there to see all over social media and online. Negative headlines on articles that have nothing to do with the subject matter or lack any real depth, proof or corroboration. Negative, hateful, hurtful comments, jokes, stories, and articles are the ones that get promoted faster and shown to more people. The online world breeds hate, negativity, and selfishness. We are constantly exposing people to this me-first mentality and encouraging negative behaviour over and over again. It's only a game, but where does the game stop? All I know is if I owned Activision and made Call of Duty, the team players would get the rewards, and selfish play would be punished because that's how you win, together, not alone.