Why Call Of Duty Players Are Divided By This Tournament DQ

There's one thing that probably every gamer comes in contact with when it comes to online multiplayer games: toxicity. Toxic gamers are a problem that multiple developers have tried to handle in various ways, but they'r almost impossible to get rid of entirely. The "Call of Duty" franchise unfortunately plays host to many toxic fans, and in a recent "Call of Duty: Mobile" tournament, pro team Tragik was disqualified mid-tournament due to unsportsmanlike behavior. However, this decision has been called into question.

The mega-popular "Call of Duty Mobile," which launched back in 2019, still has a thriving professional scene. Due a $20,000 "Call of Duty: Mobile" tournament on May 22, pro team Tragik was disqualified after a player shot at an opponent's dead body after clutching up a one-versus-three round. According to a report from Dexerto, this disqualification meant the team lost the match, making it impossible for Tragik to place in the tournament.

Generally, players are given warnings for specific toxic behavior when it's not referenced in the tournament rules. In a now-deleted tweet (archived by Dexerto), Tragik's manager posted an example of another player in the same tournament receiving a warning for shooting bodies after winning a round. Additionally, Pearl mentioned that it wasn't specifically stated in the tournament's rules that shooting bodies was an action that could result in disqualification.

Tragik's frustration was mirrored by several users on Twitter who argued that shooting fallen enemies isn't toxic behavior, and that it's a fairly common occurrence in "CoD" tournaments. Professional esports Darian "Zim" Abreu even mentioned that one team previously won the NA Regionals while shooting at dead bodies during every round.

According to several users on Twitter, the new rule was more or less instated during the tournament. Essentially, as pointed out by Tragik, the rules were changed "5 hours into a 6 hour event," suddenly making it so that shooting dead bodies was grounds for disqualification. 

One user, @TecknoFreak, called the hosts of the tournament "biased." Another user called it a "set up" and described the whole situation as "sus." One fan tweeted a clip from a professional "Call of Duty" match where one pro unloaded multiple clips into a dead enemy. By comparison, Tragik's player only let out a few shots.

It's too late for Tragik to reclaim victory following this disqualification, but it appears as though the debate over this call will rage for a while.