Call of Duty is one of gaming’s most successful franchises. And its success isn’t just limited to console and PC. Call of Duty: Mobile is a free-to-play juggernaut in its own right and was downloaded 270 million times in its first year. Its popularity can be largely attributed to its accurate replication of the popular Call of Duty gameplay formula on mobile devices. In the game, players can engage in 1v1 matches just like on console. 1v1 matches are often tense and exhilarating affairs where emotions run high. And for one COD Mobile player, a virtual 1v1 spilled over into the real world when their roommate reacted disastrously to an in-game loss.
Reddit user u/CasualGaming69 took to the official Call of Duty subreddit to share the story. In a post titled “How my roommate went to jail over 1v1s”, they explained that they “moved into a house with another dude that plays CODM [sic].” They continued: “Naturally I have to 1v1 him because no one in my town has beaten me 1v1 first try and I have to boost my incredibly small ego somehow.”
After killing him in the game numerous times, the roommate began making excuses for his losses. “Man you cheating bruh, stop camping, I’m lagging, take yo [sic] headphones out that’s cheating”, he argued. After a number of repeated defeats, the roommate suddenly snapped when other roommates overheard the commotion and started laughing about it.
u/CasualGaming69 described what finally pushed their roommate over the edge: “… as I turn the corner he spawns and I immediately 1 burst him, he becomes unhinged, and slaps the phone out of my hand.” They continued: “…as my roommate reacts to my cracked screen I kill him 2 more times. It’s 8-0 now.”
The final straw for the angry roommate was when u/CasualGaming69 “ran up behind him and knifed him [in] the back” in the 1v1. They explain: “He lost it. Dropped the phone and b***h boy slapped me in the face.” He then “picked up my knife and reared back like he was gonna stab me”. Luckily, the players’ other roommates intervened and stopped the incident from escalating any further.
u/CasualGaming69 dialled 911 and when the police arrived they reportedly voiced their surprise that they continued to play “after he slapped the phone [out] of my hand”. u/CasualGaming69 concluded the story by explaining that they would be pressing charges against the unhinged COD Mobile player and jokingly remarked: “Imagine being in jail when someone asks him why he’s in. And he says he tried to stab someone over losing in Call of Duty.”
What are your thoughts on this example of extreme ‘gamer rage’? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…