Poll: Call of Duty requires Skill... or not?

[AnExquisiteGentleman]

It's the age old question since CoD 4. I was wondering what Escapist thought. Me personally? I don't think so. Certainly takes some basic skill, but besides hoping you're connection is good enough and whether the other guy is ready or not plays a large part.

 

[Gxas]

A little. Not too much. I mean, getting into it and strategizing with your team takes some skill (making your team listen to you in the first place is just luck).

But come on, if I can pick up a controller and go +3K/D on my first match ever, then there isn't much involved here.

 

[zombiejoe]

I'm pretty sure everyone game needs skill. That's like saying simply going into a game and playing a little bit will make you a master. And that's not true. Now I'm not going to say that you have to spend years training and learning in that game, but practice will eventually make you better.

 

[jhlip]

I'm pretty sure everyone game needs skill. That's like saying simply going into a game and playing a little bit will make you a master. And that's not true. Now I'm not going to say that you have to spend years training and learning in that game, but practice will eventually make you better.

I agree with this statement in every way, but I do have to expand on my own opinion by saying that it seems more like a game of reflexes. Not that these reflexes can't be practiced, but seems to be more of a twitch game rather than a strategic game. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course.

 

[voetballeeuw]

I think that the COD series requires some skill, chiefly weapon control. It requires thinking ahead of your opponents (which I consider a skill), it's beneficial to understand which way your targets will run, or where they will hide. As long as you understand how the other players will react to the present scenario, you should be able to rack up a fair amount of kills. And Host Pro never hurts either.

 

[Superior Mind]

On certain games - well if one person can be better at someone else at Call of Duty then yes, there is an element of skill involved.

The debate over whether something is skillful or not in a game is pointless. I can't bloody stand the debate in game, usually started after someone gets killed one too many times in a certain way "X has no skill" or "***ING STOP USING X YOU **** YOU NO SKILL ****"

I mean seriously, if someone's killing you repeatedly one way and you're not clued in enough to figure out a way to stop it then sure, skill may or may not be a part of it - but you're still a dumbass.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

Every multiplayer game requires skill. How much skill depends entirely upon the opponents. Saying CoD doesn't require skill because it's a twitch shooter is preposterous. So because the game moves along at breakneck speed, all of a sudden there's no skill involved? I fail to follow that logic.

Good players will always beat bad players in Call of Duty. That is, by definition, what skill is.

 

[philzibit]

Some I'd say.

If your used to FPS like Battlefield and play COD for the first time, you'll be pretty set.

But there is skill in knowing maps and understanding weapons. Someone could easily use a M16 with a noob tube and go positive, but if someone can use an M14 on Firing Range and go, say, 14 - 1 (just a random number), then it is skill.

One of those easy to learn, hard to master games.

...Also luck and a good connection don't hurt none either.

A little. Not too much. I mean, getting into it and strategizing with your team takes some skill (making your team listen to you in the first place is just luck).

But come on, if I can pick up a controller and go +3K/D on my first match ever, then there isn't much involved here.

Exactly. I got a 27-14 with only knifing so it can't be that hard. And i almost never FPS game online.

But with skill, you could have went 27-13

 

[Kiefer13]

Of course it requires some skill. Some ways of playing it may require less skill than others, and there are certainly many, many more games that require a great deal more skill to play effectively, but that doesn't mean that playing Call of Duty requires no skill.

 

[InsaneOne10]

It really comes down to what you consider skill. Personally, I see CoD as more of being in the right place at the right time so you can get the first shots in, which is a skill of sorts but still subject to a lot of chance.

 

[triggrhappy94]

There's a very small amount of strategy and skill; knowing the maps helps a lot, and finding a load-out your good with. I have noticed I don't play as well as I did after not playing for awhile

 

[Krantos]

To do well is with some play styles, yes. Most of the time? no.

My favorite way to play is sneaking around behind enemy lines, either in a ghillie or simply using stealth perks and silenced weapons. Once you're there, it's pretty easy to rack up kills, but since the classes aren't built for a stand up fight, you have to get clever sometimes to get there.

 

[viking97]

it takes patience

 

[Vicarious Vangaurd]

It requires Adderal and that is all.

 

[sokka14]

Obviously it requires skill. It's such an absurd belief to think otherwise.

Kill/death ratios are rarely indicative of a player's skill anyway. Some methods of playing tend to offer a player higher kill/death ratios, so I'm always wary of someone who ends up with 15/3 or something similar - likelihood is they've been camping to achieve that score. The people who don't camp but achieve high scores are often either quite skillful with their weapons or are good at out-thinking their opponents (which is skillful).

 

[Plurralbles]

Well... considering that there are professional gamers in COD and they're not all belittled by the ones still playing counterstrike... I'd say it can take skill.

 

[WayOutThere]

CoD's multiplayer is too much like real life warzones for me. Too often you die not because of a lack of skill but because you took a single wrong step or failed to notice a sniper crouching a mile away. I'm not saying skill doesn't come into play here, clearly it does. People learn the maps and learn how to move and learn how to outfox enemies. However, no matter how good you an element of randomization remains. While there is a lot of skill at play here, that element of randomization is far too great for my tastes.

Edit: Note as far as the poll goes, I voted for the "yes" option.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Yeah it does take skill. Unfortunately, the game has become more newb friendly with each new iteration. UO was where the proper balance was struck. If you do well at the first CoD, it's because you understand the core mechanics of the game. Things like grenade launchers, custom classes, grenade indicators, kill streaks, and the mini map are just a lot of fluff which ultimately cripples the player.

It's an easy game to go positive with knifing and grenade launchers and luck and certain weapons. It takes skill to overcome those things. If you come out on top of a match using a G3 with a silencer and no stopping power, you're a lot more skilled than the player running around with a P90 in the green.