The collegiate ‘Call of Duty‘ scene was thrown into chaos by a video showing a player from Grand Canyon University was found to have been cheating in the game. The video went viral within the competitive gaming world and on social media quickly ass the evidence presented was extremely compelling.
In most situations, when it is proven that an individual has been cheating, the punishment is usually quite strict, typically resulting in either a lengthy suspension or a permanent ban. However, the College’s ‘Call of Duty’ League’s punishment for this player was to suspend him for just one week. Consequently, many in the collegiate ‘Call of Duty’ community were not very pleased with this decision, which caused an uproar via social media.
Complete Investigation Detail About The College ‘COD’ League Cheating Scandal
The investigation has revealed that the league viewed video and social media posts, as well as evidence of communication between Grand Canyon University staff and the player, before issuing a competitive ruling on the player. In their ruling, the league stated that the cheating footage is from December and was not believed to have taken place during an official league match or scrimmage or while competing under league rules.
Additionally, all of the official games played by the player during the regular season took place in the school’s esports facility. The equipment used in those matches was searched, and nothing suspicious was found. The league, therefore concluded that the player did not affect match results.
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The ruling does not indicate that the player did not cheat; rather, it separates two different issues. The league treated the video as a confirmed offence after finishing the investigation, rather than a violation during competition. This distinction formed the basis of future penalties imposed on the player.
Grand Canyon University has also performed disciplinary action against the player and has an established monitoring system in place if that player continues to compete in esports.
Why The Punishment Caused Backlash?
The week 1 ban raised so much controversy because in many competitive gaming titles, cheating is considered a violation of character and not just a violation of the match. Many players stated that anyone who has ever cheated will cheat again if given the opportunity.
The league defended its decision by pointing to jurisdiction and proportional punishment. Since the clip was not recorded during league play and no official results were impacted, they said a season ban would count as retroactive punishment beyond the rulebook’s scope.
These two different viewpoints have caused dissonance amongst the professional gaming community. Some believe that the league followed its set rules by being procedurally correct and didn’t overreach. Others believe that when cheating is proved to have occurred, it has broken the trust relationship in terms of the players’ integrity, regardless of context.
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Ultimately, the argument has evolved from a focus on a single player to an argument regarding how esports will define fairness- Should punishment depend on where the cheating occurred, or on the act of cheating itself? This argument continues to be the centerpiece in the ongoing debate regarding collegiate ‘Call of Duty.‘
