This New Black Ops 6 Feature Will Only Make Call of Duty's Toxicity Problem Worse (2024)

No matter what kind of gamer you are, you can’t deny we all love new features. Activision is one such company that constantly adds upgrades, in-game additions, and optimization. Well, in the COD NEXT event, the makers of Call of Duty revealed something very interesting. And although this is something that will be loved by the community, I think this new feature can ignite toxicity on a whole other level, even outside Call of Duty Black Ops 6.

What Is This New and Dreadful Call of Duty Feature?

Well, in the event, Treyarch shared the new meat shield mechanic in Call of Duty Black Ops 6. Put simply, this mechanic will allow you to grab an enemy from behind and use them as a shield. The body shield is nothing new as it was an existing feature in the previous Black Ops Cold War singleplayer. And I’ll be honest, it is an interesting way to interact with close-range enemies.

Well, there is nothing wrong with the feature. As an FPS player who recently loved Spectre Divide and Deadlock for their unique approach, I love it when a unique factor is added to Call of Duty multiplayer. And while I was fine with it, Treyarch’s recent post was what concerned me.

Treyarch has confirmed in a post that you can use proximity chat while using the enemy as a meat shield. This effectively means you’ll be talking to a person who cannot do anything while you’ve held them hostage! Treyarch did end the post by saying “Be Nice”. Unfortunately, I do not think they know their community well.

The Already Toxic COD Chats Are Now Ignited Further

Ever since Call of Duty Multiplayer began, COD chats have been infamous for their toxicity. Over the years, this toxicity has gone too far. And while you would think this is limited to the game, the problem crosses video game borders.

Call of Duty proximity chat abusers do not waste time and arrive whenever a game is trying to tackle their toxicity issues. Whether it is Valorant or Apex Legends, players from the COD lobbies will come and say “You could not survive a COD lobby”. While they sound like it is some sort of achievement, in reality, toxicity only downgrades a game’s fun by being hard to mentally deal with.

In a Valorant post on hate speech and community health, multiple COD players responded with this same sentiment. Although most of these players don’t get attention, they are indeed the same people who put dirt in other communities as well.

That is exactly what I think will happen when the Black Ops 6 body shield mechanic arrives. But hold on though as it can get even worse. COD Warzone players make fast work of their enemies after getting into an engagement. Unfortunately, the new mechanic will give them plenty of time to show their true colors with the new mechanic giving them all the room they want to grief. That brings me to a pressing question:

How Should Activision Deal with Toxicity?

While there is no right answer, any game developer can deal with toxicity by taking strict action against offenders. That has never been the case in Call of Duty. Whether it is Warzone or Multiplayer, players get beyond limits to be rude in the game. This is a problem that Activison has been ignoring for years. I mean even if Activision tries, the community jumps on them by saying it is too much for the community to handle.

We have seen games like Apex Legends cultivating exclusivity in their Esports and community culture. Fortnite has also added voice reporting which makes it hard for abusers to even say anything wrong on the mic.

On the other hand, Valorant prioritizes feedback on negativity and offending behaviors. They even announced a hardware-level ban if necessary to protect the game’s environment. This results in players being more comfortable with these games instead of Call of Duty.

However, in this particular situation of COD, the game makers could simply disable the proximity chat while using someone as a body shield. I think this is an unnecessary addition to a game that already reeks of toxic culture. The game should be enjoyable instead of being stressful.

What are your thoughts on this new Call of Duty Black Ops 6 feature? Would you call me a snowflake for voicing for a better environment? Or do you also think Activision should limit its toxic community? Share your thoughts in the comments below.