It’s been a long while since I’ve invested into a game like Call of Duty: WWII. Over the last few years, I’ve unintentionally veered more towards story based video games, and focused less on FPS. The only competitive shooter I’ve devotedly pursued is Overwatch, which is in an entirely different league to the CoD franchise.
Therefore, I’d forgotten how sacred a good kill/death ratio is in games like Call of Duty. How it’s a measure not only of your skill but your social standing in the game. An impressive K/D garners respect, while a bad one leaves you open to ridicule. Despite it being just a silly statistic in a video game, it’s very easy to become emotionally invested in your K/D. Just look at all the video game rage videos on YouTube – when your K/D is at stake, a loss can be earth shattering.
After falling victim to this K/D obsession myself, I think I have identified the five stages every gamer hits when it comes to grinding out for a good K/D.
1. Naïve Optimism
When you first start playing, you don’t even consider your K/D. You’re just excited to try out a new video game! Plus, it’s a new game, so everyone is going to be around the same skill level, right? You feel like you stand and a chance, and convince yourself you can actually be good at this game.
2. Carnage Ensues
You’ll have a few good games to start with, then suddenly the flames of hell will blaze. After thinking you’re doing ok, you’ll have four games in a row where you’re spawned sniped like fifty times. Then it’ll hit you. How could you forget that people had BETA access to this game for over a month? No wonder you’re getting destroyed. You’re there trying to work out the flow of a new map, while they’re already mastered it, camping in a secluded corner ready to kill you before you have a chance.
Then you’ll have the religiously devote players, who are 50 levels ahead of you within a day. It may be sad that they haven’t slept in 48 hours, but damn are their guns good.
3. Rage
It’s at this stage that the anger starts to set in. Every loss will make your blood boil that bit more, and it gets harder and harder to remain rational. There’s a strong chance you’ll scream quite a few profanities at your TV each time you die. You know you’ve reached this stage when all you can think about is throwing you controller through the TV as you watch your K/D plummet. It’s official, you’re emotionally invested.
4. Misery
After expending all your energy on being angry, you’ll probably be emotionally exhausted. Your anger will turn to raw disappointment and you’ll feel a definite sense of defeat. It’s usually around this stage that most people learn to take a step back from the game. Sure, you want a good K/D, but you also don’t want high blood pressure at the age of 25.
5. Success
Turns out, taking a step back from the game will do you a world of good. By now, you’ll have a fairly good grasp of the game and plenty of practice. When you learn to keep a level head while playing the game, this will become obvious. Slowly but surely, your K/D will start to creep up and you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Can you relate to this struggle for an impressive K/D? Let us know in the comments below!
