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Navy gamers answer Call of Duty to take on world’s best in USA
3 September 2024
SIX of the Navy’s top gamers ‘fought’ opponents from the UK, US and Canada in one of the most high-profile events in the military Esports calendar.
The squad battled it out against nine other teams at the day-long Call of Duty Endowment Bowl in Washington DC – raising money to help veterans on either side of the Pond to find work.
An audience of more than 40,000 tuned in on streaming service Twitch as the US Army ultimately proved triumphant, well clear of their closest rivals the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Call of Duty (CoD), faced down contenders from all branches of the UK, US and Canadian Armed Forces to battle it out for the title of champion at the CoD Endowment Bowl on Wednesday 28 Aug.
As part of publishers Activision’s flagship CoD: Next event, CODE Bowl V brought together top players on the first-person shooter from ten military branches – with the RN Esports team being placed ninth.
Playing CoD: Warzone on the legendary Urzikstan map, teams tackled four rounds – or ‘drops’ - of team Battle Royale, a game mode where all the teams fight until only one is left standing.
“The competition this year was fierce, and the nature of the Battles Royales adds a degree of uncertainty and quick thinking in to the mix,” said Lieutenant Ashley Wharton, team manager and chair of RN Esports.
“Some teams have been practising for years whereas we have only had a few months, working on gameplay, tactics, weapon loadouts, communications and so on.”
Those few months’ proved sufficient for the RN to edge out the US Air Force, who propped up the CoD table.
Teams were joined by professional content creators and video games streamers Braderz and Stodeh, who played alongside them and helped to coach and develop the players.
There is a lot of teamwork, communication, trust, tactics; the list goes on, but all these things you do whilst playing is exactly the same as what you do in your day job, whether you are on ship or land-based.
As well as competing in the CODE Bowl, the team got a chance to get out and explore Washington DC: visits to the Washington Monument, White House and Lincoln Memorial. They also got to play the new CoD game, Black Ops 6, before it was officially launched at CoD: Next.
What the players appreciated most was to challenge themselves in a professional-level tournament.
“The venue was unbelievable, the layout was perfect” said AB (Diver) Rhys Dimmock-Williams of the Defence Diving School. “Getting to watch Call of Duty Next happening whilst we were waiting was amazing, and the atmosphere throughout the whole day was out of this world.
“Competing in event likes this will always push your boundaries as a player and make you better. Playing Esports and taking part in events like this will make you a better sailor as well, because most of the events are team based.
“There is a lot of teamwork, communication, trust, tactics; the list goes on, but all these things you do whilst playing is exactly the same as what you do in your day job, whether you are on ship or land-based.”
The contest in Washington has given the RN gamers a taste for more with the team planning intensified practising and tri-Service/international opponents ready for CODE Bowl VI.
Anyone interested in joining the RN Esports Community can email [email protected] for further information, and an invite to the Discord server.