Between sayings like ‘life imitates art’ and the ever-popular (especially with uninformed parents) ‘video games cause violence’, it’s an interesting idea to look at things from a different perspective – not if games cause violence, but rather if they can be used to solve conflicts that would otherwise BE violent.
Sure, it’s not exactly feasible to play out a war with a game of battleships instead, however quick, cheap and practical that would be, but it’s a humorous take on a serious topic – and it’s not as far-fetched as you may think. Enter C.O.D.E Bowl.
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Various militaries around the world are already involved with esports and gaming – and that means they’re primed to compete against each other. Without any physical confrontation whatsoever.
An example of this is the upcoming Call of Duty Endowment Bowl – the C.O.D.E Bowl. Held by the USAA, the second iteration of this event marks a unique type of competition. The UK Army will be competing with the US Air Force. Eight teams made up of members of the military will be competing against each other… in Call of Duty!
“We are thrilled to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to compete in the CODE Bowl,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “This will be the first time all military branches with eSports teams have come together for a spirited competition that also raises awareness for veteran employment, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
You’ll be able to watch the event live on Twitch as well as YouTube, and if you watch for more than 30 minutes on Twitch and link your CoD account, you’ll be rewarded with a 2XP in-game token. As for the players in the tournament – they’ll be competing 6v6 in a CoD Black Ops Cold War tournament, UK vs US.
In addition to the military team members, each of the eight teams will be coached by a CoD League pro, as well as a streamer in order to have them playing at their best!
The teams will be competing remotely from either the players’ homes or their respective military bases. All players were selected via qualifier tournaments – more than 200 teams competed for the 4 American team slots alone.
This tournament is more than just a competition though – the Endowment that is hosting all of this does more than just hold esports tournaments. They are also active in helping American veterans find new employment and the like. As part of the event, the C.O.D.E Bowl partnered with Ram Trucks, who will be giving a brand new car to a veteran who has been placed in a job via the Endowment recently.
Like last year, all net proceeds from the tournament will flow back to the Endowment and be used to place American vets in high-quality jobs. Since 2009, they have helped more than 77.000 vets – and their aim is to reach 100.000 by 2024.
You can follow the entire event the official Call of Duty Twitch channel starting on December 11 at 10 am PT. May the best military win!
Read next: Best CoD Players 2020 – Who are the top Call of Duty players?
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