Everything Wrong With Modern Warfare’s Skill-Based Matchmaking

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Jonah Hodo '20, Staff Writer

For years now, Call of Duty has been my go-to first-person shooter (FPS) video game when I wanted to have an enjoyable experience and just relax. 

This year though, with the introduction of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare, there was a change to the matchmaking experience. In previous years, players of all different skill ranges and levels all played together, without any issues. But this year, Modern Warfare introduced “skill-based matchmaking,” which serves to place players of a similar skill range into games together. 

The issue with this is that players in the upper echelon when it comes to skill, are constantly playing against other good players, which can be very tiring and annoying at times. I speak from experience because I am definitely an above-average player, and it is quite frustrating to constantly play against people who are trying as hard as possible, even when you just want to relax and play sometimes. Sometimes it is nice to encounter players who aren’t in the same skill range as you and dominate them. This is how it has always been in Call of Duty. 

Many prominent figures in the Call of Duty Modern Warfare scene have spoken out about their thoughts on skill-based matchmaking, but unfortunately, it seems that Infinity Ward has no intention of changing the matchmaking system anytime soon.

Image courtesy of Jonah Hodo ’20.