This is what top-level COD competition ****ing looks like
Video evidence of the rage at the Call of Duty European Championships. Not safe for work.
Update #2: An ESL spokesperson has gotten in touch about the video and, in the interests of fairness and balance, this is the organisation's take on it: "eSports events such as the recent Electronic Sports League European Finals are highly competitive and evoke a huge amount of passion and excitement among the participants. This is no different to sports such as football and rugby, where competitive spirit and banter are part of the mind games that take place between teams. The events are always conducted in a professional manner, and this film does not reflect the generally sportsmanslike behaviour we saw over the weekend."
Update: In hindsight, it was probably naive to imagine that a video of people being angry wouldn't inspire a certain amount of anger in response, but there you go. If you watch to the end, you'll see Ian's interview with one of the loudest voices in the compilation once he's calmed down, which puts a slightly friendlier face on things. Ian also tells me that everyone was all hugs and giggles when they weren't locked in competition - something you can see for yourself in our earlier video where nobody is shouting at all. We'll have a full recap of the European COD Championship soon to provide some more context.
Original story: Your mental image of high-level eSports competition might be the stony faces and intense, silent concentration of two Korean StarCraft pros going at it - but, it turns out, it's not all like that at all. Eurogamer's YouTube editor Ian Higton recently visited Cologne for the Call of Duty European Championships and witnessed the explosive aggression of top COD teams first-hand. These guys are a little more in touch with their feelings, shall we say.
Check out Ian's video below for a great insight into what it's like inside the room at these events. Not safe for work or polite company...
