The aim assist feature in the latest installment of Black Ops 6 is spoiling the players’ enjoyment of Call of Duty to a great extent. The clash that had been simmering for quite a time got ignited by popular streamer TimTheTatman when he shared a video clip of himself jokingly saying, “I don’t think my aim assist is working… @callofduty” during the game. The video clip spread like wildfire through the gaming community.
The video shows Tim’s crosshair moving erratically, sometimes going very fast and at other times slowing down uncontrollably, close to the enemy. He occasionally manages to shoot at the target through the crosshair but most of the time it deters him at the crucial moments. This situation is not just one-player-related, it is revealed through the replies in Tim’s tweet that almost an entire community is debating over the game’s aiming help.
So, what about the Aim assist in Call of Duty? Presently, it looks like the passionate arguments are giving birth to two main factions. While some players say the system is messed up, others say that players are “fighting” the aim assist without knowing it.
One player, Jozh, vigorously refuted the claims that a controller user is provided with “literally aimbot” if the aiming is done through a controller. “It’s just more PC wannabe elitism,” he wrote as a response to another player’s comment. On the contrary, xboxer214 mentioned, “Most people who say ‘My aim assist doesn’t do that’ usually confront the aim assist which makes it harder to aim.”
The whole argument gets even more confusing when it is taken into consideration that some players make no use of any sort of aim assist. PhantXmBLXZE stated, “I have been playing no aim assist for 4 years….. Aim assist is certainly an aimbot” and even uploaded a video of his game to demonstrate how accurate he is without any help.
On the contrary, ultamis presented a totally different thought—the “aim RESIST”—”It’s a legitimate phenomenon where the aim slowdown meant to ASSIST in targeting actually makes it more difficult. It causes your aim to slow as you get closer to your target to a point that you physically CAN’T hit them.”
The very nature of the argument has been questioned as the zeal shows that it could have an impact on the competitive scene. The players who put in hours and hours perfecting their skills are the ones that suffer the most from inconsistent assistance, as it easily goes against their muscle memory and thus, their performance.
What seems very peculiar is the fact that the players have made this debate very personal. One player said something like “Xbox Controller LOOOOOOL,” while others were more polite towards their preferred input methods. Besides, it has been going on for years in Call of Duty, but Black Ops 6 seems to be the most heated dispute to date between controller and mouse-and-keyboard players.
The situation is no different for the developers at Treyarch; they have had their share of controversies regarding aim assist and this incident is no exception. The same discussions arise every time a new title is released that either limits or boosts the power of the system. However, what differentiates the current situation from the past ones is the collection of shared clips as proof.
Treyarch has yet to make an official statement regarding the issue of aim assist, which might be one of the reasons behind the players’ frustration. One of the most popular streamers, TimTheTatman, is showing on his channel the mechanics’ breakage, and you would think that at least the acknowledgment of the issue would be the studio’s response.
There are some people in the community speculating that it might be a design choice by the developers—they are trying to make the game equally playable for novices and experts. If that were the case, then they would have to be the one explaining their logic; otherwise, it is the opposite and everyone is left to guess and argue among themselves.
Moreover, it couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Black Ops 6 is making desperate efforts to get into the competitive gaming scene. For professional players, nothing is more valuable than consistency, which, unfortunately, is nearly impossible to achieve when one is dealing with unpredictable aim assist.
What is really remarkable is that this entire controversy showcases the different gaming styles of gamers within the Call of Duty community. The best reflexed ones rely on the aim assist as part of their strategy, while others will struggle not to be affected or resort to using it against the system. When the rules change, not everyone is treated equally.
What might be required is the availability of more customization options that would allow players to adjust the strength of the aim assist in line with their individual preferences and styles. Until the developers address this issue, the community will remain divided and continue blaming each other for the missed shots.
In the end, it does not really matter whether the aim assist is indeed broken or the players are up against a system they can’t beat, the result is always the same—discontent, wrong shots, and heated discussions all over the social media. The only time the Call of Duty community will be at peace is when either Treyarch fixes the system or clarifies what the situation really is with the targeting assistance in Black Ops 6.
In the meantime, gamers will have no choice but to continue sharing clips, engaging in unproductive debates, and hoping that somewhere within the development studio, this discord is being noticed and noted. Because when you feel your aim is not quite right in a shooter game, it doesn’t only affect your performance but it also diminishes the overall satisfaction factor of the game.
PlayStation and other platforms continue to see similar debates in their respective communities.
