Censor calls out CDL Challengers system over mental health concerns

❘ Published: 2022-01-21T13:06:50

MLG/Activision

Doug ‘Censor’ Martin has been playing competitive Call of Duty for more than a decade, and he’s leading the charge for change.

Call of Duty star Doug ‘Censor’ Martin has called out CoD’s Challengers system for its possible effects on players’ mental health in an impassioned plea for improvements during the Vanguard season.

The Call of Duty League 2022 season is ready to get underway, with the Kickoff Classic on January 21 pitting the best CoD players against each other in the latest iteration of the franchise, Vanguard.

While he is undoubtedly one of the most popular names in the scene, Censor has spent the last few seasons fighting from the sidelines, in the Call of Duty Challengers circuit, surrounded by fellow aspiring pro players.

While the state of the Challengers scene has been a hot topic of discussion in CoD esports, with even the former Manager of Competition Operations at the CDL calling the amateur circuit “low-to-no priority for most of the CDL organization.”

Censor has been waiting for his shot back on the main stage for some time now.

Now, Censor has had his say, and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows this time from a player that has typically always been “glass half full” type guy.

Read More: Censor roasts Vanguard pros “crying” about the game

In a series of tweets posted on January 20, Censor said: “COD Challengers structure is an extremely unhealthy system for a person’s mental health. Weekly online tournaments that rank you and determine your stock as a player is mega fugaze.

“Change needs to happen by next year (at) the latest. Such a sad place to be as an aspiring CoD pro.”

I LOVE playing COD and I even love competing on Vanguard. I’ll always love playing but MAN this system HAS to change ASAP. Someone put me in contact with the boss man I have plenty of solutions to offer.

— Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) January 21, 2022

He went on to ask to speak with “the boss man” because he “has plenty of solutions to offer,” though it remains to be seen if they choose to make such integral changes to the Challengers circuit now.

For these amateur players, the season got started almost immediately after Vanguard dropped, but with some recognizable names switching to other esports such as Halo, or even choosing to play in collegiate leagues, the Challengers scene is definitely leaving some players feeling disenfranchised.