Pro players respond after 15-year-old drops out of school to pursue pro Call of Duty

Calum Patterson

After an aspiring Call of Duty player revealed he had dropped out of school at only 15 to pursue his dream, professional players stepped in to prevent him making a bad choice.

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15 year old player ‘Loyal’ revealed to Twitter followers on January 10 that he had “convinced his parents” to allow him to drop out, saying “school will never determine your success.”

Loyal, who plays for Decimate Youth, immediately had a number of responses, including from pro players, advising that he had likely made a mistake.

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Call of Duty World League (CWL) rules stipulate that no player under 18 can compete in official CWL tournaments, meaning Loyal still has a few years at least of grinding at the amateur level.

Team Envy player Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo advised that there are plenty of ways to still chase the dream of competing while also getting an education, as something to fall back on.

And it appears SiLLY was not the only pro to offer a word of advice to the young player, as Loyal also thanked Pittsburgh Knights player Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano and former Team Kaliber player Dylan ‘Theory’ McGee.

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Not only pro players were looking out for Loyal, as upcoming amateur players who are also looking to take the next step up to the professional scene advised against dropping out.

Popular streamer and SnD star Nicholas ‘Equuip’ Viera explained that although he ‘respected the dedication’, it’s still important to have a back up plan.

Thanks to all the words of wisdoms from pro players and fellow aspiring pros, Loyal announced that he had reversed his decision to dropout.

Even professional players playing at the top level have managed educational success alongside their career in Call of Duty, namely 100 Thieves SlasheR, who won the 2016 World Championship with Team Envy, while completing a degree in robotic engineering.

Not only in Call of Duty either, as other FPS pros in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have similarly played professionally at the highest level while also completing tertiary education – Finn ‘Karrigan’ Andersen and Sean ‘seang@res’ gares to name only two.

The CWL’s ruling that players must be 18 to compete professional should help to curb the number of wishful players making the reckless decision to dropout of education solely to focus on competing.

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About The Author

Calum is Dexerto's Managing Editor, based in Scotland. Joining Dexerto in 2017, Calum has years of experience covering esports, gaming and online entertainment, and now leads the team to deliver the best coverage in these areas. An expert on all things Twitch and gaming influencers, he's also an expert in popular shooters like Apex Legends, CS2 and Call of Duty. You can contact Calum at calum.patterson@dexerto.com.