Nicholas “Nickmercs” Kolcheff was for a long time the biggest Twitch streamer in the cosmos of Call of Duty: Warzone. For over a year, he has only been playing the battle royale occasionally, but he recently played a round again. In doing so, he explained his impression of why Warzone has lost many streamers – it is too “demanding”.
Who is Nickmercs?
- The streamer is among the biggest on Twitch. In his recent streams, he attracted an average of over 25,000 viewers to his channel, primarily playing Apex Legends (via twitchtracker.com). He is closely associated with the “FaZe Clan”.
- Nickmercs is a strong shooter player, especially with the controller. Years ago, he was considered the best in the world in Fortnite with a controller. In addition to his pro gameplay, he possesses a laid-back humor and a positive demeanor, which brings him many fans.
- With Warzone, he rose to become a top streamer, even managing to gather over 350,000 concurrent viewers in one stream. Now he only plays CoD occasionally and explains why many other streamers are experiencing the same.
By the way, the new Modern Warfare 2 is coming soon. Here’s a short trailer for the campaign:
Nickmercs thinks Warzone will go on bones
On September 12, Nickmercs released a YouTube video with one of his Warzone rounds. He was joined by TimTheTatman, the FaZe player Booya, and former CoD world champion TeeP.
In the middle of the match, he apparently realizes how much work Warzone demands from its players. Compared to the competition, Warzone is significantly “more demanding”, but not in terms of difficulty, rather in movement:
Let me tell you something, bro. Apex, CoD, Fortnite [in comparison] … This damn game [Warzone] is so demanding. You constantly have to crouch, slide, spam buttons.
The former league pro TeeP agrees: “Yeah, seriously”. The corresponding English video titled “Why Streamers are Leaving Warzone” we embed here:
The problem with constant inputs and demanding movement are actually injuries. Warzone requires players to make an extreme amount of inputs through actions like “Slide Cancel” or “Bunny Hopping”.
Injuries occur frequently, especially noticeable in the professional Call of Duty scene. In early 2021, pro player “ZooMaa” ended his career because his thumb and wrist could no longer handle the stress. ZooMaa ended his career at 25 after 8 years of daily training.
The strain is a serious issue for e-sports players. Due to the often young age of these players, the long-term effects of constant strain on their bones, joints, and muscles are underestimated. MOBAs like League of Legends also demand a lot from their players.
In an interview with the “Washington Post”, Chuck Tholl, a scientific researcher at the German Sports University Cologne, stated that professional players make up to 400 inputs in a minute.
He says: “Gamers perform micro-movements and fine motor skills that can seriously harm their bodies without preventive measures” (via washingtoinpost.com).
While there are already many teams in the professional scene that implement such preventive measures, it seems to be different for streamers. According to Nickmercs, there comes a point where you notice it and have to say goodbye.
Especially the “Slide Cancel” in Call of Duty puts pressure on the joints. You can practically perform it constantly, actually being slightly faster in CoD: Warzone with the trick and protecting yourself from headshots and targeted hits.
This very mechanic could actually be missing in the new Modern Warfare. There are rumors that the trick might completely disappear. The developers reportedly have the option to activate or remove the “Slide Cancel” from the game. However, these are currently just leaks.
By Friday, we’ll know for sure, as that’s when the Modern Warfare 2 Beta starts and many players will take their first rounds in the latest CoD.
If you have an opinion on the subject, leave a comment.
