In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players are now asking Activision Blizzard to ban a trick: empty names. Because it is possible to play in CoD MW without a clearly visible name, making it harder for opponents to spot players. They demand this naming trick should be banned in the next patch.
This is the request: On reddit, user U/FaaW calls on Activision Blizzard to release a patch as soon as possible that bans “empty” usernames.
Smart players would use these empty usernames so that they are harder to see and do not have a red name above their head serving as a target.
The request for a faster solution to the problem is shared by many users on Reddit. The thread now has over 600 comments and almost 10,000 upvotes. This seems to be a problem that bothers many.
Clever from players – but stupid from CoD to allow it
This is how it is discussed: Generally, the action of giving oneself an “empty name” is viewed as a clever but unfair act by players utilizing this trick. Because players are trained to look for the red names of opponents in shooters.
At the same time, it is seen as stupid by Infinity Ward to allow such a thing. Visibility in CoD Modern Warfare is generally criticized: Therefore, “red names” are an important point of orientation to see where the opponent is and how to take them out in a match.
There is a discussion on reddit about whether such actions should result in a ban: Players are divided on this issue.
Players are not invulnerable due to this trick. This is not a classic and established exploit, like map glitches in CoD Modern Warfare, but the method still offers advantages.
Some ask “for a friend” how one can walk around without a visible name in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
How does it work? There are some “glitcher tutorials” online on YouTube for this trick. Essentially, it is sufficient to use a specific combination of characters that circulates online as an Activision ID via Copy&Paste. These characters are then accepted by Activision but not recognized in the game.
In the games The Division and League of Legends, there was a similar trend a few years ago. To not be “recognized as a known player” there, players used barcode names. This way, opponents could not easily recognize who they were playing against based on the name.
