Call of Duty Black Ops 6's bong gun sparks debate over drug promotion amid player bans for swearing

midian182

midian182

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WTF?! The Call of Duty games have been receiving unexpected operators and weapon skins for years, and the latest entry in the series, Black Ops 6, is no different. An upcoming DLC for the popular FPS will include a gun that is also a bong, which you can actually smoke in-game. Its appearance has started a debate over why Activision can seemingly promote drug culture while also banning people for swearing.

Video of the bong gun was highlighted by ModernWarzone, a fan-made Call of Duty account on X that posted a datamined clip of the weapon. It's part of the Dank Days Tracer Pack, which includes a slew of weed-themed items such as this "Bongshot" Mastercraft Blueprint for the KSV SMG. Activision writes that the weapon's visual effects intensify as players successfully score more kills.

Black Ops 6 hands out communications bans to players who use aggressive, offensive, derogatory, or culturally charged language. The Call of Duty Code of Conduct prohibits hate speech, discrimination, sexism, harassment, and cyber-bullying, but there are plenty of comments on X suggesting it is hypocritical to enforce these rules while appearing to promote drug use.

The Dank Days Tracer Pack also features the "Blunty" operator skin that turns your character into a lizard, much like the lighter used on the bong gun. The DLC also comes with the Weed Wacker A.G.R. MK 1 scorestreak skin, the Toke-a-Bloke finishing move, the Aim High weapon reticle, the My Bong weapon charm, the Pass It spray, and the Greener Grass loading screen. There's even a baseball bat that turns into a mobile rave with a cat as a DJ.

This isn't the first instance of marijuana-themed content appearing in the Call of Duty games. Cheech and Chong, voiced by the comedians themselves, appeared in an event called Blaze Up in 2023.

Going back to the original Modern Warfare 2's release in 2009, there were emblems and calling cards that referenced dope, including a cannabis leaf and a name card with a depiction of a joint. These drug references were part of the reason why the ERSB awarded it an M rating.

Black Ops 6 is proving to be the best-reviewed Call of Duty game in years. It was one of our picks in The Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing) feature.

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Call of Duty Black Ops 6's bong gun sparks debate over drug promotion amid player bans for swearing

 
Many of these supposedly "developed countries" are being permissive regarding drug use. Yeah, they don't have enough problems already and are just making more. But It's great to see the decline up close.
 
DanteSmith said:
Many of these supposedly "developed countries" are being permissive regarding drug use. Yeah, they don't have enough problems already and are just making more. But It's great to see the decline up close.
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The pot heads don't really bother anyone. If you want to talk about drug use, I'd be worried about the opiate and meth amphetamine addicts running around on the streets. When you walk into a restaurant and they have a basket of free Narcan by the front door, you have a problem. As much as I hate Activision, I don't see anything wrong with a bong gun. I mean it's a game about war and murder but people are worried about a bong?

From the posts I read on here, I have no doubt that half the posters themselves are probably stoned.
 
yRaz said:
The pot heads don't really bother anyone. If you want to talk about drug use, I'd be worried about the opiate and meth amphetamine addicts running around on the streets. When you walk into a restaurant and they have a basket of free Narcan by the front door, you have a problem. As much as I hate Activision, I don't see anything wrong with a bong gun. I mean it's a game about war and murder but people are worried about a bong?

From the posts I read on here, I have no doubt that half the posters themselves are probably stoned.
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I think the issue in question for the article that it is ok to have drugs in the game but you say F U to someone and you get banned.
 
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stewi0001 said:
I think the issue in question for the article that it is ok to have drugs in the game but you say F U to someone and you get banned.
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well, yes. However, I was more or less trying to point out how absurd the idea of anything being offensive in the game about war and murder is. The censorship is certainly silly and trash talking was always part of the fun of games. If you don't like the **** talking, turn off voice chat.
 
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I didn't know if it's promoting drugs but I know this kind of stupid is why I quit playing the game. Sorry *** Activision cashing in on morons who like this kind of trash.
 
yRaz said:
The pot heads don't really bother anyone. If you want to talk about drug use, I'd be worried about the opiate and meth amphetamine addicts running around on the streets. When you walk into a restaurant and they have a basket of free Narcan by the front door, you have a problem. As much as I hate Activision, I don't see anything wrong with a bong gun. I mean it's a game about war and murder but people are worried about a bong?

From the posts I read on here, I have no doubt that half the posters themselves are probably stoned.
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How is a generation of people left without purpose, living on the streets and dependent on continuous drug use, not considered a problem? Have you seen what Canada has become?
 
First who said they ban for swearing? I can atest that is completely false. You can say cuss words, what you cant do is repeatly cuss at someone. The AI will flag that n chat ban you.
As usual, you cant just say things over n over, be racist n think nothing will happen. A player can also report you for voice or chat n you can be banned rather quickly.

These are just voice bans, nothing perma.
 
DanteSmith said:
How is a generation of people left without purpose, living on the streets and dependent on continuous drug use, not considered a problem? Have you seen what Canada has become?
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Weed isn't doing that. Don't be ridiculous.
What you are talking about is the same thing yRaz is complaining about.

Weed is as legal as alcohol in California, where the game is made.
 
Maybe its just me but I'm not sure how **** talking in a game being banned is at all associated with a game having drug themed weapon packs? Those are two unrelated and inequivalent things.

Extreme **** talking or being disrespectful in the game actually meaningfully degrades the player experience and its in Activision's best interest to keep that behavior to a minimum.

Digital weed paraphernalia isn't getting anyone high or even really promoting anyone should get high.

While I absolutely do not play BLOPs, and I generally find both excessive **** talking and stoners annoying, I would rather be around a bunch of mild mannered stoners than a bunch of unnecessarily aggressive sober people.
 
texasrattler said:
First who said they ban for swearing? I can atest that is completely false. You can say cuss words, what you cant do is repeatly cuss at someone. The AI will flag that n chat ban you.
As usual, you cant just say things over n over, be racist n think nothing will happen. A player can also report you for voice or chat n you can be banned rather quickly.

These are just voice bans, nothing perma.
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What makes your anecdote any more believable than other's anecdotes? And why does repeatedly cussing at someone earn you a ban in a game about brutally gunning people down, blowing them up, ece?
Skjorn said:
Weed isn't doing that. Don't be ridiculous.
What you are talking about is the same thing yRaz is complaining about.

Weed is as legal as alcohol in California, where the game is made.
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Weed is not legal in the vast majority of the world, where the game is sold.
 
Real world problems. I wish I was 17 again worry free and stating I got five on it.
Not to be a party pooper but there are new studies proving that weed can cause cardiac failure, excerbate schizophrenia and recently cancer. The gateway drug to polypharmacy!
Also there is also risk of it being laced with fentanyl. Pharmacies have fentanyl test kits. Damb my teenage years in the late 90s were marvelous compared to what's out there now potentially.
 
Theinsanegamer said:
What makes your anecdote any more believable than other's anecdotes? And why does repeatedly cussing at someone earn you a ban in a game about brutally gunning people down, blowing them up, ece?
Weed is not legal in the vast majority of the world, where the game is sold.
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Why would it earn you a ban repeatly saying anything offensive? Because it's already classed offensive behavior, AI is now used and it's against it's rules, in the end MS is the one controls the AI that's COD uses. If they say don't abuse voice chat, then don't abuse it. If you do then they have said several times voice bans will be enforced and they do it.
To me don't say stupid things and stupid things won't happen to you.

The purpose of all of this, is to slow down the toxicity in the game. It has worked. A few months ago a report came out saying toxicity has dropped by a huge margin. I think it was like 60%, maybe even more.
So at least to MS and COD it appears to be working as intended.
 
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