It became clear that Jack Grealish was a fan of Call of Duty: Warzone when he was seen producing an overhead kick to punt a grenade in the promotional trailer for season three of the game. But now, not only is playing these games a way to kill some free time, but players are using these multiplayer games to stay in touch, build better relationships, and unite new members of the team. Aston Villa captain Grealish claims that playing Warzone will be a great way of staying competitive with his Villa and England teammates.
Jack Grealish said: “I’m a big Call of Duty fan and I’ve loved Warzone since it launched a year ago. It was quite surreal filming and now featuring in an ad for the game! Season 4 is an exciting release and I’m sure it’ll be a great way to keep the competition going between the lads after training and games.”
Grealish had a cameo in the promotional trailer launched back in April alongside a star-studded cast of celebrities such as AJ Tracey, Dennis Schroder, Druski, Gunna, Jack Harlow, Michelle Viscusi, Mookie Betts, Nadeshot, Rocky No Hands, Saweetie, Swae Lee and Young Thug. The 25-year-old, who is a keen gamer, went from playing Warzone on his sofa to being inside the game and volleying a grenade in the viral trailer, which was released in April. Villa manager Dean Smith has even accepted that gaming is a part of everyday life for younger players, and has even adjusted his training schedule with this in mind.
Dean Smith said: “Teams normally train at 10.30am but we train at 12pm now. Players, young men, they’re different. They don’t go to bed at 11pm, they go to bed at 2am. They’ve all got an Xbox, a PS4 and they’re up later.”
2020 saw many footballers start streaming themselves playing their favourite video games as they were locked indoors due to Covid-19 restrictions. Premier League players competed in live-streamed tournaments involving Call of Duty: Warzone and FIFA 20, where former Wolves forward Diogo Jota won the FIFA 20 ePremier League – a tournament which featured 18 different Premier League players competing against each other.