Let’s be honest for a moment here: pretty much everyone around the world has at the very least thought about calling in “sick” to work or school while their health was perfectly fine, for one reason or another. For some folks, it’s a beach day; for others, just a chance to sleep for an extra few hours. And then, of course, there are the gamers.
It’s a classic running joke that a Call of Duty launch day means players will stay home “sick” to glue themselves to the TV and shoot virtual weapons all day. And it’s a joke that seems well-grounded in truth.
USA Today has a report on the uptick in unscheduled absences and sudden illnesses that take place on a Call of Duty launch day. CNET also chimes in, pointing to poll data gathered by IGN, which found that one in four respondents planned to call in “sick” today to get more Black Ops II time in.
Of course, as much as many of us would like to take a day off just to play a new game, reality often intervenes and we can’t always follow through. But plenty of folks, it seems, are. From the schoolkid cutting class to the savvy boss who knows exactly where his employees really are, Twitter is full of the stories of the Call of Duty twenty-four hour flu:
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268394529223225346
My mom is SO mad that im staying home just to play Call Of Duty. Im just way too lazy to fake sick.
— Mark (@cradle2grave__) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268311528896331776
Son home sick today. Just came out of his room: "I had a dream we went to pick up 'Call of Duty.'" ..aaaaand there it is.
— Rodney Lacroix (@RodLacroix) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268365054242598912
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268362613015064577
My brother faked sick to stay at home just to keep playin Call of duty Black Ops 2….. smh
— ៚ (@nelleee__) November 13, 2012
Emory is not at school today because he's "sick". That's code for "I stayed up all night playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2"….
— hey pretty face (@crazy_x_lover) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268344341968347136
https://twitter.com/embed/status/268340695763386369
I know people callin in sick just to stay at home and play call of duty black ops 2 lol
— Velly (@DVGeTTRipPy) November 13, 2012
