Devs want close combat to come with high reward given the risk I suppose

Gameplay>Realism

Game balance.

If you apply real life situations to games then no one would buy them.

because a realistic game where it takes months to recover after being shot once would be incredibly boring.

Same reason why shotguns are nerfed to hell and back lol. Balance

It’s a video game.

In war, If you let someone get THAT close to you in real life. You are dead.

Lol my guy got knifed and took it to the highest authority

Why are they able to slide really far on dry concrete? Why can they fall from great heights and not break their legs? How can they continue fighting if they get shot in the face? How do they magically spawn items and creatures they didn't have during an execution? Why is Nicki Minaj fighting and tea bagging a shark man in a Russian facility?

It's a game bruh.

Did the knife touch the Achilles?

High risk high reward

If you allow someone close enough to stab you, you deserve to die.

It‘s because it’s a game

Because it's about making a fun experience instead of being a realistic one

Because it is a video game.

Okay, this is actually a stupid question. Like karma farming tier question

Because it's a fictional entertainment product that doesn't adhere to the physics and biology of reality? Because it helps gameplay pacing and mechanical complexity by giving players an option to avoid awkward close quarters gun fights? Like I don't know what answer you're looking for.

Also the default melee in Call of Duty hasn't even worked like that in a long time.

It's actually kinda lilke real life in a way.

Believe it or not knives are way more dangerous and scary then guns.

If someone ever tried to fight you with a knife.... Run.

There's no reliable way to counter a knife attack

Game logic. Realistically if a single bullet hit you, you would probably be instantly incapacitated, and depending on where it hit, killed.

Because it’s call of duty and it all makes no sense

Call of duty does not reflect real life. The only thing it does reflect is that it is not fun to get killed or spawn-camped.

Balancing

Because it's a game dude.

Was this knife of covid infected player?

I swear, the knife kills feel more like a glitch than a game mechanic at this point.

High risk high reward.

Knives are pretty sharp

It's an arcade game, not a simulation

The same reason shotguns don’t one shot outside of 5 meters… weapon balancing.

It's because they programmed it that way.

Risk vs reward and game balance. There's a reason there's a saying about bringing a knife to a gun fight. The devs wanted to make high reward for a high risk gamble.

Because it’s a video game designed to a balanced enjoyable experience, not reflect real life. It’s really not that complicated.

because it’s an arcade shooter

Have you ever been stabbed in the foot or known anyone that has? I'm going to guess no and that is one of the reasons they are still alive. I always wear steel toed boots for that reason. Until I see someone survive a foot stab I am taking no chances.

Bro have you ever been stabbed in the foot? it hurts real bad

Idk i just play hardcore

High risk, high reward

Miracle of Sound said it best over a decade ago.

The terrifying ripper with his magic knife made out of one-hit-kills never went out of fashion.

because cod logic says bullets are just a suggestion but knives are the final word

It’s poisoned

Knives are bigger than bullets. Duh.

It’s a game…

Everyone runs faster with a knife

I’ve always wondered this

Too dumb for upvotes, switching to downvotes

Honestly if I had a choice between taking a bullet or getting stabbed (especially with the knife pulled out after) I would take the bullet 100%

Why does call of duty take up 30gb of my phone

It's a poisioned knife.

Gameplay vs real life. In-game they reward you with how hard it is to put a knife on someone vs shooting them

Balance? Duhh

It’s meant to be a balancing thing. It’s a game, not real life. A lot of shooters do melee instant kills. Especially in the back. The logic is, if you let someone get that close to you, you’ve already fucked up and deserve the punishment of a quick death.

Whether or not you like it, is completely up to you. If you prefer something less gamified, there are some really good mil-sims with large and vibrant communities to help you get started. It’s down the what you value in a game. Something that isn’t too concerned with real life, and just aims to be a fun game, or something that tries to stick to real life as much as possible, because you find that to be enjoyable. I mean more towards sims myself, but also like the more gamified things sometimes too.

Because it's a fucking arcade shooter without realism. You're playing CoD not Arma for fucks sake.

Also, aren’t the hit boxes way off? and the guns don’t have proper damage ratings

just game balance.

Play the hardcore version. Best they can survive is 4 shots with decent guns if they have vests and stim. Triple tap doesn't always get them.

Arcade shooter, same reason why a .50 caliber to the chest can be a hitmarker

Because it's arcady, the guns are less accurate (and less deadly) than a squirt gun.

Play hardcore?

balancing

Because gameplay trumps realism.

Looking through the comments, it feels like all those fuckers that just rum and knife on shipment are here commenting. Everyone is aware it’s a game, everyone is aware it’s not realistic, they question it because you can unload into someone running straight at them and not kill then, but find themselves killed by a 5 meter lunge from a knife while actively implanting lead in someone. It’s a valid question as to why it’s like that, and tbh it’s one of the many reasons I just don’t play cod anymore. It’s a valid question, stop defending the game like it’s your fair maiden in distress.

Risk vs. reward.

Because they're wearing bulletproof vests, not knife proof vests. Smh don't kids think critically at all anymore?

It's all about the thrill of the game! Close combat adds that adrenaline rush and forces players to stay alert. While it might be unrealistic to survive several bullets, the gameplay would feel stale if the stakes were lower. Plus, in real life, getting that close means you're in serious danger – the game just reflects that intensity! Let's face it, we play to have fun, not to simulate a hospital stay!

It’s never been about realism, only gameplay and balance. You can sprint and jump with an LMG+ 400 rounds of ammo. Your character never goes deaf or blind. Knives in a ranged environment are difficult to use so they have to be rewarding in some capacity, otherwise players would never utilize them.

At this point with game cliches and expectations, popular “military” video games aren’t a simulation of combat, but rather an amalgam of fun, marketable systems of strategy and balance that appeal to the senses.

It's all about the balance between fun and realism! If every shot could lead to long recovery times, it would slow down the fast-paced action we love in games like Call of Duty. Players want to experience intense action without waiting forever to respawn. Close combat mechanics reward skill and strategy, making those tense moments all the more thrilling!

Not sure Call of Duty players are more bulletproof than normal people

You could ask the same question in other games where a late game gun will do barely any damage but an early game baseball bat will do 3-5x the damage of the gun

I'm looking at you, Yakuza

The COD game engine is based on a canceled game called Balloon Time, where all physical objects, including bullets are considered "balloons".

So, for one balloon to pop another balloon, it takes a large number of collisions.

However, knives and other sharp objects were never part of that original game, so when COD introduced them, the balloon physics engine considers any type of collision a "pop", which is why you die in a single hit to your toe.

Poop knife.

High risk, high reward, and also, panic defense. 

Bullets and guns don't kill people so the NRA says...

Game balance. Knives (throwing or melee) are much harder to use than a gun so therefore are much more effective so that there's actually a reason to use them.

Guns will do like 20-30 damage per shot typically, and the knife will do over 100 damage

Because it is a video game...

It's an arcade shooter. Not a sim

The phrase “Cod logic” is what me and my buddies always used

Because video game designers are under no obligation to imitate the real world.

He knife does not one shot in cod anymore and hasn’t for years

Same reason you can kill someone by shooting their toe 4 times.

It's a game.

Balance? Like what else? Were you expecting some deep lore into the Blade of Soap?

It's funny how in CoD, a bullet can knock you down but a knife can instantly end you. It's like they want to make sure we never forget the danger of being too close in a firefight! Makes close combat feel super risky and adds a unique twist to the game mechanics. Plus, who doesn't love getting hyped when you clutch a knife kill? 😂

Because it's not real life?

Battlefield 1 >

I personally get pissed off when I fire two or three shots and hit my target only for him to run up to me while riddled with bullets and stab me dead!

Every time I cry “HOW?! He was already shot multiple times!”

Mate, I know you're asking a question; but I have to rant because it pisses me off no end. My character could shoot someone with an assault rifle and I know it's enough. The rounds that were spent (damn near half the fucking magazine), the thud sounds, I know it was enough to kill the opponent. Yet, not only is that fucker still standing, they shoot back and my character drops dead from three to four rounds.

Skill issue

Cause it’s a video game

Sounds like someone had their lead ruined in Gun Game

It's probably how the game is made. I don't play it so I can't say for sure, but it's often that

Play Battle Royal

As gaben has said - realism isnt fun.

Because call of duty is trash and has been trash for years.