Pro esports player Thomas 'ZooMaa' Paparatto has announced his retirement from the Call of Duty scene. The player's professional career began with a two-month stint with NA team Bati (now defunct) in December 2013, and he made a name for himself on Denial Esports in 2014 as part of the winning team at UMG Dallas 2014 (a Call of Duty Ghosts tournament) The majority of ZooMaa's career has been spent with the FaZe Clan from 2015 to 2019, with the last year spent with the New York Subliners.

ZooMaa explained this decision in a twitlonger post, attributing it to a prolonged injury return.

"This is the most difficult thing I have had to write. I am stepping down and will not be competing in competitive Call of Duty matches for the foreseeable future," Zoomer wrote. He continued, "Years ago when I was competing in FaZe, I suffered from muscle weakness in my thumb and wrist, which required surgery. The process of getting my body back to health was one of the hardest, both physically and mentally, and caused me a lot of stress and anxiety.

"Unfortunately, the recurrence of my injury made it really difficult for me to compete at the highest level against the best players in the world. Playing through the decline and pain in my hand is just not possible anymore. I can't enjoy competing if I can't be the Zoomer that everyone knows and loves, and I feel like it's not fair to myself or the team to have to go through the same thing all over again and potentially cause more damage to my hand."

The news was announced just days before the start of the latest Call of Duty League season, leaving the NY Subliners with a gap to fill on their roster. The team posted a thank you to ZooMaa and wished him a speedy recovery.

This sad news brings to the surface a problem that has always haunted esports organizations: how to keep players healthy. some may scoff at the designation athlete with respect to esports, but as Katie points out in that article, "repetitive strain injury or tennis elbow," tell that to the esports professionals who suffer from it. The physical risks and burdens that professional lifestyles place on young people's bodies are real.

ZooMaa's career spans eight years and he is now 25 years old. He believes that his future is still linked in some way to COD ("I love this game too much to leave it completely.")

"It's been an amazing journey," ZooMaa wrote. "I regret nothing and am grateful to have had such a long athletic career doing what I love at such a high level...I have met so many great people through esports and made many friendships that I will cherish for the rest of my life."