Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan vs Heroic IEM Katowice betting analysis
Fariha Bhatti
Quarterfinals have filtered out the best teams for the next stage. Faze has made it to the semifinals, but would it maintain a form against Heroic? After the thrilling quarterfinals games, it is now time for the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams to battle it out in the semifinals of IEM Katowice. After beating Gambit in a one-sided game, FaZe Clan is now going up against Heroic to secure a …
Counter-Strike
These are the best gaming keyboards to buy in 2022
Fariha Bhatti
Keyboards are often an afterthought when building an optimal gaming setup. But a good keyboard can be a game-changer. How you interface with your computer matters a lot. The mouse and keyboard are two components that ensure a smooth interface in gaming. But players often put the keyboard on the backburner, not realizing that a good one can give you a real edge, not to mention adding to the comfortability …
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting & fantasy picks
William Davis
Natus Vincere and G2 Esports have made it to the final four of IEM Katowice, and our betting analysis predicts which one will advance to the grand finals. The final distribution of IEM Katowice’s $1 million prize pool is starting to solidify. Both Natus Vincere and G2 Esports have earned at least $80,000 already, but advancing to the grand finals earns a cool $180,000 with a shot at the $400,000 …
Counter-Strike
Deadly new Vertigo boost could stop ramp pushes forever
Steven Rondina
A deadly new boost has been discovered for Vertigo and it could redefine the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map’s notoriously contentious A site. In every iteration of Vertigo, sandbags has been a cheeky spot for CTs to lurk and a key point for defending ramp. What’s often forgotten about is everything behind Vertigo. A half-finished cement wall and railing is directly behind the spot to prevent players from falling off. What …
Counter-Strike
New bug sends CSGO players flying off of ladders
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may not have any absurd hero abilities mucking up the game, but CSGO players are now somehow exploiting bugs to fly around the map. Nuke’s ladders seem to have invisible springs that are launching players in the air. CSGO has remained the go-to tactical shooter for over a decade. Despite Valve’s best efforts to keep the game running smoothly, its players do occasionally encounter bugs. This latest …
Counter-Strike
Gambit Esports vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting picks
William Davis
Gambit and FaZe both ran into trouble on their path to the IEM Katowice playoffs, but our betting analysis will pick which team should come out on top. FaZe Clan and Gambit are in very different positions. After pushing Natus Vincere to its absolute limit, FaZe narrowly lost in overtime to start the playoffs in the first round. But FaZe is still a team to watch in the final stage. …
Counter-Strike
Fnatic possibly benching smooya after IEM Katowice elimination
Olivia Richman
Fnatic’s elimination from IEM Katowice may have led to some surprising roster moves. A source recently informed Dexerto that AWPer Owen “smooya” Butterfield is being benched after the team’s underwhelming performance. Fnatic left the Major in ninth place, falling to FaZe Clan and Astralis in IEM Katowice’s group stage. While smooya is a talented and popular player, it’s no secret that his performance has been lacking the past few months. …
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting analysis
William Davis
Natus Vincere is a clear favorite at IEM Katowice, but FaZe Clan won’t go down without a fight. IEM Katowice is in full swing, and the $1 million LAN has already brought a ton of great betting matchups. The most exciting match of February 20 will be a showdown between the favorites and a top-tier contender with plenty to prove. Natus Vincere has shown small signs of weakness throughout the …
Why was s1mple’s PC inspected during IEM Katowice match?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s computer getting inspected mid-match sparked confusion and controversy at IEM Katowice. On the second day of IEM Katowice, tournament officials were seen inspecting s1mple’s computer in the middle of a match against ENCE. Fans immediately speculated that s1mple’s computer was somehow tampered with. but talent and officials gave no official explanation on stream, further fueling the rumor mill. While definitely not evidence of the greatest active CSGO …
CSGO pro claims he was DDoSed during an official match
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Even professionals can fall victim to DDoS attacks in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A CSGO pro player claims that he was hit with a DDoS during a pivotal match at Pinnacle Winter Series. Haris “H4RR3” Hadžić, a rifler for 777 Esports, took to social media to voice his complaints regarding an alleged targeted DDoS attack on him. If true, the incident might have caused 777 to lose a match it would …
Heroic vs OG IEM Katowice CSGO betting analysis
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Heroic and OG will ring in IEM Katowice with an exciting first-round matchup. Our betting analysis will help you predict the winner. OG versus Heroic at IEM Katowice might be the most exciting match of the first round. OG’s new roster got a chance to shine at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups, but Heroic is a whole new standard to measure up to. The Danish roster has dodged controversy after controversy …
Team Liquid vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting analysis
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid and FaZe Clan both have a lot to prove at IEM Katowice, but our betting analysis puts one team squarely ahead of the other. FaZe Clan and Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rosters are both undergoing a period of change. For FaZe Clan, the recent acquisition of Robin “ropz” Kool has fans feeling cautiously optimistic. Liquid’s is obvious, as a recent team rebuild leaves the North American roster …
Bump mine maps are the hottest new CSGO community game mode
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Bump mine maps are the newest craze to hit the Steam Workshop in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Bump mines are usually reserved for hopping around in Danger Zone, but creative map developers have started using them as a toy. Their unique interactions in the Source engine allows players to navigate through movement courses in an entirely new way. An innovative new game mode is just getting started as a result, and …
Why is FalleN missing from Team Liquid at IEM Katowice?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid is missing a crucial player in Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo at IEM Katowice, but this absence isn’t a result of travel or health issues. Keen-eyed North American CSGO fans will notice that a core member of Team Liquid is missing at Intel Extreme Master Katowice. After almost a full year spent with the squad, AWPer FalleN has officially left to start his own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. While FalleN’s …
CSGO’s Trust Factor could be forcing you against cheaters
William Davis
Counter-Strike
When it comes to playing against cheaters, Trust Factor could be even more important than having a Prime account in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Several competitive video games have implemented a form of conduct score over the past few years, and CSGO is no exception. Called Trust Factor, the system is used to roughly measure how well a player behaves in-game. A player’s Trust Factor score can have a massive impact …
$2 million of CSGO skins lost after Steam Community ban
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
One of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most expensive backpacks has been lost forever following a Steam Community ban. According to CSGO YouTuber TDM_Heyzeus, Chinese skin trader QKSS has received a direct community ban from Valve. This locks away control of his backpack and leaves his skins inaccessible and untradeable. QKSS’s profile has since been set to private but they were known to have had a slew of extremely rare and expensive …
Did forZe just throw a clutch defuse in order to match fix?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Losing a clutch round is never a good feeling, but forZe’ players must feel particularly bad after throwing a one-versus-zero on Nuke. Assuming that they were really trying to win it. In one of the biggest blunders of 2022, Russian squad forZe managed to lose a one-versus-zero defuse clutch. After securing the final kill, surviving forZe player Aleksandr “shalfey” Marenov appeared to wander around the bombiste aimlessly rather than defusing …
This portrait of s1mple made with Rubik’s Cubes is amazing
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
AWP master Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is adored by many, but one Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player may be the biggest s1mple fan so far. His Rubik’s Cube portrait of s1mple is nothing short of amazing. s1mple is pegged as one of the best CSGO players to have ever touched the game. The Ukrainian legend has an inspiring story and a CSGO career studded with MVP awards and a major trophy. It’s …
This new Mirage bug has proven game-breaking in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
A glitch in Mirage has created a new peeking spot, which could cost the Counter-Terrorists their life. Not all glitches in CSGO are bad. Sometimes players exploit glitches to trick enemies and bag bonus kills, like this new one on Mirage. Players are now hoping their game gets bugged so they can gain an edge over the opponents. This brand new CSGO glitch on Mirage creates a sneaky opening between …
How did G2 Esports’ m0nesy perform in his pro CSGO debut?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov finally got his debut in pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and he showed up big time. G2 Esports took a big gamble by contracting rising star m0nesy from NAVI Junior. In addition to a massive buyout rumored to be at $600,000, the historic squad was picking up an inexperienced player with no history at the top pro level. Now that BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2022 is over, it’s …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
