Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting analysis
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Bump mine maps are the hottest new CSGO community game mode
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Why is FalleN missing from Team Liquid at IEM Katowice?
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
CSGO’s Trust Factor could be forcing you against cheaters
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
This new Mirage bug has proven game-breaking in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Counter-Strike
How did G2 Esports’ m0nesy perform in his pro CSGO debut?
William Davis
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
CSGO pro finds a new way to calculate perfect lineups based on mouse sensitivity
Fariha Bhatti
Professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Robin “ropz” Kool has found a new trick to line up impossible pixel smokes after Valve’s ban on the cl_showpos command. From casual to professional CSGO players, everyone used the infamous cl_showpos command to track their velocity, height, stamina, and other precise values in the game. Apart from monitoring speed, players used it to execute tricky lineups. It was recently added to cheat-protected lists, leaving …
Counter-Strike
CSGO reaches a new high unique player count since 2020
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is off to a particularly good start in 2022. The classic shooter isn’t dying by any means, new stats show. CSGO was the number one go-to shooter until its popularity took a hit by Valorant’s release in 2020. But after almost 20 years at the helm of the first-person shooter category, the game seemed to be sliding into the background. It was reduced to a “dead game” …
pashaBiceps made his MMA debut, here’s how he did
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike legend Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski isn’t just a decorated esports star and a popular streamer anymore, he’s also a pro MMA fighter. The former Virtus.pro sniper and current Team Liquid streamer stepped into the cage with bodybuilding YouTuber Michał “Owca” Owczarzak at the High League 2 event in Krakow. Not only did he make the walk, but pashaBiceps scored a strong second-round knockout victory over Owca. Both men were making …
CSGO’s official Major rulebook has finally been publicized
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The official rulebook for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports is now available to the public. In the interest of transparency, Valve has decided to release an official and up-to-date version of the CSGO Major rulebook. This document lists all the official rules for Major events sponsored by Valve. While it does not apply to tournaments outside of the pinnacle of CSGO, aspiring tournament organizers and third-party runners can base their own …
pashaBiceps says a Mercedes destroyed Virtus.pro’s CSGO team
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Esports squads like Virtus.pro can break up for all sorts of reasons, but getting a Mercedes-Benz as a gift is a weird one. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive legend Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski has finally revealed why the revered Virtus.pro roster of the late 2010s disbanded. According to an interview with a Polish publication, the dissolution began due to management rewarding a player with a Mercedes-Benz. According to pashaBiceps, Virtus.pro management wanted to …
GeT_RiGhT vs s1mple: The battle for the title of CSGO GOAT
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The greatest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player of all time is now clearly a battle between old and new. The GOAT of CSGO is a two-horse race between Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. The two players have dominated their respective eras, leaving fans with a difficult choice between the two. Both players’ have a few achievements over on the other, but only one still has time to add to …
New CSGO Boardroom sticker capsule includes community memes
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
New Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sticker capsule proves that Valve isn’t entirely out of touch with the community. The boardroom sticker capsule includes popular CSGO memes and references. CSGO is a highly realistic first-person shooter with killer firearms and lifelike agents. Stickers and sprays ensure that players don’t forget to have some fun in the game’s rusty scenery. Valve has rolled out some light-hearted memes in February’s sticker capsule. The brand …
PGL announces first CSGO major of 2022 will be in Belgium
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter: Strike: Global Offensive has officially returned to LAN, as the game’s second consecutive major event to be hosted by PGL will be heading to Belgium in 2022. When live play returned to CSGO after many months away, it broke several viewership records in CSGO’s long history. The memorable PGL Stockholm major had fans wanting more, and the organizer seems to have listened. PGL has announced 2022’s first CSGO major …
CSGO streamer banned for shaving private parts live on Twitch
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Who could have thought that shaving your most private parts live on stream could get you banned? A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive streamer is now banned on Twitch after trimming his pubic hair live on stream. It’s not known if the scandal was intentionally done to garner attention or done on accident, but Twitch staff swiftly responded with a ban. While Twitch allows streamers to show some skin, getting entirely naked …
This new software can protect your hearing when playing CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Are you sensitive to harsh sounds or just hate Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s high-pitched flashbangs? This new software can help deal with annoying sounds in CSGO. Flashbangs are extremely useful in ambushing clueless enemies, but they’re not as fun for everyone. Most recently, Team GamerLegion’s rifler Patrik “Zero” Žúdel revealed that the tone emitted by CSGO’s flashbangs is similar to the noise experienced by those who suffer from tinnitus. This frequency …
This Japanese visual novel is CSGO’s weirdest spinoff
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The Counter-Strike series is full of weird footnotes, but nothing tops the game’s lost visual novel from 2005. Counter-Strike NEO -WHITE MEMORIES- is a visual novel exclusive to Japan that is based on the Counter-Strike franchise. The game was developed entirely by Bandai Namco and released in 2005. While primarily a visual novel, the game also has portions that play out more similarly to Doom than Counter-Strike. While Counter-Strike is …
Are Prime CSGO players getting matched with non-Prime cheaters?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Prime Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players are reporting non-Prime cheaters in their matches. How could this happen? Several posters on CSGO social media have reported playing against cheaters in Prime matchmaking. This is nothing new, but now some are claiming that the opposing team included non-Prime players. Prime is meant to act as a paid safeguard against cheating, but has Valve suddenly changed the rules? Several social media posters have claimed …
Does CSGO take place in the Half-Life universe?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The lore for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a mixed bag, and players are wondering if it could be tied with Valve’s landmark Half-Life series. CSGO and Half-Life are undeniably connected. They both use the same engines, share several map assets, and involve shooting a whole bunch of bad dudes. But the connections might not stop there. Valve famously uses the Half-Life universe as the basis for the Portal series, but …
Are CSGO flashbangs causing real-life hearing damage to players?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
A pro player claims that flashbang grenades can trigger hearing damage in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Team GamerLegion rifler Patrik “Zero” Žúdel claims that the specific frequency emitted by flashbang grenades can cause or exacerbate hearing damage in CSGO players. According to Zero, the sound created by flashbangs is very similar to the tones experienced by people with tinnitus. Don’t expect to see him do the Flashbang Dance anytime soon. CSGO …
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.
