Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Does CSGO take place in the Half-Life universe?
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Are CSGO flashbangs causing real-life hearing damage to players?
William Davis
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
CSGO players are spawning out of bounds, is it a hack?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players are starting rounds well outside their spawns, and some suggest it isn’t a bug. CSGO has many long-standing bugs that the community has learned to live with. However, some glitches are too big to ignore, like this new one that teleports players into random map spots. But is it really a glitch? CSGO players have encountered this glitch spawning their teammates into the middle of the …
Counter-Strike
CSGO casters, talent consider ties with ESL after Saudi buyout
William Davis
In the wake of ESL’s purchase by a Saudi-controlled gaming company, several well-known Counter-Strike: Global Offensive casters and talent are speaking out. And some claim to now be done with ESL entirely. Two established names in CSGO production have decided to speak out on future events being hosted by the Electronic Sports League. Frankie Ward and Vince Hill have both announced the potential of no longer working with ESL and …
Counter-Strike
How will CSGO players be affected by ESL, FACEIT, Saudi merger?
Steven Rondina
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making a major push to take over the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports scene, with FACEIT and ESL merging and being absorbed by the Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Gaming Group. The news was revealed in a statement on a new website held jointly between the two companies. The merger combines FACEIT’s significant role in cultivating and highlighting new talent with ESL’s presence as one of the …
Counter-Strike
This is the easiest way to jump higher in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Have you ever noticed how professional players swiftly hop from one elevated area to another? Here’s how to jump higher in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive without complex movement tactics. CSGO is all about aim and communication, but smooth movement can help escape risky situations. For example, bunny hopping can help you reach safety faster when you’re mid-fight on low health. CSGO’s regular jump may hold you back from taking enemies by …
Counter-Strike
Woman calls out sexism in CSGO, and players respond
Olivia Richman
A female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has decided to speak out about the harassment they experience while playing CSGO. In a post made on social media, the gamer begged players to stop arbitrarily harassing their female teammates. While it’s not everyone who does it, it has happened to her in every recent game played. As a highly-ranked Legendary Eagle Master, this means that she has experienced harassment in every game …
Counter-Strike
The CSGO viewer’s guide to BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2022
William Davis
BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2022 marks the new beginning of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s biggest third-party circuit. BLAST has quickly become the biggest tournament organizer in CSGO outside of Valve itself. Last year’s BLAST Premier circuit ended with a bang with in-person play returning to BLAST Studio in Copenhagen for $1 million in prize money. Now the exciting action is gearing up for another year of seasonal play. The Spring Groups …
CSGO Dreams and Nightmares case skins revealed after $1.7 million contest
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valve has released the community case dubbed “Dreams and Nightmares,” which includes a combination of psychedelic and angelic skins. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans may want to prepare their wallets for the brand new skin case that has just dropped. The Dreams and Nightmares collection feature community-designed skins as part of a first-of-its-kind CSGO contest. Valve challenged the most creative of CSGO players to breathe life into their scariest nightmares or …
Why former CSGO pros are quitting Valorant to return to CSGO
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Decorated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella tried his luck with Valorant, but now he’s coming back to his original flame. nitr0 is the first major pro esports player to leave CSGO for Valorant and return to his original game. He officially signed with Team Liquid’s CSGO roster earlier this week. The move has serious implications for Valorant and many of its competitive players. nitr0 may be the first …
Will there be a new CSGO? Could we get Source 2 or a sequel?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
As modern shooter games continue to bulldoze Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, fans can’t help but think Valve’s silence may mean something. Dedicated players are hopeful that a new CSGO might save the scene. CSGO has garnered a massive player base since its release in 2012. Until 2020, it was the only go-to shooter game for all FPS fans. However, things took a turn when Riot Games dipped its toes in the …
A pro CSGO player just lost a 1v1 clutch to a chicken
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Losing in the clutch is never a good feeling, but this particular match left a pro player feeling absolutely fowl. A professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player just lost a one-on-one clutch situation due to a chicken. The duel on Inferno A site looked good for Casper “cadiaN” Møller until an errant chicken disrupted his defusal attempt. The entire debacle was streamed live on his official Twitch channel. Heroic’s captain attempted …
Five great budget CSGO rifle skins to add to your collection
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The right budget rifle skin in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can get you some mad drip without a guilt trip. Skins are an essential part of the CSGO experience. Spotting expensive cosmetics like a Dragon Lore or Gold Arabesque in the wild is always cool, but even certain budget skins have a certain appreciable quality. And the rifle slot is probably the most important skin in your collection. It’s what you’ll …
Everything you need to know before IEM Katowice 2022
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Katowice is a historic city in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and it’s about to add another important tournament to its list with IEM Katowice 2022. Intel Extreme Master XVI Katowice 2022 will be the first massive CSGO tournament of the new year. The event will gather 24 of the greatest teams in the world to compete for their share of a $1 million prize pool. It will also host a live …
shroud blasts Valve for letting Valorant “walk all over” CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Michael “shroud” Grzesiek isn’t happy with Valve’s approach to his old game and he has some advice for the developer on how to return the game to its former glory. shroud may have stopped playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but he still cares about his former “main game.” While watching the trailer for Valorant’s newest agent, Neon, shroud said CSGO has somewhat slipped into the background. …
Team Liquid confirms the return of nitr0 as CSGO captain
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
At long last, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella is returning to Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. The organization confirmed the return of its former captain on Twitter. The decorated shot-caller has been playing on 100 Thieves’ Valorant lineup, but is instead returning to his old game and his old organization in a blockbuster transfer. To celebrate his return, Team Liquid put out a dramatic video that shows nitr0 polishing a Captain …
Everything you need to know about CSGO’s player count in 2022
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
2022 is set to be a very big year for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the best barometer for the game’s health is its player count. Rival tactical shooter Valorant is in its second year of existence, and CSGO saw some major changes to its matchmaking system in 2021. This resulted in some enormous shifts to the game’s player base. But what did CSGO’s player count look like in 2021, and what …
CSGO pro FUSiON passes away unexpectedly, shocking community
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
A well-known Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro player has passed away. Alex “FUSiON” Dincof died on January 3, 2022 at just 23 years old. Next month he would have turned 24. The details behind FUSiON’s passing remain unknown. FUSiON was an Italian player who started competing in CSGO at just 17 years old. While Italy isn’t often on the map in esports, FUSiON had already competed on the international stage. In …
CSGO skin tradeups explained, plus how to guarantee factory new
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Tradeups are a great way to get new skins in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as long as you understand how they work. That’s where we can help. Opening new cases and ranking up your profile aren’t the only ways to get skins in CSGO. Tradeups are a volatile, but potentially very rewarding, option to get the gun of your dreams. But the rules for tradeups aren’t as simple as they may …
What is the most CT sided CSGO map of 2022?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive maps are generally well-balanced, but some locations heavily support one side over the other. We have assembled a list of the most CT sided CSGO maps in 2022. Valve has rolled out dozens of maps in CSGO since its release in 2012. Only a few maps managed to match the greatness of legendary locations like Dust 2, Inferno, and Mirage. However, all maps have a loyal fanbase …
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.
