Counter-Strike
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Deaf CSGO player Spacesplash hits level 10 on Faceit
Fariha Bhatti
Could you imagine ranking up without using your headphones? This Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player is proving that it’s possible. To win a game of CSGO, you must have impeccable hearing, optimal headphones, and sharp senses. This is what most of the high-ranked CSGO players have learned throughout the years. However, this deaf CSGO player is winning his competitive games with zero audio. Hearing is of utmost importance in any first-person …
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This multipurpose smoke on Overpass makes T-side easier
Fariha Bhatti
Overpass is one of the trickest maps to win as Terrorists, which is why its unique design calls for complex strategies to bag rounds on both sides. Competitive maps in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are suitably balanced but one side often has an advantage due to the structure of entryways, size of the location, and more. The two-story map Overpass allows for incredible plays and executes, like throwing a fake utility …
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Silver player matches with master guardians, wins dramatic 1v5
Steven Rondina
What happens when you take a silver-ranked Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player and drop him into a game with a bunch of master guardians? Silliness. And sometimes, an improbably victory. One player recently had this happen with a silver IV player somehow getting matched up against a group of master guardians. Naturally, the game went poorly for the overmatched player but they did manage to have one shining moment. Faced with …
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Tarik explains why pro players switch to Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant has roped in dozens of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players but Tarik “tarik” Celik doesn’t think professional players should be blamed for making the switch. It’s no secret that CSGO is currently going through its biggest slump in history. Most of the player decline could be attributed to the pro scene exodus triggered by the release of competitor Valorant. While older CS fans aren’t happy about pros transitioning to Valorant, …
How did Lucky perform in his ESL Pro League debut at Astralis?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Astralis breathed a collective sigh of relief as new AWPer Lucky puts on a respectable debut at ESL Pro League. Astralis made the last-minute decision to swap Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth with brand new AWPer Philip “Lucky” Ewald for ESL Pro League Season 14. In the squad’s first match against Team Spirit, Lucky demonstrated an unexpected amount of confidence. The young sniper went toe-to-toe against established international competition in the 2-1 …
Xyp9x says Astralis’ era is “dead,” open to new opportunities
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Legendary clutch minister Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth has revealed that he’s exploring other options ahead of the end of his contract with Astralis. The Danish organization’s slump is quite evident since star player Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz made the big switch. The team has struggled to find its footing since. And with rumors of most players stepping down, it seems that the “Astralis era” is nearing an end. The team’s oldest member …
CSGO star Stewie2K says he will “eventually” switch to Valorant
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid’s star entry fragger has plans to enter Valorant, but he’s in no hurry. Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip revealed on his stream that he does eventually plan to transfer to Valorant, but he claims that the switch will not happen anytime soon. For now, Stewie2K will continue to rifle for Team Liquid’s CSGO roster. In a stream on August 15, Stewie2k discussed the idea of a Valorant watch party with …
ESL Pro League Season 14 group stage betting preview
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The newest season of ESL Pro League will be the last big Counter-Strike: Global Offensive betting opportunity before the Stockholm Major in October. The Electronic Sports League attracted the best CSGO teams with the promise of $750,000 in an online tournament. ESL Pro League Season 14 will be the final top-level proving round before the $2,000,000 major in Stockholm. The first stage of ESL Pro League is a group stage …
Game-breaking CSGO “god mode” bug makes players invincible
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has encountered a weird bug that effectively triggers god mode. CSGO’s enduring esports scene is a testament to how deep the gameplay is and how stable it has been over the years. The game has its fair share of glitches and bugs that make it a nuisance to play, but these have generally been minor. A big one does sometimes slip through the cracks though, …
CSGO hacker facing 6 years in prison over alleged DDoS attack
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Ruining a game usually lands you a 30-minute matchmaking ban, but one griefer is staring at six years in prison. Swedish police have arrested a citizen accused of cyberattacks on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matchmaking service Esportal. The suspect is believed to have launched thousands of direct denial of service attacks on the website, specifically targeting certain streamers. This arrest comes as cybercrimes come more and more under the spotlight due …
Turkish CSGO superteam finally launches as Eternal Fire
William Davis
Counter-Strike
A brand new Turkish team might become a top-level contender in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The roster of Eternal Fire has finally been unveiled. After weeks of heartfelt goodbyes and social media teasing, four Turkish players and one Jordanian have been confirmed for the official roster. This player-owned team will aim to become a top-level contender in the European CSGO scene. With big names and decades of combined experience, the new …
Should CSGO have a forgive option for killing teammates?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s anti-griefing measures were put in place for good reason, but shouldn’t the victim be given a say? Under CSGO’s current rules, any player who exceeds a certain amount of team damage instances or team kills is automatically booted from the server. None of the affected players, including the victim, can prevent this automated kick. Giving players the opportunity to forgive their killer might help make CSGO a …
CSGO players troll Valve for music kit update “nobody asked for”
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update has ruffled the player base that was counting on meaningful content or an anti-cheat fix. It’s no secret that CSGO has a cheater problem that’s getting worst each day. Despite a new purchasable Prime status, players don’t see much improvement in ranked queues. Continuous complaints from professional players and the casual base haven’t budged the developer that has released yet another update that doesn’t …
MSL launches new Danish CSGO roster with aizy and JUGi
William Davis
Counter-Strike
After weeks of anticipation, Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen’s new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster has finally been revealed. The squad is primarily composed of very experienced players. Rifler Frederik “Fessor” Sørensen is still on the rise. The new CSGO team will be commanded by MSL himself, who previously called shots for North and OpTic Gaming. The squad is currently looking for a sponsor before attempting to qualify for major tournaments. MSL’s new …
Betting favorites and dark horses for ESL Pro League Season 14
William Davis
Counter-Strike
ESL Pro League Season 14 will be the biggest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament between now and the $2 million PGL Major Stockholm in October. The 24 teams in attendance include most of the best CSGO squads in the world. With so many matches to play, the sequential group stage will take nearly three weeks to complete. That means plenty of opportunities to pad out your betting purse for the Stockholm …
shroud says that Counter-Strike players are the “best gamers”
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
It’s no secret that Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has a love-hate relationship with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but he’s a firm believer that CSGO players are some of the “best gamers” of all time. shroud was a decorated CSGO pro during his peak playing days. Unlike other retired players, shroud only became more popular as one of the most influential Twitch streamers after stepping away from the competition. Despite his dynamic resume, …
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.
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Counter-Strike
