shroud says that Counter-Strike players are the “best gamers”

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, he never revisited CSGO properly after moving to different games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, and Valorant. 

shroud has played tons of top-notch games, but he still thinks that the CSGO player base is unique for unknown reasons. 

The former CSGO pro has now switched to streaming different games, but he’s primarily known for his Valorant content, CSGO’s fresh contendor. Since his content switch, shroud has been vocal about how CSGO doesn’t appeal to him anymore, openly speaking about the perceived flaws in the game. While shroud prioritizes playing Valorant over Valve’s famous shooter, he still has a soft spot for CSGO’s players. 

“I personally think people who played Counter-Strike like 1.6, 1.5, and still played it growing up I truly believe those are the best gamers, I swear, I swear on my mom. Those are the best gamers of all time in any game,” shroud said.

Shroud appreciates the CS veterans, but he isn’t sure what sets these players apart from others. The Valorant streamer stressed that he couldn’t put the finger on what makes CS so unique, but he is sure it doesn’t have anything to do with the game mechanics. 

“I don’t know what it is, though. I don’t get it.  I don’t think it has too much to do with the game mechanics itself. I just think it was the time of which those players played those games,” shroud said. 

According to shroud, the era when CS was at its peak contributed a lot to how its players turned out. When CS was the ultimate shooter game, so many different games and genres came out that they were “playing it all.” This may have made the older CS veterans different and more polished compared to the younger players who grew up with other games. 

Unfortunately, CSGO’s player count in 2021 shows that game is rapidly losing its popularity due to many factors, including the release of newer shooter Valorant. The game has seen a dramatic loss in numbers consistently through six months for the first time since its release.