Synonyms

Esports; First-person shooter; Free-to-play; Loot box; Mod

Definition

First-person-shooter (FPS) = a genre of games where the camera focuses on a gun (or other weapon) where the objective is to eliminate specific targets.

E-sports = a sports competition with video games as the focus rather than traditional sports.

History of Counter-Strike Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (often abbreviated as CS:GO) is a team-based online first-person-shooter for Windows, OS X, Linux, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 platforms in 2012. CS:GO was developed and published by Valve (Moore 2018). Counterstrike was originally a mod for a game, also developed by Valve, called Half-Life. A mod is an unofficial change to a video game created by players of the game. Mods can range from changing the way a game looks to changing the way a gamemode would normally work, in essence creating its own unique identity.

Since the early 2000s, Counter-Strike has evolved into its own standalone game franchise. CS:GO. In 2018, Valve changed CS:GO’s pricing method, switching to a free-to-play model by using revenue from cosmetic items to supplant the up-front cost. Free-to-play games allow access to a large part of the gameplay activities without up-front monetization. In-game purchases for cosmetic items offset the lack of up-front revenue.

Counter-Strike’s most popular feature is its online matchmaking. It is a 5v5 team-based game that involves two sides, called the Terrorists and Counter Terrorists. The Terrorists are responsible for planting a bomb and ensuring that it explodes, while the Counter Terrorists are responsible for defending bomb sites and defusing the bomb. Players do not respawn after they die. Each team must strategize and/or counteract the opposing team’s plays and be able to break through enemy lines or keep their defenses up; however, the fast pace of Counter Strike means that constantly being able to communicate efficiently and thoroughly to teammates can prove to be a challenge. For example, if a team’s takeover strategy failed, the team has to quickly think of a new strategy in order to adapt, rise, and overcome. There are many problems that a team must solve on the fly, but are not directly told. Some include communication, playing as a team, doing your part in the match, etc. There are many scenarios that make the game enticing enough that most seasoned veterans return season after season; the team that either kills all other players on the opposing team or blows/defuses the bomb wins the round. CS:GO has a large competitive scene. There are massive competitive tournaments with many different professional Counter Strike players that play for sometimes millions of dollars. These tournaments, such as DreamHack, ESL, and more, hold some of the most viewed e-sports tournaments.

CS:GO allows players to host their own servers that have their own modded game modes. Other fan-created game-modes include bunny-hop, which is hopping from platform to platform to reach the end in the fewest number of mistakes. There are some other game modes that have gathered an audience, but run on small private servers. There are other features that a large part of CS:GO’s player base partake in. One of the major ones being skin trading. Skins are just customizable wraps that several artists develop. They can be obtained from loot boxes. A loot box is an item that holds several other random items that can be used to change an item’s appearance, in-game equipment, and other gameplay elements. It is often used as a way to monetize a game further. Some forms of Loot Boxes have been speculated to be a form of gambling. Some exceedingly rare and exclusive items have been sold on markets for over $30,000 USD.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was well received by critics at the time of release, with most ranging from 8/10 to 9.5/10. It has a Metacritic score of 83 and a user score of 7.5 (Metacritic 2012). After an update in 2013, an economy around the in-game skins cultivated several websites that allowed users to gamble their skins, including underaged players. Valve took steps in the following months to dissuade gambling sites from operation. In 2018, several countries passed antiloot box laws as they determined that they were gambling; Valve changed the game in the Netherlands and Belgium to comply with these laws by preventing the opening of loot boxes.

Cross-References