Although often maligned, Valve’s matchmaking service within Counter Strike: Global Offensive is, for most, if not the first then the only experience player will have within a truly competitive environment. The main criticisms against it do often ring true; trolls, griefers, noobs and leavers. However, once you have secured yourself four firm teammates that can accompany you through the depths of ELO hell, fulfilling and worthwhile experiences can be achieved. However, after sifting through the first few stages of the ranking system one problem becomes apparent. Games are no longer winnable through purely reacting to the events that occur in front of you. Here is where ‘the grind’ begins. Hundreds, if not thousands, of hours will now need to be invested to break through the ever increasing skill ceiling. If the system works correctly you will always face players that are within grasping distance of your skill, and yet, when you finally find yourself with the upper hand and a win streak is finally starting to develop, the caliber of enemies will rise once again. This poisonous, addictive and enthralling aspect of Counter Strike is what has kept its player base so loyal for over a decade. Although this system is definitely not unique to the Counter Strike series, when combined with the unique skill set that Counter Strike requires it is a match made in heaven.

At first glance, it seems as though it is the technical aspects of the game that require mastery to achieve success. Upon starting matchmaking it seems evident that your time within the game needs to be invested in tangible elements of the game. Reaction times, mouse precision and spray control are touted as the distinctions between a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ player. However, as these are mastered it becomes apparent that, although important, these technical abilities start to give way to the cerebral, almost undefinable, qualities of the game. Map strategy, bombsite tactics and understanding the meta enforce an almost philosophical undercurrent to gameplay — and all this just as you were beginning to think your aim_botz time was getting good.

This pattern, a pattern experienced by thousands Counter Strike players globally, is reflective of the pattern the game as a whole has had throughout its two decades of existence. A pattern wherein the mechanism of success moves from a mostly superficial technical challenge to a more authentic philosophical one can go some way in explaining the enduring success and steady growth of the game. More impressive is the growth and success even in the face of large scale, well funded challenges from Asia, venture capital and instant viral hits such as PlayerUnknowns: Battlegrounds and Fortnite.

And it is through this philosophical, cerebral ‘meta game’ that Counter Strike has been able to cement itself in the upper echelon of the esports environment. It finds itself amongst titles such as League of Legends, DoTA and Starcraft, titles which make no bones about the forethought, extra-curricular study and research needed to achieve any level of success, or indeed to play the game at a level within which any enjoyment can be achieved. The rise of more casual shooters within the public sphere, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, only further help to shroud CS:GO’s lofty cerebral heights. Of course, I do not wish to imply that Counter Strike is a ‘deeper’ game than these competitors, the levels of complexity that come within the champion/legend build systems within MOBA titles far outweigh the level of complexity afforded by the buy system within Counter Strike. I also do not wish to imply that technical skill have no place in Counter Strikes’ rival titles, mouse precision and APM are paramount to success. However, I do contend that none of its competitors mesh and disguise the cerebral and the technical as deftly as Counter Strike: Global Offensive has.

To attempt a refutation of the cerebral can lead to unforeseen and negative consequences. One need only study the results of rosters of pro players that have done away with their ‘in-game leaders’, for example, FaZe Clan or Mousesports under the reign of Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, rated individually by hltv.org as the 2nd best player in 2018 and 3rd best player in 2019. The substitution of mental ability to understand or read the game for pure firepower leads to an able yet unstructured and unguided team composition; an exotic Lamborghini with no steering wheel. The addition of Janko ‘YNk’ Paunović, a previous analyst and observer as team coach has seen FaZe Clan win some notable tournaments, however, their form is not to the standard that one would expect of the players within it — they are less than the sum of their parts. Perhaps this can be partially explained by the restriction placed on the professional game by Valve themselves; that coaches are not to interact with the players directly whilst the game is live. Although this decision was met with a mixed reception when it was initially conceived and revealed, I believe it has bolstered the need for good team composition, effective mid-round calling and prevented the technical side of the game overpowering the cerebral. Without the ability of YNk to speak during the rounds, the players are given no quarter if the tactics that were set out during that round do not achieve results.

In the interest of the healthy growth of the meta game and the retention of the current technical skill ceiling this balance between the cerebral and the technical must be maintained.

The changes that Valve made to the ability of coaches to speak to players highlights a further important distinction between the gameplay of Counter Strike and its competitors. The round based nature naturally inhibits the potential of ‘snowballing’ that can occur in, for example, League of Legends. Playing out a best of 30 rounds, within which only the economy and saved weapons of the previous rounds plays any factor in the tactical decisions, both ensures that there is always something to play for and the comeback is always on. Couple that with a switch in sides at halftime, wherein the intrinsic asymmetric map designs allow team biases and tendencies to be exposed or utilised, and you have a recipe for stylistic clashes, momentum swings and showcases of four different philosophies across the course of a single map.

Of course, this does not mitigate the possibility for quick blowouts and these are seen regularly. However, when they do occur, you can be sure that it was not the result of an unfair or unforeseen element of chance, not all resting on one missed click or unused ability. It is, instead, usually to be the result of better technical or, more likely, cerebral elements. Surprises and shocks only occur within the set boundaries of the game — except in extreme cases such as the ‘Olofboost’ or the jump bug which BIG utilised at the PGL Krakow Major. The infamy and division caused by these instances highlights just how rare these strategies that create non-meta based advantages are. The round base system is a natural remedy to the problem that games such as League of Legends can be accused of having, where one pivotal moment, perhaps a team fight at the beginning of a game, will set the momentum and pace for the rest of the game if another even less likely, more pivotal moment overcomes the first.

Pivotal moments in Counter Strike are, as with everything, a mix of the cerebral and the technical. Indeed, an ‘eco’ round win can break the economy of the other team, meaning some rounds are worth two or three in reality. However, with the recent economy changes this is becoming less and less pervasive, with the prospect of being fully economically ‘reset’ now almost a non-issue. I would contend that, especially after these changes, the cerebral is even more impactful. Breaking the morale, rhythm and flow of the enemy team is as important in game as a real battle. The most iconic and devastating evidence of this is, of course, the jumping AWP double kill from Coldzera at the MLG Columbus Major. Liquid, as can be seen with many of the players that still reside on the Liquid lineup today, indisputably had and continue to have the technical skill to win that game, but they lacked the cerebral. They would go on to lose their 6 map points, and lose the series 2–0. Liquid would not win any of the 15 map points over the two maps of that semi-final.

One of the most enduring and iconic moments of Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Ultimately, as an avid Counter Strike player with over 2,500 hours logged on the game, it is easy to praise. I recognise that it is important to note that most, if not all, successful esports titles have both technical and mental aspects. However, Counter Strike disguises its complexity within the technical. To a new viewer or a new player it shooting as many people as you can, and being the first team to reach 16 rounds. To an experienced viewer, or a salaried professional player with over 20 years experience, it is an expression of psychological theories, it is a chess game with a chessboard of gargantuan size with ever changing, mutating and growing squares.

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