By Jiaren Li
Most people assume that e-sports are a recent phenomenon. After all, most of the popular competitive e-sports did not rise to popularity until 7 or 8 years ago, and e-sports did not enjoy the worldwide attention it gets today. However, in this issue, I would like to point out an e-sport that’s at least 15 years old, still provides fierce competitions, is still being maintained, still generates profit, and is more popular than ever. Despite having seemingly outdated “mechanics” and a sloppy style, the game, nevertheless, excels in balance, skillful competitions, and exhilarating contents. Of course, I am talking about Counter-Strike.
Speaking of that game, it is impossible to not mention Half-Life, another popular first-person shooter (FPS) game made by the Valve Corporation. Half-Life and its successors describe the tales of an iconic fighter, Gordon Freeman, and his struggles against an alien race to save planet Earth. To this day, this game is still legendary in fame, with jokes constantly made about “Half-Life 3 Confirmed” — a sequel that Valve might never make. I digress — the largest impact of this game, however, lies in one of its mods, dubbed Counter-Strike. As a mod, Counter-Strike became so well-received that Valve hired two of the mod’s developers and made Counter-Strike into a full game.
The core mechanic is simple: players form teams and play as either “Terrorists” or “Counter Terrorists,” and fight on various maps and under numerous different winning conditions. Players will be able to earn money throughout the rounds and purchase weapons and various other gears in order to boost their killing capabilities. Eventually, players become attuned to different styles of playing and strategies, such as primary pistol skirmishes, aggressive maneuvers with assault rifles, precise and ranged sniping with powerful sniper rifles, or outright machine gun spraying. Players will also have access to tactical equipment like flashbang grenades, Kevlar vests, and many others. In various modes, people will seek to eliminate the other team, accumulate kills, assassinate the VIP, or use a bomb to destroy predetermined targets.
Sound familiar? Well, it is interesting to know how Counter-Strike contains a lot of similarities with modern shooter games (you know, all of the popular ones). In fact, many people, myself included, see Counter-Strike as the forefather of all shooters after it. What makes Counter-Strike still stand out after fifteen-plus years of existence lies in the core mechanics that the game offers. Counter-Strike is extremely balanced, with patches that make sure such a delicate structure is carefully maintained. The game, while being affordable, also offers a straightforward and yet, a very competitive format, which players engage with for various rounds in a showdown of skill, strategy, and sometimes luck. Nowadays, the game still enjoys one of top spots in international e-sports competitions. Well, in your face, Call of Duty.
Unlike MOBAs or other strategy e-sports, a game of competitive Counter-Strike is never boring to watch. Players in teams of 6 would face each other in tournament-sanctioned maps using seek-and-destroy format. Usually the games start with exciting “pistol” rounds, where players engage each other using cheap pistols due to low funds. Then, the games quickly escalates as professional players show off their amazing capabilities in various arsenals. Battles can often change the tide of a match quickly and leave the audience in deep suspense. For example, the last-standing member could dispatch three opponents with consecutive sniper shots, or a full minute stalemate can quickly erupt into one-sided bloodshed. A lot of times, victory isn’t determined until the absolutely last round. Despite a lower watcher count than e-sports like League of Legends, Counter-Strike still nevertheless entertains its fans with ease.
If a game of League of Legends is a full-length drama with rising action, falling action, and a climax, then Counter-Strike is simply a non-stop, blood-boiling action movie (or gun fight). In the newest development, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valve improved graphics slightly, fixed various glitches and technical issues, and introduced various cosmetic elements that give the otherwise dull game some color. However, all of these bells and whistles only pale in comparison to the shining game contents that generations of people follow and are inspired by.
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