The keys to Counter-Strike – The entertainment mode is known as e-Sport, has more and more followers in Spain. And Counter-Strike is one of its most emblematic and representative games worldwide that is currently on everyone’s lips thanks to the delivery of its latest version: ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’. The Azulgrana Neymar, for example, has confessed that he is hooked and that in two weeks he, has come to play more than 112 hours.

But what is this addictive game about? It is a video game ‘FPS’ (‘first-person shooter’, meaning ‘first-person shots’) that confronts two teams: one of terrorists (the bad guys of a lifetime) and another, the special or antiterrorist forces (the good guys of a lifetime).

The company Valve is the owner of this video game, the same one that also developed the sagas Portal and Half-Life, considered two of the best games of all time.

Specifically, the Counter-Strike is a complete modification of Half-Life, made by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, which has succeeded in surprising the online gaming industry for computers as it became the most consumed in the world after its launch in 1999.

In recent years, and having been overtaken in many countries by League of Legends, Dota2, and Call of Duty, it has continued to be one of the most popular games in the world as it exceeds 25 million copies sold. Counter-Strike has marked not only the genre but the industry as a whole. Steam, the leading online video game distribution platform, was born as a mechanism to share game updates and other Valve systems, which emerged in response to the needs of this particular title.

Players and Rounds

We have already said that Counter-Strike fires in the first person, facing two teams of 10 players each, with a subjective vision, that is, we see the weapon and have the vision of the player that we are at every moment. The official matches consist of a maximum of 30 rounds with a maximum duration of two minutes each.

Weapons, maps, and objectives

The weapons that appear in the game perfectly mimic the real ones: knives, pistols, assault rifles, cartridge shotguns and precision rifles with a telescopic sight, as well as explosives such as grenades. In total there are 57 different types of weapons that equipment can use.

One of the most important keys to the ‘Counter Strike Global Offensive’ -the latest version is from 2012 – is that a competitive game in which you can play ‘deathmatch’ (a ‘dead game’, which ends when the opposing team is killed or totally eliminated) or different variants, such as the deactivation of all bombs, the rescue of all hostages… Each mode requires eliminating the enemy and, in addition, protecting a number of targets located at key points on the map. Maps are open three-dimensional scenarios inspired by real locations rotating in the competition.

Counter-Strike is so popular because it does not require a PC with very high specifications to play, it is cheap and has a very mature and active community. It has also become one of the main categories of E-Sports, present in the Intel Extreme Masters, the big finals of the World League ESL.

Strategy

As in real life, Counter-Strike money is scarce, so it needs to be managed properly. All teams start on an equal footing ($800 each team), although the amount varies depending on the actions taken during the game. Moreover, it is cumulative, that is, it depends directly on the amount of the previous round. If you kill a hostage or a partner on your own team, you lose money, so it’s also an economic strategy game.

Players can win and buy ‘skins’ (or aspects) for themselves and their weapons, such as stickers, gloves… although these accessories do not have advantages for the teams so that they are always balanced and depend only on the ability of the players with the keyboard and mouse.

David Martinez, editor-in-chief of ‘Hobby Consoles’, a web site that specializes in video games, says, “the teamwork, the strategy, and the ability are keys to victory, as in football; it is, therefore, logical that Neymar will be attractive this game”.

Professional League

The next day, April 17 starts the league ESL Masters CS: GO, the new competition of e-Sports Counter-Strike with which it is intended that players from Spanish teams can compete at the highest level and getting to play finals in international tournaments.