Counter Strike is fun to play and watch, but tricky to wager on. Some of the facts on our list contribute to the tricky nature of this popular first-person shooter title. So, discover 10 of the most intriguing facts about the Counter Strike Game Series today.
10 Facts about the Counter Strike Game Series
Here are 10 facts about the Counter Strike game series that you probably don’t know about.
1. Official Matchmaking Feature
Counter Strike Global Offensive is the first game in the series to offer the matchmaking feature. Funnily enough, CS:GO didn’t offer the matchmaking feature from launch. In fact, previous to this Counter Strike iteration, the matchmaking feature wasn’t built in and players could only compete against each other by getting creative. One option was to connect via independent P2P servers or through custom competitive modes created by the modding community. It wasn’t exactly sideloading the feature but maybe the matchmaking feature wouldn’t have kicked in if players weren’t so interested in PVP match-ups.
2. Rematch, Anyone?
If you were a Counter Strike fan before 2014, you’ll remember that players could vote for a rematch if they felt they could pressure the opposing teams into cracking. The voting system was rigid because it needed to be fair which is why it was later taken down. For one, all ten players had to vote or else it would fail. So, if someone went out for a coffee break, chances are everybody will have to wait for him. What’s more? The result of the vote also has to be unanimous, meaning, everybody had to either agree or disagree to have a rematch. We doubted people were keen on being that patient except when they were trying to farm points and achieve an unfair advantage over others. Skins can be purchased with coins and skins can be sold for real cash.
3. ‘Mod-dy’ Foundations
No, the first-person shooter series didn’t start as a standalone game. Instead, the foundations of the entire Counter Strike game series can be found in Half-Life after it was modded by developers Minh Gooseman Le and Jess Cliffe. Post-release success was consistent to the extent that Valve picked up the rights to the game and the first Counter Strike game was developed.
4. Voice Artist is Also a Co-Developer
Can you guess who gave all the voice commands in the original game? Well, that was Jeff Cliffe. In fact, all the radio chatter, HQ commands, training prompts, and dialogue were all handled by Jeff Cliffe. It certainly does feel better to know one of the original developers is training you on how to play a game he developed. Basically all the original voice scripts have been replaced but commands like “Counter Terrorist Win” and “Terrorist wins” are still present.
5. Breaking News; It’s a Vendetta
A man called Julien Barreaux nearly committed murder by pursuing an in-game rivalry in the real life. Allegedly, Julien lost a knife fight against a rival which was the final push for the man to attempt a real life knife fight. Wrong move! He was arrested within one the hour of the ordeal after spending six months looking for the person who knifed his avatar.
6. Race for the Most Expensive Skin
Skins for guns weren’t part of the package initially and were only added in the Arms Deal update in 2013 to earth-shattering success on a global scale. Skins are so revered nowadays, they’re an entire source of revenue. The most expensive CS:GO skin purchase is the Blue Gem edition of the Case Hardened Karambit is the single most expensive skin in history. It was purchased for nearly $100,000 by the player Newb Rage.
7. Infamous for Money Laundering
Valve changed the loot box mechanics following an investigation into the players’ activities. They discovered that criminal organizations were laundering money via the trading system.
8. CS:GO $40 Million-Plus Prize Pool
Counter Strike: Global Offensive offers more than a $40 million prize pool so top players are practically Millonaires. The real kicker is that it’s growing.
9. The Unique dance of Incendiaries and Smoke Grenades
Players can negate the effect of incendiaries with smoke grenades which can be recognized by a special hissing sound. This legendary technique works on Molotovs, incendiary grenades, and the likes.
10. Keyboard/Mouse Beats Console in FPS
CS:GO was supposed to be cross-platform offering multiplayer features to PS3, PC, and Mac users. But seeing as the keyboard/mouse combo simply beats controllers, the idea was abandoned.
Our Final Say
Understand that CS:GO players are positively-charged because they can look forward to different rewards. One of them is the culture while the other is cash. There’s not a lot fame to being a Pro esports player but with fans that dedicated, they’ve almost got a cult following.