Counter Strike Global Offensive: Tournaments Face Massive Roadblock- Is This the Decline of the Game?

We are all trying to combat the coronavirus pandemic, that has gripped the planet, to the best of our abilities. It is gradually becoming apparent that life could very well change forever once we do get through it. The culture surrounding Counter Strike Global Offensive could change as well. Unfortunately for the game, all the progress it has made in recent years could be in danger of falling to pieces.

Counter Strike first came into existence in 1999, as a mod of popular Valve game Half-Life. Valve acquired the fan modification and released the first game title Counter Strike in 2000. Since then, it has only grown in popularity.

Counter Strike Global Offensive, the latest installment in the series was released in 2012, and fans immediately took it. The fanfare surrounding the title grew exponentially too, giving rise to huge business opportunities. Many major eSports leagues took on Counter Strike Global Offensive on their roster.

Earlier, the prize money for CSGO tournaments was relatively modest, with a prize pool cap of $250,000. However, Valve soon realized the massive community the title entailed and decided to up the ante by increasing the prize pool.

So in 2016, Valve increased the prize pool to $1 million for all major events. And just as Valve predicted Counter Strike Global Offensive and its tournaments grew exponentially in stature and competition since then.

Counter Strike Global Offensive events in turmoil

The major tournaments become more than just gaming competitions, they morphed into huge events, celebrating the game and its professional players as rockstars.

Unfortunately, the game now faces its biggest hurdle yet in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Possibly the biggest event in Counter Strike Global Offensive scene, the IEM Championships in Poland was canceled last minute due to the growing concerns of the disease, but it was a decision that was necessary in order to safeguard the health of those involved.

Alas, the outbreak of COIVD-19 has only spread expansively since then, forcing other major events to either cancel or postpone for the time being.

The loss of revenue is the most obvious repercussion of the suspensions and cancelations.

For instance, the ESL One Rio was postponed to November, however, even that remains shrouded in mystery. It will all depend on how the coronavirus situation plays out in the next 3 to 4 months.

No competition means no event, no fanfare, and no ticket or merchandise revenue. With no prize money to earn, the teams, and all its players, will be hit hard too.

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Long-term effects

The COVID-19 episode has disrupted all aspects of life across the globe. It will have a long-lasting effect on all of them, even the global economy. It could very well be the same for Counter Strike Global Offensive.

As for the teams and the players, the downside goes even deeper. Aside from the uncertainty they face in their profession, they also lose out on something that is absolutely vital in the field- high-intensity practice.

With much fewer major tournaments left to play in the coming months, they will have to find other ways to keep their touch intact.

The smaller teams and aspiring players will have their work cut out for them as well. They will have to make do with fewer events to showcase their talents. It will be tougher than ever to break through into the elite class. It could very well kill the budding careers of many young gamers.

On a more positive note, though, there are those who are trying to do their best to counter this uncertainty surrounding the eSport by organizing newer, more online tournaments.

Yes, the prize pool is significantly smaller and Counter Strike Global Offensive will have to revert back to Online regionalized gaming from LAN gaming, but it still offers a ton of hope in these dark times.

The only problem is that online gaming can be tricky, especially in these times. People are relying on the internet more than ever for entertainment since most countries are in lockdown. That is certainly taking a toll on the bandwidth, causing a few performance problems.

However, it is still better than to not have any tournaments at all.

In the long term, we could see some changes like stagnant or reduced prize pools.

Moving forward, it remains to be seen how the pandemic plays out and what lasting effects it will have on Counter Strike and eSports in general.