Counter Strike is a critically acclaimed and widely popular multiplayer game. Released by Valve in 1999, it pits players in a tactical team based environment, where one team wins by successfully completing the objectives for the game type, or by completely eliminating the opposing team. Over the years the game has seen many sequels, each offering minor improvements in graphics and visual effects. Notable sequels include CS: Source and CS: Global Offensive. These offer only visual enhancements and the core game play has largely been left unaltered.
One of the major reasons for the success of Counter Strike is its low hardware requirements to run properly. Counter Strike 1.6 in particular, can run on virtually any computer available recently on the market. This enables people from all walks of life to play and enjoy the game. Another reason is its sheer flexibility in playing environments. Players can play solo with computer controlled opponents called ‘bots’. Players can also play with friends or other people in local environments through a LAN connection, or internationally using the Internet.
Each environment has a number of advantages and disadvantages. New and amateur players can learn how to play and sharpen their skills by playing against the computer. There are various difficulty levels and beginners can learn easily. However, playing against the computer is useless for professional and highly skilled players because even with the highest difficulty, the computer can be easily defeated by them.
This is where the multiplayer part of Counter Strike comes in. If people want to play against friends or other players, they may go to local facilities which offer the service of hosting Counter Strike servers. These places are locally called Gaming Zones and offer computers connected to a LAN connection. These are great places to have fun as people can enjoy Counter Strike with friends. Playing on a LAN network is also great because of the very low pings a local connection offers. The lower the ping, the more responsive the in-game players are. These networks are also used to host servers at competitive gaming events, ranging from local tournaments to the World Cyber Games championships.
Another way to play with other players is by using the Internet. A popular gaming portal, called Steam, offers a huge variety of servers. Players just log into their unique Steam accounts, join the server they like and play with players from around the world. This is a great way of meeting new people and making new friends. Players can even make their own teams with fellow players and then compete with other teams in online tournaments.
These teams are called clans and may have members from around the world. Playing online is also great because there are millions of players online, with varying levels of skill. However, there are many disadvantages of playing online, chief among which is high ping. If the Internet connection is not good enough, or if it breaks, the player may not be able to perform at all.
To sum up, choosing the right playing environment depends on the player. If one doesn’t have a good enough Internet connection, he/she should play locally, either solo or on a LAN network. If, however, the players want to broaden their horizons, and learn new skills, they always have the option of playing online.