CS:GO eSports is a multi-generational classic. The game has a long history of existence, as well as several series. The current one is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Due to the fact that more than one generation has grown up on it, both teenagers and serious age gamers play it. CO:GO, like Dota 2, hosts many championships, leagues, and tournaments.
The championship is played in a format that turns CS:GO eSports into QUake or Call of Duty. At the end of October, an interesting CS:GO championship was held in St. Petersburg. In every sense: the opponents fought in a two-on-two format in a planetarium instead of a regular hall, and the Counter-Strike map and gameplay were simply unrecognizable.
We went to the event, chatted with the guests, and took some photos. Of course, this is not The International, but we did not have to be bored.
This is Red Bull Flick, a bright new mode that has already managed to catch the fancy of novice esports players and spectators. The intrigue in any case is kept to the end, but the decisive word is still behind the shooting and tactics. In general, the format is more like Quake than CS:GO – players need to collect weapons, quickly move around the map and have time to defend (or attack) points.
Dmitry finagot Plyusnin appreciated the format of the competition because it adds entertainment to the usual shooter.
The classic format of an esports game sometimes gets boring. After tournaments like The International or a major in CS:GO, Tier 2 is not very interesting to follow the stage – the emotions, intensity, and level of the game are not the same anymore.
And when such extraordinary modes appear, it is always interesting to see how well-skilled players adapt and show some unusual things. You think: “Maybe they will play like this. And they do something that just never ceases to amaze you.”
It’s hard to argue with this: each set takes several minutes, but it’s all the more interesting to watch what is happening. If pro-players have been studying the usual map in Counter-Strike for years and know every corner, then new chips and interesting ideas are constantly flashing here, which become more and more towards the finale.
The playground was another interesting attribute of the tournament. The final of the tournament was held in the planetarium building in St. Petersburg, showing what is happening in the game on the projection dome of the building (by the way, the largest in the world). Spectators could watch the match from soft ottomans near the stage – the atmosphere was extraordinary, close to futuristic.
The players also appreciated the interesting find of Red Bull, everyone unanimously declared that this was the most unusual platform on which they performed.
“Scale is the most important thing to remember. I came here and just went nuts: I did not expect to see such a scene, our photos on large screens, and so on. It was a pleasant surprise,” Timur Raziev, a G703 player, shares his impressions.
Red Bull Flick tournaments have been taking place all over the planet since spring. In the first stage, the players fought in the national qualifiers online, and everyone could participate in the qualifiers. In St. Petersburg, the four best duos of Russia met to determine the champions of the country and play for a ticket to international competitions.
In the first semi-final, the G703 duo confidently dealt with ElectroMontajnik1. It seems that it was more difficult to get to Peter: in one of the matches, the team was able to win only due to a crazy comeback, and then they barely managed to avoid disqualification for not recording the match.
The second match of the day ended with the same bright victory from the reigning QtabENTER champions – the players from the enemy cyber track team looked decent, but still lost. It seemed that no one could stop the duet from St. Petersburg at its home site.
However, in the decisive match, G703 won again, leaving the champions in second place. The main prize of 100 thousand rubles and gifts from the sponsor was shared by Muscovite Andrei Mesterolone Mayevsky and Timur T1MA Raziev from the village of Mostovoy, Krasnodar Territory. The latter will also take home a gaming chair.
“We only met this summer, we started playing together in different tournaments – we have never lost. But somehow they saw the announcement of the championship and decided to try. At first, they thought it was some kind of AIM tournament or a traditional partner format. They came and did not understand what was happening.
But somehow they won: it helped that they quickly adapted. One game was enough: we understood how Red Bull Flick works, and off we went. We won one match, the second, and now we are here, ”says the new champion Andrey Maevsky, holding the cup in his hands.
Now the Russian duet is waiting for rivals from other countries. True, the guys themselves admit that after such a tense event, a short pause will be needed. And only then G703 is ready to train hard to get to the November finals in Helsinki. The guys have excellent chances.
Do you want to enjoy the continuation of this tournament? Electronic sports have already firmly entered the lives of hundreds of people. Are there any prospects for the further development of lol eSports and where to follow the news?
More and more people are learning about esports, hundreds of thousands are watching tournaments. Still: it’s interesting to look at how people, playing, earn millions of dollars. And businessmen buy lol eSports teams for a lot of money.
For some, the fact of competitions in which it is necessary to show professionalism in computer games becomes strange, surprising, for some, it is an inspiration and a norm of life. But nothing is surprising in the combination of professionalism and computer games.
Even ten years ago it was difficult to prove that, for example, your real hobby is computer games, that this is not just wasted time, but some kind of alternative to your usual interests. It was difficult to prove that it develops, that a good player also needs talents, abilities, training.
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