Counter-Strike:Global Offensive as a Competitive eSport
The Counter-Strike Global Offensive Scene consists of many tournaments hosted by third-party organizations such as ESL and Intel. Occasionally, the game developers, Valve, will hold their own tournaments, known as Majors. Unlike other most tournaments, Majors feature in-game items such as player signatures, team stickers, and game souvenir packages, which can all be bought and sold for real money.
Prize pools for tournaments can range up from $250,000 - $1,500,000. As the game and series have grown in popularity, companies such as WME, IMG, and Turner Broadcasting have began to televise Counter Strike professional games.
Players come from all over the world: Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, and other nations. Players can earn a salary as much as $200,000 a year.
Below is an image of the Brazilian team Luminosity Gaming competing against the Ukrainian team Natus Vincere at the MLG Columbus 2016 Major.
Below is an image of team stickers and player signatures from the ELEAGUE Major 2017.
