Counter-Strike: Source is a multi-player PC first-person-shooter game that has been played in one form or another for more than a decade. Few gaming franchises have earned this type of sustainability as well as sustained community interaction, as well as having been able to successfully attract the attention of large organizations and sponsors alike. The Counter-Strike franchise is directly responsible for awarding millions of dollars in prize money to professional players over the past ten years, allowing a rare opportunity for gamers to gain independence while supporting themselves solely from their salary and earnings. While only a small percentage of professional players have actually achieved this, few other game titles have been able to offer this type of unique opportunity to it’s fans.

Whether or not Counter-Strike is around to stay for the next ten years, it has certainly set the gold-standard for competitive gaming throughout the world. New franchises that look to duplicate the competitive success of Counter-Strike will find it difficult to create a community with the same level of dedication and focus as the current Counter-Strike community of players.