One of the first of many criticisms leveled at the CGS was the choice of Counter-Strike: Source as its primary team FPS. CS:S isn't a terrible game - despite what most of the 1.6 players will tell you - but there remain to this day many, many obstacles to its success in this arena. It is with these in mind that I will present to you one viable alternative: Call of Duty 4.

What do the CGS look for in a game? Certainly not a steep learning curve or a high skill gap between good players and great players, if that were the case then they would have gone straight to Counter-Strike 1.6. No, the CGS want games for television. They want action packed, fast paced, aesthetically pleasing games that will appeal to the masses. Call of Duty 4 ticks all these boxes.

I'm not here to argue that Call of Duty 4 is the best or most skilled FPS game out there. Let's be honest, it's obvious that's not the case. What I will say is that it's damn exciting to watch. Like every game in the series, Call of Duty 4 has always proved a huge success when live streams have been available for events, and QuadV and iTG will testify to that with viewing figures to back it up. The addition of a sprint feature and a number of powerful SMGs make Call of Duty 4 the fastest team FPS out there and this is exactly the style of game the CGS needs to appeal to the casual viewer.

Call of Duty 4 is currently played in a similar format to that used for CS:S in the CGS with teams of five taking turns at attacking and defending two bomb sites. Maps are varied and while the game allows for a vast number of tactical approaches, short round times and the popularity of fast attacks make the game easy to follow for your average viewer. The game has depth, but unlike in Counter-Strike, you don't need to have played the game to work out what's going on.

Counter-Strike has the competitive player base for sure and despite the rapid growth of Call of Duty 4 it still can't compete with CS 1.6 and CS:S on that front. Where it can compete however is in the casual player base, people who will recognize it on television. If World of Warcraft has 10 million users, how about this for a statistic? Call of Duty 4 sold over 7 million copies in 2007, despite only being released in November.

Call of Duty 4 will be recognizable to millions of viewers across the globe, regardless of whether the actual matches are played on PC or Xbox. Unlike Counter-Strike, Call of Duty 4 is a recently released game that is, in the eyes of the public at least, at the cutting edge of gaming technology and sophistication. New and unique features such as perks provide a level of depth that, unlike the Counter-Strike money system, is easy to understand and appreciate.

Also, unlike CS:S, Call of Duty 4 is not constantly overshadowed by its predecessor. How can the CGS claim to be a global league of champions when the representatives from Europe and the UK in particular are unquestionably less talented than those competing in the World Cyber Games and the Electronic Sports World Cup?

Every successful Call of Duty 2 team has moved over to Call of Duty 4 and the level of competition and interest is higher than ever. With the WSVG consigned to the e-sports graveyard, the rapidly growing Call of Duty community is crying out for large tournament support and would represent a massively untapped market for the CGS.

Furthermore, Call of Duty 4 has two time based game types, Sabotage and Domination, that would fit the CGS' requirements that a match only takes around 20 minutes. Also the current competitive format could easily be adapted to fit the CGS' requirements (similar to their MR9 rules for CSS) because there is no money system to bastardize.

Even if the prospect of CS:S getting the boot is unlikely - CGS have probably already made plans for 2008 and even 2009 - the issues need to be raised and debated at the very least. Call of Duty 2 proved time and time again that it was a game that could live up to expectations when given the chance and Call of Duty 4 is no different. It's perfect for television, recognizable to millions and getting bigger by the day. Call of Duty 4 would be perfect for the CGS.