Loyalty & Principles

"…so I asked him, why did you kill that man? He answered me that he was told to do so by his group and he had vowed to be loyal to these people. I asked again, why did you kill that man? He answered and said that loyalty to his family, friends, and his people were ethics that he intrinsically practiced. I then said to him: don’t be loyal to your family or friends, don’t be loyal to your people, only be loyal to your principles and only then can you be yourself. You can not be used by others, you can not be swayed by others and you can not regret your actions. And if your principles cross those with the same ones as yours then you can both work together to strengthen those fundamentals."

Now, what in the world has ethics and morality got to do with a game like Counter-Strike? We’re only here to play a game aren’t we? Sure, but this analogy can be applied to individual play as well as team chemistry.


The Individual

Sticking to your principles in the game means playing your own game. Each player has their principles on how the game should be played. How a gun should be shot, how the corner should be peeked, and how a clutch round should be won. Why then when some of us play we’ll feel nervous in clutch situations? We’ll become inconsistent and fall in a slump? We’ll collapse when under pressure? The reason is because we have don’t know our principles consciously, we only play based on intuition and gut instincts. But without knowing yourself you cannot overcome the obstacle of having your nerves get to you. By sticking to the basics and playing by our principles can we improve our individual game.

We’re nervous when we encounter the unknown, we over think and run numerous simulations in our head of possible outcomes. Likewise, we become inconsistent when we deny change – but change is constant we just have to be aware of it. By following our principles and doing our best to fulfill our own requirements then the two factors of nervousness and inconsistency can easily be overcome.

But when in an intense game or situation, we can at times forget our principles which is completely normal, our heart beats faster than the revolutions on our brain; the adrenaline surpasses our intelligence – but all this can be minimized with a mere second to take a deep breath and remind yourself that there’s only so much you can do and that is to do your best by following your rules.

Thinking more than the basics is over-thinking, doing more than the basics is overestimating – by doing both we are testing the waters of what we do not know. And logically that concludes as to why do we do what we don’t know how to do. Being conscious of our roles and of our fundamentals means to stick to our principles – it’ll make you a better player when your mind is clear.

The Team

There’s only so much a team can do and that is to do their best at what they can. We cannot prepare for every scenario, every flash that comes out of a location, every random frag from middle double doors. Why then are teams losing structure the minute the opponent picks up momentum? The fact is, teams often lose sight of their principles, what they’ve practiced are often forgotten when situation changes – but like said earlier, change is constant, it’s inevitable for it to happen and we do not know when? So with what we do not know, why are we doing what we can not do? Sticking to the team’s principles would mean that the team cannot be swayed by anything or anyone.

Take save rounds to recuperate, why not? Do you really need to all rush ivy, anticipating to be aced so the round ends faster? There are times when our minds need a short breath, take save rounds to do this. If the objective of a specific save round is just to lose it then why not have every member let go of their mouse and keyboard and just take a deep breath – then that way each and every individual reminds themselves of their principles and the team as a whole remembers its principles. – Try it.