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All GotFrag Soapboxes are the opinion of the author and do not reflect in anyway the opinion of GotFrag or its parent company Major League Gaming.



This week's Soapbox was submitted by Luke "chL" Madigan and, like all Soapboxes, it is solely his opinion.

RE: In wake of the Draft

I am writing this in response to the portion of Singlecoil's article about the effects of the CGS on the collective Counter-Strike community.

I follow the CGS from time to time, keeping up with the pro players of old. I can see that the Source community is now completely dependent on the success of the CGS. If the CGS were to fall apart, I have a feeling that many prominent figures in Counter-Strike: Source may return to Counter-Strike 1.6. The reason for this is because without the CGS, Source simply does not have enough support in terms of LAN events. With the CPL now flopping, there are very few major non-invite LAN events that are worthwhile for major teams to travel to. Sure, there are LANs like Newegg and Digital Life, but for the most part, the prize pots are small in comparison to 1.6.

In 2007 alone, the prize winnings for 1.6 greatly outweighed those for Source. This is on a per-team basis of course, not a per-player amount. If we looked at the player salaries of franchised CGS players, we would see that the amounts are not so imbalanced. However, on a team earnings basis, you have roughly $20,000 divided up between the two most major LANs.

Don't get me wrong, 1.6 is a prestigious game, and I think it should have the same opportunities as Source should. However, the CGS is holding Source back, while 1.6, despite being nearly ten years old, is continuing to grow.

My question is WHY? Why is it that 1.6 has such a larger prize pot in terms of LANs? There are a few solutions that could boost prize earnings, give more obscure teams a chance to get into a major LAN, and get Source a bigger fan base, all at the same time.

1. CEVO should start doing open-entry LANs.

Now that CEVO has the fans, as well as the respect that the CPL once had, I think that they should start doing LANs. This would give the lesser known teams a chance to get into the spotlight.

2. Gotfrag and MLG host some LANs.

I am not sure how possible this is, but it could work out. With the partnerships MLG has, they could put on as big a LAN as CGS does, with all the lights, hot girls and flashy sponsorships too! This would bring the Counter-Strike: Source a bigger fan base, as MLG is broadcast on regular cable television.

I guess what I am trying to get across is that while Source players have the opportunity to become truly professional, we may not be better off. The CGS, in my opinion, takes away the passion that once was there, during the days of Definition, Visual Gaming, Forbidden, and EG, just to name a few. Now, rather than playing for the glory, players play to stay on their franchise and get paid. This is the reason why I am such an advocate of open-entry LANs. There you get to see the lesser-known teams with nothing to lose competing to make a name for themselves, not to get franchised and play under the big flashy lights.

I am Luke "chL" Madigan, and I am a Counter-Strike player.