Imagine this: Welsh Open 2022 finals in snooker. Joe Perry is just about to get the ninth frame to win the tournament when the light goes out in the entire hall. Whispers from the audience, the players grope their way to their chairs, commentator Rolf Kalb explains to the spectators that nothing is going to work for the time being.
What usually leads to a total standstill in analogue sports was now no more than a side note in a game in professional CS:GO. At the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM Rio 2023) this happened during a match between Heroic and TheMongolZ light off. The players didn’t bat an eyelid and agreed to just keep playing in the dark.
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New Graphics, New Gameplay – The leap to Counter-Strike 2 is much bigger than expected
A touch of LAN party
Bluishly lit, focused faces; Monitors and RGB hardware as the only sparse light sources: We are not at a network session of the 00s, but in the Group stage of the IEM 2023 in Rio de Janeiro. Easily recognizable by the watchful looks of the trainers and the sponsors’ wall in the background:
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As the match between esports teams TheMongolZ and Heroic reached its climax, suddenly the lights went out at the venue. But that didn’t upset the players.
You can see the light failure in the video from the live stream at 10 hours and 19 minutes. Notice BART4K’s face at second 35:
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Easily recognizable despite poor light: The players are not impressed and play the round to the end. This is followed by a short technical break to correct the lighting situation. When that doesn’t work, however, the teams quickly agree to simply continue playing in the dark. It took about ten minutes for the lights to come back on.
By the way, do you already know about the new Counter-Strike? If not, here’s the light:
For fans of Counter-Strike, times are as exciting as they’ve been in a decade. Valve recently announced Counter-Strike 2, the long-awaited successor, which will actually be an engine upgrade for CS:GO. Above you will find the most popular articles on the topic.
How do you feel about the lights when playing? Do you prefer to gamble in the tunnel of darkness or do you need the light in the room to avoid headaches? And what are you hoping for from Counter-Strike 2? Feel free to write it in the comments.