What contributes to a successful team in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?
Source: Gametutorial
Counter-strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) is a multiplayer first-person shooter which was released on PC in 2012. Despite being released in 2012, it has remained immensely popular. According to statista, CSGO topped the charts in 2020 for having the most concurrent players (people playing at the same time) of 1.3 million. Furthermore, CSGO has been incredibly popular in the esport world with over 596 thousand viewers for one match at the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) 2021. To win a match, two teams (terrorists and counter-terrorists) compete to win 16 rounds. The terrorists need to plant a bomb on one of two sites (A and B), whereas the counter-terrorists need to stop this from happening in order to win a round. At 15 rounds, the two teams swap sides (counter-terrorists become terrorists, and vice versa).
Counter strike is a game that is all about working as a team to win the match. What is it that makes a successful CSGO team? There are several characteristics, including individual brilliance, game sense, and good aim. However, most professionals will possess these characteristics. In terms of a team, factors that influence success are the in-game leader (IGL), good team cohesion, and group dynamics.
Influence of a good IGL
Source: Astrallis – Lukas ‘Gla1ve’ Rossander
An IGL is responsible for every call that is made in the game. For example, if they want their team to push a bomb site fast, then they will. However, they rely on the complete trust of their teammates. This trust can stem from good team cohesion as well as trust in the IGL’s decision making ability. Lukas Egholm ‘Gla1ve’ Rossander has been arguably one of the best CSGO IGL’s the game has ever seen. Playing for the team known as ‘Astralis’, he has won four majors in CSGO, with three of them coming in consecutive years.
In a YouTube video with theScoreEsports, Gla1ve claimed ‘I can be a really good early IGL, where I tell them [teammates] what we are going to do this round…’. The IGL is responsible for where the team goes, and who plays what role in the team. There are several roles within a CS:GO team. This video helps explain these roles:
Awper - A player who uses a sniper rifle.
Lurker - A player who tries to get behind the enemies.
Support - A player who is in charge of supporting the team in terms of buying them weapons and using equipment for others.
An excellent IGL will know what roles their teammates best fit and are an influential part of the team’s success. Research has suggested that having clear and well-established roles and responsibilities within a team can benefit team cohesion and group dynamics.
Team Cohesion
Source: Michal Blicharz/ intelgrandslam
Team cohesion is the strength of the bonds that link members to the group as a whole and the degree to which teammates coordinate their efforts to achieve goals. The higher the cohesion, the stronger the team’s motivation is to commit to their goals. A team with good cohesion will likely have a close connection as a team. This is very important for determining a successful CSGO team. If all members of a team are close with each other and can communicate, then this is key for their success.
Research within esports has found that interrupting or talking over each other can influence the development of informal roles. With previous research highlighting the importance of role clarity on team cohesion, the development of more informal roles with less clarity may have damaging effects on the team; highlighting just how important a close and understanding team can be for improving the success in CSGO.
Group dynamics
Group dynamics are the processes and changes that occur within groups that affect patterns of communication, conformity, decision making, and leadership. Good group dynamics are crucial for the success of a CSGO team. When group dynamics are positive, the team works well. It is important that teams know their position within the team and respect the decisions of the IGL. As I discussed earlier, there are many roles in a CSGO team, and for a team to work well they need to have good group dynamics. The simplest way to improve a group’s dynamics is for one or more group members to learn and manage the discussion and this will help a group achieve their goals. For example, if the team has lost a few rounds in a row, it would be helpful for one voice to lead the discussion and ask ‘What should we do now?’. For CSGO, this is the IGL. It is essential that teammates play their roles and listen to the IGL. However, the person who has the authority (normally the IGL) may not always be the person who is best at managing group dynamics. Therefore, it is important for a team to communicate effectively to ensure this role is suited by the best person to improve the success of the team.
Conclusions
I believe that these factors are all very important in determining the success of a CSGO team. In the case of Astralis, I believe that Gla1ve was very influential for the success of the team and the major trophies won. The leadership, skill, and uniqueness of Gla1ve made him an essential part of Astralis and their success story. Therefore, I believe that the impact of a good IGL is the most important factor for success. They understand their team and the roles they should play, as well as understanding opponents. It is a vital role for success within a CSGO team.
However, a good IGL will not determine success if there is low team cohesion and group dynamics. As a team, they need to respect their IGL and if done properly, teams may experience an increase in team cohesion and group dynamics. I believe these are the factors that have led Astralis to success and can lead other teams to success.
Article written by Sam Hart