Game: Counter-Strike 2
Platform: PC
Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive tactical first-person shooter that focuses on two factions fighting for control over two bomb sites in a timed environment. Infamously, every weapon that a player can expect to use during a match has a unique “spray pattern” that a player can learn to counteract as they gain experience with a particular weapon. When this game mechanic is combined with the fact that anytime a player is in motion (walking, jumping, etc.) their gun recoil is exaggerated, players are rewarded for improving their map knowledge to maximize strategic positioning, minimizing their movement when shooting, and investing time into learning each weapon’s spray pattern. Moreover, the headshot damage multiplier for successfully landing a headshot is substantial, so a headshot from most weapons is either a 1-2 shot kill. These mechanics combine to create an aim-centric dynamic, where players oftentimes stand still or time their strafing to take their shots when their avatar is stationary, each hoping to hit the magical 1-shot headshot. This differs from the run-and-gun dynamics observed in arcade first-person shooters like Call of Duty. In CS2, each bullet is valuable since reloading takes longer, so one must choose the tradeoff between spraying heavily to get a lucky headshot and being left without ammo or taking extra time with each shot to maximize accuracy to preserve ammo but simultaneously give the opponent sufficient time to fire back. Before learning spray patterns, the gun recoil almost seems random, so players higher in the skill distribution rely on mastering these mechanics to get the edge on their opponents. These mechanics contribute to a conservative dynamic, replicating the scarce conditions that modern soldiers face on the battlefield (limited ammo, inaccurate gunfire, etc.).
