When DirecTV announced their new Championship Gaming Series, the Counter-Strike community cheered the news, especially the increased player salaries and the chance for wider exposure. At least, they cheered until DirecTV announced the CGS would use CS:Source, not 1.6, as the game of choice. Soon after, all the top U.S. teams – CompLexity, 3D, Pandemic, JMC, u5 and zEx – picked up Source or switched outright.

(This should surprise no one. Increased player salaries? Those teams snapped up Source like a Wii was attached. In professional sports, switching teams might be the difference between $2 million and $2.5 million dollars; when it comes to pro gaming, it's the difference between having a part-time job and being able to do what you love full-time.)

Moderators immediately began playing whack-a-mole on forum threads with 1.6, Source and CSPromod supporters arguing which platform would be the best – not only for new tournaments, but also for the future of Counter-Strike and eSports.

Let’s take a look at CSPromod first. CSP isn’t done, so obviously DirecTV won’t be using it. Personally, I don't see how it's possible to perfectly replicate the gameplay of a nine year-old game on a modern engine. But even if they can – for what? Recoil patterns and walk speeds? Is that really the biggest complaint with Source right now?

More than that, I can’t see CSP ever being anything more than a pipe-dream, because it doesn’t add anything we don’t already have. When it’s done, who’s going to play? Source players like the way Source plays. 1.6 players like 1.6 maps and the way the engine feels (not to mention spamming, which can’t be totally recreated on the Source engine). Instead of uniting the community by combining the “best” properties of 1.6 (gameplay) and Source (graphics), CSP will take a small group of dissatisfied players and create another variation of the same basic game. It's taken Source this long to gain traction in the community. By the time CSP is ready, Source will be firmly entrenched, thanks to the CGS (and other tournaments that follow). It's hard to imagine Promod being enough of a competitive upgrade to prompt the switch – and who knows, Valve may push updates that address the same concerns.

Writing off CSP, we’re left with 1.6 and Source. 1.6 supporters argue that Source isn’t ready for prime-time, and that 1.6 is the superior game. I think they’re wrong on both accounts, so let’s take a look at the arguments.

1.6 is more fun.

I’ve read quite a few posts trying to "prove" 1.6 is more fun because more people play it. Five years ago, not too many people played No Limit Texas Hold'em either. Then Rounders and the pocket cam came along, and now if you say, “Just like a young man, coming in for a quickie” in a Russian accent and someone gives you a funny look, you’re required to slap them. Has the game become more fun because more people are playing? If you’re a fan of PartyPoker fish, maybe, but the game itself hasn’t changed, it’s just more popular. If popularity and fun were proportional, everyone would get to make home movies with Paris Hilton.

Source is too buggy.

It’s a legitimate concern, even though 1.6 still has plenty of bugs: floating boxes and see-through poles, anyone? But most of the severe issues – example, example, and example – have been fixed for months now; bottom line, if you think Source is more buggy than 1.6, you probably haven't played it a while. The biggest bug in Source doesn’t even affect gameplay; it’s SRCTV. And sure, if it doesn’t get fixed, CS:S will never be as fun to watch as 1.6. It lags, it lags the game server, the sounds get mixed up (you spec one player but hear a different one) … you get the picture. Did DirecTV care? No, and they shouldn’t – when you’re trying to reach a large audience, that first visual impression is incredibly important. Source is also still coming out with updates, and sponsors, the new CGS tournament and high-profile teams making the switch should push Valve to fix SRCTV faster.

Source isn’t as good as 1.6 for competitive gaming.

First of all, there’s “competitive” gaming, and there’s “competitive gaming”; the first is about gameplay and balance, the second about popularity and sponsorships.

Now, I hear you flaming, “LANDodger, you nub! Everyone knows Source is worse than 1.6 – just look at all the LANs!" I agree: it's different. But what makes it “worse”? Does “worse” gameplay mean lesser teams win more often against better teams? That lesser players kill better players more often? If so, why do teams dominate just as often in Source as they do in 1.6? (More on this later.) Sure, the hitboxes are larger, but the noob you’re trying to headshot has a bigger head too. Being different doesn’t make the gameplay worse or “wrong”, it just makes it different, but only in the way that No Limit Hold’em is different than Limit Hold’em, or how the Arena League is different from the NFL. The rules of the game are modified, which changes all the nuances, but the same basic skills are largely rewarded. An accurate NFL passer won’t suddenly throw wounded ducks in the Arena League, and Ksharp won’t suddenly forget how to aim or counter-flash just because the maps and physics are a little different. Once you get used to the quirks of the game – being able to see over boxes, not having an AWP delay, etc. – it’s pretty apparent that Source still rewards aim, well-placed nades and teamwork, just like 1.6 does.

It’s even harder to argue the Source engine is bad for competitive gaming as a whole. After all, what makes a good game for eSports? Chess is as competitive as anything on the planet, but Geri's Game didn't exactly tear down the box office. Meanwhile, a hundred thousand people will tune in to see which dude can stuff more hotdogs down his throat in twelve minutes (presumably, the time limit being necessary to consume enough food to guarantee an epic trip to the bathroom later).When it comes to attracting an audience, simply being “competitive” doesn’t matter at all. Look at the difference in popularity between men's and women's sports. I assume women win or lose by roughly the same margin as men; it’s hard to be sure, since no one is watching. If the improved graphics make Counter-Strike even slightly more accessible to an audience or sponsors (like DirecTV), any smart team will learn to deal with minor variations in the gameplay.

Source has a lower skill-cap.
Source players are 1.6 rejects.

I'm going to tackle these two at once. If it takes less skill to play at the highest levels of Source, then CAL-I and CEVO-P (not to mention LANs) should be very competitive due to the large number of players and teams at the “skill cap”. That would be especially true if Source players are just 1.6 rejects, because there shouldn’t be any “All-Star” caliber players to give one team an advantage over the others. Now take a look at the short history of Source. Powersgaming dominated during their time. EFG and verGe are clearly a step ahead of the rest of the current competition, with Hyper! coming up fast (much like Pandemic in 1.6). A quick look at the 1.6 standings reveals the same disparity between mediocre and excellent teams. Last season in CEVO-P, the records were: 3D at 13-2, coL at 14-3, Pandemic at 13-5, JMC at 14-4, then RSports in fifth with a 9-9 record and all the other teams, including those that won the vaunted CEVO Placement Tournament, getting their ass kicked. In other words, the 1.6 standings looked a lot like the Source standings. Either the majority of Source players are worse than anybody thought – to the point that they should stick to playing Worms and WoW – or the Source “skill-cap” is a myth.

If you still need proof, look at the match scores from Source teams just making the switch from 1.6: 3D (with the toughest matchup) lost 18-12, but EG won 21-9 and coL won 28-2. Those numbers are consistent with how the top teams in 1.6 handle low tier CAL-I teams, and I think that’s about the level where most Source players stand (because until now, all the money has been in 1.6 – if you’re really good, why play Source?). So when coL and EG switch to Source and paste the bottom feeders in CEVO-P Source by the same margins they put up against similar 1.6 teams, it stands to reason that a) Source and 1.6 teams have similar talent, and b) there isn't much difference between Source and 1.6. At the very least, if there were a skill cap, wouldn’t the scores be closer than 28-2 or 21-9? Take heart, 1.6 fans: all hope is not lost. CompLexity and 3D won’t suddenly turn into SimpLicity and 2D just because they switched to Source, and you won’t see a bunch of untalented players dethroning your favorite CS royalty. Once they make some minor adjustments, the skill gap will be back in force.

Change is a part of all sports, and it isn’t something that should be feared, or even worse, hindered. Rules, styles of play, even the playing fields themselves change. The MLB went through a dead-ball era and lowered the pitching mound to help create offense. The NBA changed from fast-paced, high-scoring games to slow-paced, defensively-oriented matchups in the ‘90s ... and now, like mohawks and afros, fast-paced basketball is coming back to the league. Even the NFL has gone through changes: roughing the passer and holding are much stronger points of emphasis, and everyone remembers instant replay coming and going and coming again. The only thing that’s relatively constant is the growing attendance throughout sports.

eSports too is growing. Sponsors are increasing player salaries and bringing competitive gaming to television. It’s a relatively low-risk proposition: CS players are a lot cheaper than actors, there aren’t any high-priced announcers or producers to deal with, and competitive gaming comprises the most desirable target audience for advertisers. Not many people watched the World Series of Poker when it first came out, but eventually it caught on; eSports has the same potential.

And remember, there’s a difference between being a gamer and being a fan. If you enjoy playing 1.6 or Promod, play 1.6 or Promod. But if you’re a fan of competitive gaming who doesn’t like Source, don’t write off the sport. Ksharp is back, player salaries and prize pools are on the rise, and more and more people are starting to pay attention. Don't give up on eSports now, it's just starting to get interesting.