I like to play this game with some of my favorites because I can't always explain to myself and other people what it is about a specific game that keeps me coming back. For me the main offender is Counter-Strike since I've been playing since...I don't even know, potentially 1.1 but probably 1.3. So, what is it that has kept me coming back all these years?
1. It's easy to get into a game. Even in the WON days you could turn on your computer and be playing in no time.
2. Rounds are short so you can turn it into a competition over the long term or just play a few rounds then quit.
3. It's easy to pick up but difficult to master. CS has a weird learning curve which has change dramatically in CS:S but it's still there. You start out bad but you can get better very quickly, however, the jump up to professional is enormous. So, it's fun to play in pubs but it rewards you for spending time practicing.
4. CS is very social. When I took a break to play CoD4 I was amazed at how quiet games were. People took it way too seriously and there was rarely any chatter. Part of CS's success in this matter is flexibility in how servers are run including the most important feature, alltalk. You can have fun and play terribly just by getting online and goofing around with a bunch of strangers.
5. CS lends itself to competition. There isn't much luck involved (compared to other FPS's), it's easy to distinguish between yourself and enemies, maps are small enough that strategy matters and large enough that you can actually implement it and there is a wide variety of weapons.
I think that's good for now but I've always liked doing the same thing with Starcraft, Warcraft 3, Dawn of War, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, and other games or series of games which have lasted for a while.
1. It's easy to get into a game. Even in the WON days you could turn on your computer and be playing in no time.
2. Rounds are short so you can turn it into a competition over the long term or just play a few rounds then quit.
3. It's easy to pick up but difficult to master. CS has a weird learning curve which has change dramatically in CS:S but it's still there. You start out bad but you can get better very quickly, however, the jump up to professional is enormous. So, it's fun to play in pubs but it rewards you for spending time practicing.
4. CS is very social. When I took a break to play CoD4 I was amazed at how quiet games were. People took it way too seriously and there was rarely any chatter. Part of CS's success in this matter is flexibility in how servers are run including the most important feature, alltalk. You can have fun and play terribly just by getting online and goofing around with a bunch of strangers.
5. CS lends itself to competition. There isn't much luck involved (compared to other FPS's), it's easy to distinguish between yourself and enemies, maps are small enough that strategy matters and large enough that you can actually implement it and there is a wide variety of weapons.
I think that's good for now but I've always liked doing the same thing with Starcraft, Warcraft 3, Dawn of War, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, and other games or series of games which have lasted for a while.
