When it comes down to it, what is the real difference between esports pros and average players? With faster reflexes, better tactics, more hours played and a psychological edge it’s no surprise that the best players are better than 95.5% of the rest of the player base.
There are many popular esports scenes, but the ones associated with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) and Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) are often considered the apex of competitive first-person-shooter (FPS) gaming. Any fan of CS2 will tell you that the game throws players against each other and rewards those with the best precision, adaptability and strategy at any given moment, but how much better are the pros? This article will explore the gulf in skill, in-game rankings, tactics and other metrics between those at the top of their game, and the average player.
In-game rankings
Before people get anywhere near the pro leagues and esports tournaments, the game itself has some pretty reasonable filters to spread out the players and try to ensure that people have reasonably fair matches. This means that pro players typically are only playing with other pro players and the very best of the casual crowd. The vast majority of casual players ranked on CS2 fall between the Silver and Gold Nova tiers which are the lowest and middle range of tiers respectively.
The final tier of Gold Nova, Gold Nova Master, has a whopping 41% of the player base contained within it. For most of these players, it should be assumed that their reason to play is for fun, rather than any desire to be competitive. In contrast, at the very end of the tier system is Global Elite, which is eight ranks above Gold Nova Master and comprises about 0.75% of the player base. Just considering the in-game ranking system, this literally puts the esports pro players in a league of their own.
Skill issues
It shouldn’t be a contentious statement to say that the reason that pro players get into those top percentile groups is because they have the skills, and those skills pay the matchmaking bills. But what do those skills comprise? Reaction time, fine accuracy and game sense are top billing on the list of things that pro players have in spades, that more casual players are likely to have a lot less of.
With the average human reaction time being about 250 milliseconds, you might be surprised that pro CS2 esports players can have reaction times that shave around 100 milliseconds off that time. Reacting faster is obviously a key component of victory in FPS games.
It’s no good just being able to react faster if you paint the wall with shots and never hit your opponents, accuracy is obviously key. Data from HLTV states that esports pros like Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev have headshot percentages higher than 50%, while an average gamer might be pleased to have headshot percentages closer to 20%.
While reacting and being able to shoot are obviously key components of the game, we would suggest that having good game sense is actually more important. Knowing where to position yourself so you are well-placed to react or where to look so that you can be accurate is absolutely crucial for pro-level players. Game sense is a shorthand for an understanding of everything that is happening in the match and lets players put themselves in good spots and allows them to instinctively make good tactical decisions without needing to spend time evaluating their options. Game sense isn’t something you can buy, except with time and practice.
Practice makes pro-fact
While it could well be argued that some players are just built different, Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut’s scary fast shots make a good case for this, the truth is that most pros have just played a whole lot of games. With most professional-level CS2 players having ten thousand hours plus, no wonder they can wipe the floor with people who have only played a thousand or so hours.
An important distinction should be made here, as well as huge volumes of hours, most pro players have spent a lot of time doing specific training regimens as well. These include things like aim training tools, playing scrims and practicing with other high-level players as well as reviewing footage of their own games and those of their opponents. It is these activities, alongside the immense amount of game time, that elevate pro players above the average.
Honing the mind as well as their skills
Most modern esports professionals go beyond just practicing their chosen game ad nauseam, they also seek to keep in shape and to train their minds as well. This means that they train to be able to focus for extended periods of time so that they can compete at a good level during long tournament sessions without getting fatigued. They also train to be able to focus and perform well under pressure and in high-stakes situations so that they can remain calm and deliver good results in tense moments. Average players might be prone to getting flustered, losing concentration easily or becoming angry when they play. Pro players train to try and avoid falling into these traps.
Conclusion
As you can see from this article, the difference in skill and will between the average player and pro CS2 and CS: GO players is pretty large. Pro players have the mechanical skills, the dedication to train and the mental will to push far beyond what the average player is able or willing to do. While most players are unlikely to reach the level of pros, anybody can tune into a pro esports game and see talent going to work.