Counter Strike: Global Offensive Archives

Hello Everyone. Let me preface this article with a warning. The following is my opinion and therefore not the opinion of SCIFI.radio or it's employees or staff. That being said, let's get on with it. Recently, There have been a few things going on with Counter Strike: Global Offensive that have been negatively impacting the community and Valve's reputation. People have accused Valve of providing a "gambling-like" environment for people under the age of 18. They are stating that the opening of weapons crates in game are akin to a slot machine. Second of all, some have taken this formula and created third party websites where they can "bet" these virtual items and what not (not sure if that's at all legal). Lastly, one or more of the owners of a particular site have been gambling on their own site and allegedly faking their own results or controls the results for the sake of marketing without disclosing this fact to the viewers or consumers who use this website. Whew, that's a lot. Let's break it down. Valve created the in-game marketplace for CS:GO to be slightly addictive in my honest opinion. You open a crate and you watch the screen display its results like a slot machine. It will spin around and around until it lands on the winning result. It gives people (players aged 13+) a small rush when they win something worth like 50 cents or even like 5 or more dollars. Take this formula and apply it to a unregulated site which is now basically gambling for high priced digital items (ranging from $2 dollars to up to around $4,000 thousand). That's already kinda shady. Add those unscrupulous site owners' activities, and Valve could be benefiting from that site's influence in terms of CS:GO's popularity and marketability. This sickens me. I am first of all a bit pissed off at Valve for not getting involved. Think about it. They are making money hand over fist just sitting there doing nothing about this. Also, I'm really ticked off that someone made a website where you could gamble illegally and there is no regulation. What if someone's kid brother got onto one of these sits and was not the legal age to gamble if gambling is even legal in their area? There is no excuse to not have something like this regulated. It's kinda like online poker was originally. It was the wild west before the IRS stepped in and got control of the situation. Lastly, there is the fact that a few scumbags are exploiting the fan base they have taken the time to build. What they're doing is fraud. The FTC is very clear about conflict of interests and how something like this should be handled. They must disclose that they own the site and what goes on there. Wanna know what these scumbags do? They in passing mention that it's a fun place to play and that they made "some money" there. These kinds of people should never be allowed on the internet and personally should never be allowed on CS:GO or even YouTube. I personally wish for them to get everything coming to them financially and legally. If you support, or disagree with, my opinion on this matter, please let us know by commenting or by sharing the article with a friend. -30-

Editorial: The ‘Counter Strike: Global Offensive’ Controversy

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