It comes as no surprise to anyone with even a superficial knowledge of Counter Strike history, that the North American region is currently mired in the swamps of mediocrity. Barring a few moments of respite, the story of the North American region in Counter Strike has largely been one of huge failings. At certain points in times, certain organizations have fielded rosters that appeared to be able to transcend the failings of their region, such as Cloud 9 under Seangares’ leadership, the Team Liquid rosters that benefited from the play of Ukrainian superstar S1mple and most recently, the OpTic Gaming roster that won Eleague Season 2.

However, just as crabs in a bucket tend to do, the underlying value system of the North American region prevented these teams from breaking away and achieving sustainable international success. The fact of the matter is that the value system that North American professionals rely on as a guide is the very thing that is holding the North American region back. In order for the region to become competitive on a world scale, at a level that is commanded by the population and resources at its disposal, it will require a complete retooling of the underlying reward system present in the region.

    Where is the Hunger?

One of the most perverse aspects about the North American professional is the fact that they understand the issues present within the culture of their scene. Far too often does a rant from a prominent North American professional identifying various issues holding North America back reach the front page of reddit.Despite these rants no evidence of any actual transmutation in the culture of the North American scene ever comes to light. This lack of evidence undoubtedly leads most of the scene to come to question the motivations of the North American players.

If an individual proves himself capable of identifying the problems that are holding him back, it would be remiss to not question his motivation if the problems did not find themselves subsequently rectified. The lack of change in of itself is the smoking gun in the case against North America; after all, many a time has an NA professional unleashed a rant about the terrible practice culture embedded in the scene, yet no actual change has ever come in that aspect.

While one could simply brush it aside by claiming that no individual can ever provide a systemic change, they would be ignoring the fact that systemic change broken down to its molecular levels is comprised of those individuals thirsting for change. If the value system that holds North American teams back is ever to change, then it will require individuals within the region to band together and bring about a wave of change that simply can not be stopped.

The Actual Problems

Now that the criticism in regards to change has been dished out, we can now focus on the specific foibles present within the value system of North America that holds the region back on the international stage. The biggest reason that North America fails to compete on the international stage is indubitably the inadequate practice system that the professionals have begun to take as a fact of life. Numerous prominent personalities in the North American Counter Strike scene have pointed to the approach to practice as sorely lacking in the region. For example, there exists numerous horror stories of teams viewing practice as simply a medium akin to cough syrup, looking simply to swallow and get over with the unpleasant sensation as quickly as possible. North American teams fail to realize that hard work is what enables one to overcome their limits. The mundane times of practice are what champions ultimately utilize in their path to glory. While a proper approach to practice will never be the immediate slingshot to success for North American teams, it will undoubtedly assist them in their quest for glory.

Another one of the biggest problems embedded in North American culture is their evaluation system for talent.  It seems that, over time, North America has come to a fundamentally incorrect evaluation system for players. For example, it seems that in the present climate in North America there is no value assigned to players who are willing to make the sacrifices for their team. Rather, it seems that North American teams view support players as expendable pawns, simply cutting them out and then plugging in a skilled aimer in their place regardless of their capability for the role that they are being put in. North America has come to place too much value on flashy aimers, when what they need now are the players strong in other aspects. If North America wants to succeed on the international stage then it is high time they go out and look for their own Xyp9x, Krimz, or Taco, as these types of players are what separate the great from the mediocre.

Conclusion

The value system that is currently keeping the population of North American Counter Strike professionals down is not one that sprung up from the ground. Rather, it is a value system that has been inherited from the past generations of North American Counter Strike players. As such, due to how strongly embedded this value system has become, it has proven extremely difficult to eviscerate said system and institute a new one. This new value system, if it ever comes, will not find itself in the North American bloodstream overnight. Rather it will slowly trickle in as newfound talents will infuse the scene with the necessary principles to tackle the international stage.

To an optimist it seems that North America stands on the precipice of transitioning into a new epoch, as demonstrated by the influx of new and hungry youngsters to the top of the scene. A pessimist would counter by pointing out that new and hungry youngsters have been present in every era and yet this current value system still remains. The only fact is that any change in the standing of North America on the international stage, if one does eventually come about, will only come through the self-actualization of North American professionals.