When Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launched in 2012, it went hand-in-hand with the esports boom and game streaming. In 2004, new versions such as Condition Zero and Counter-Strike: Source were released. That mod eventually became a full-fledged game after Valve acquired the rights to it in 2000. The mod, made by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, which turned Half-Life into a multiplayer fragfest between terrorists and counter-terrorists, redefined competitive gaming. Of course, the one that exceeded all expectations and defined what co-op gaming meant for years to come was Counter-Strike.

More resources and offerings came from a dynamic community that was eager to see how far they could take the game. Half-Life led to mods such as Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, and They Hunger. Sometimes they would surpass the base game. Mods would become not just commercially viable, or as a means to engage with communities and hire skillful programmers. However, it is with Half-Life that modding reached new heights. Both Doom and Quake, the other prominent shooters also had vibrant modding communities. For example, the original Castle Wolfenstein had Nazi soldiers replaced with Smurfs. Modding was around well before Half-Life even released in 1998. Yet, for all of Half-Life’s accomplishments as a single-player game, it helped inspire an even more important movement: the modding community. How about running across rooms and corridors, save scumming just to ensure that your health remained full, or encountering the G-Man from time to time? There were intense action-filled sequences and creepy moments to be had. Players might recall crawling inside vents only to spot a headcrab walking around. Although Gordon Freeman was a silent protagonist, the game’s level design, narrative, mechanics, and overall presentation spoke volumes. It became known as the one unique gem in a sea of first-person shooter clones. Half-Life immersed gamers and kept them engaged throughout the entire campaign. It was a watershed moment for the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. Twenty years later, long-time fans celebrated the game and the influence it has had on the entire gaming industry.

Half-Life, Valve’s first ever blockbuster, was released. Something that made the uneventful turn into a momentous occasion. Others were probably still finishing Metal Gear Solid. Some of you might’ve been playing StarCraft. November 19, 1998, would have been a normal and uneventful day.

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