Esports and Success : Examining North American Achievments in Counter-Strike

The aim of my thesis is to examine the concept of success through the North American Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esport scene. The thesis starts with a general introduction to the study of esports, video games and their deficiencies. I will introduce the premise on which the concept of success is based on according to the community. I describe the notable achievements of North American teams. I list numerous sources to support my argument that Adorno’s concept of success is fitting in this particular esport game. I examine the advantages and the disadvantages of the region will be discussed in order to display the potential that North America as a region has. I also take a look at trends, which are not natural disadvantages, they are created by the players themselves. The most notable accomplishment by Cloud 9 will be given significance in the latter half of the thesis. The deficiencies of the success concept are also mentioned.