Age of Gamers

By 2010 , almost every household had a computer, and esports was beginning to establish itself on the internet. Competitive gaming scenes for titles like StarCraft: Brood War , Counter-Strike 1.6 , and Warcraft III were thriving, but esports was not yet a mainstream industry. The gaming world was experiencing rapid innovation, with new games releasing back-to-back across both competitive and casual genres. However, PC gaming wasn’t the only force shaping the industry . In 2008 , the first Android smartphone, the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1), was released, marking the start of a new era. By 2010 , mobile gaming was gaining traction with the rise of early hits like Angry Birds (2009) and Fruit Ninja (2010). However, mobile gaming’s true breakthrough moment came in 2012 , when Clash of Clans launched for iOS on August 2. The game quickly became a global sensation, and after its Android release in 2013 , it solidified its place as one of the most active online multiplayer games of its time....

Esports has evolved into a global industry, captivating millions of players and viewers alike. While modern competitive gaming is not as complex as scientific fields like chemistry or physics, its history and impact on gaming culture are profound. To understand the roots of esports, one must explore the legacy of  Counter-Strike , one of the most influential first-person shooters (FPS) in competitive gaming. The Origins of Counter-Strike Before becoming a standalone game,  Counter-Strike  began as a mod for  Half-Life  in  1999 . It was developed by  Minh "Gooseman" Le  and  Jess Cliffe , two college students with a passion for FPS games. Minh Le had already worked on other mods, including  Navy SEALs  and  Action Quake 2 , but he envisioned something more realistic—a tactical shooter with grounded gameplay. When  Half-Life  was released in 1998, running on Valve’s  GoldSrc engine , Le saw an opportunity to bring...

 Alright, gamers—let’s talk about something that should’ve been standard by now … LAN co-op in story-driven games. You’re deep into a tense Far Cry 5 mission, creeping past cultists, setting up the perfect ambush, and then it hits you— “This would be so much better if my buddy was right here.” Not over Discord. Not fighting lag from another timezone. I’m talking old-school LAN . Two friends. Two PCs. One room. Shared chaos and memories. And yet… in 2025, it’s still rare. Remember When LAN Co-op Was Normal? Let’s rewind for a second. Halo made co-op legendary—LAN, split-screen, full campaign. Left 4 Dead nailed it. Story + LAN = beautiful chaos. Call of Duty: Ghosts added co-op missions just for the experience. It was simple. It was pure. It worked. Now? We’re stuck in a world of mods, unofficial tools, and black magic just to LAN Far Cry 4 or GTA V. Want to play Assassin’s Creed campaign with a friend? LOL—dream on. Ezio & Altair together? Not unless Ubis...

 Let’s be real: you’re in the zone, the squad wiped a team, got the loot, and then—out of nowhere—you’re lasered through a rock. You check the replay. Yup… that wasn’t skill. That was cheating . Multiplayer gaming today is a warzone not just between teams but between legit players and lowlifes running hacks. And no matter the platform— PC or mobile —they’re out there ruining the game for everyone. So let’s break down: What cheats they’re using Why they’re tough to stop And most importantly, how you can actually fight back —especially in mobile games . The Dirty Arsenal of PC Cheats PC players face a whole cheat buffet: Aimbots : Auto-lock heads like Terminators. Wallhacks/ESP : Peek-a-boo through walls. Radar hacks : Permanent UAV. No recoil/spread : Spray like lasers. Speed hacks : Zooming across maps like they're in GTA V mod mode. Spinbots : Spinning + snapping = chaos. The worst part? Cheat devs update faster than game devs can patch. It’s a...

 Let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t about snipers . This isn’t about some fancy-tech laser rifles or railguns from the future. This is about the AK-47. The most reliable, all-rounder, punch-you-in-the-face gun that has dominated shooter games for decades . From casual lobbies to competitive esports arenas, the AK-47 has always had one job: to slap —and it does that job too well. But how did this Cold War-era assault rifle become the gold standard in gaming? Why is it almost always broken (in a good way)? And why do even Counter-Terrorists in CS run across the map to grab one off the floor? Let’s dive in. The Birth of a Digital Legend In real life, the AK-47 is known for: Extreme durability High-caliber power Reliability under any condition And game developers? They love replicating that. Whether it's Call of Duty , PUBG , Battlefield , or Far Cry , the AK is always portrayed as: Easy to access High damage output Moderate recoil with a rhythm you...

In most games, you know your target before the first bullet flies. The villain is set. The mission is clear. You are the hero—and they are the problem. But every now and then, a game flips that on its head. It gives you a villain with layers, a motive that wasn’t clear until after you’ve already pulled the trigger. And suddenly, it doesn’t feel like a victory. It feels like a loss you didn’t recognise until it was too late. This is when we start connecting with villains—not because we want to, but because the game shows us why they did what they did. And that "why" hits harder than any boss fight ever could. The Jackal – Far Cry 2 At the beginning of Far Cry 2, The Jackal is just a name. A faceless arms dealer responsible for fuelling a brutal civil war. Your job is to hunt him down. But the deeper you go, the more twisted the situation becomes. The Jackal isn’t just making money off chaos. He’s trapped in it. Haunted by the consequences of his actions, he’s now trying to und...

                  When Candy Crush Saga launched in 2012, it was bright, colourful, simple to play, and clearly tailored for casual gamers—especially younger audiences. Its cheerful candy visuals, bubbly music, and easy-to-understand match-three mechanics made it seem like the perfect game for kids. But over a decade later, the reality couldn’t be more ironic. Today, Candy Crush is being played daily by millions of adults—especially middle-aged and older players. It’s become one of the most enduring time-killers on smartphones, a game people return to during commutes, lunch breaks, or while watching TV. Meanwhile, the kids? Most of them have moved on to fast-paced titles like Roblox , Fortnite , or Minecraft . The generation the game was designed for have largely ignored it, while their parents—and even grandparents—are still crushing candy like there’s no tomorrow. So how did this happen? A Game for Kids… That Kids Didn’t Stick With At...

                              When most people think of first-person shooters, fast-paced action games like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike come to mind—titles that emphasise quick reflexes, non-stop shooting, and flashy multiplayer combat. But there’s a quieter, more deliberate side to the shooter genre that prioritises strategy, planning, and realism over sheer speed. That side is best represented by Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six , a franchise that helped define and popularise tactical shooters for an entire generation. This is not a typical run-and-gun series. Rainbow Six invites players to think like real-world operatives—analysing situations, planning every move, and relying on teamwork and precision to succeed. And over the last two decades, it has grown into one of the most respected and influential shooter franchises in gaming history. What is Rainbow Six ? Rainbow Six is a series of tactical shoote...

                     Project IGI: The Tactical Shooter That Was Ahead of Its Time Remember the good old days when FPS games were all about strategy, stealth, and realistic combat? No? Well, you missed out on one of the most unique shooters of the early 2000s: Project IGI (I’m Going In). Released in 2000, this game wasn’t like the other action-packed shooters that were dominating the scene. Instead, it gave us something different. It challenged us to use our brains as much as our reflexes. Project IGI wasn’t your average run-and-gun. It made you think. It made you plan. And let’s not forget that nerve-wracking feeling of sneaking through a level, hoping to avoid detection, and trying to make it to the objective without firing a single shot. Sounds tense, right? That's what made IGI special. Why Project IGI Stands Out in FPS History In a time when shooters were fast-paced and focused on pure action, Project IGI slowed things d...