Counter-Strike 2 needs more women
Counter-Strike 1.6 always felt like a home to me. But then CSGO came out, around the time I was old enough to own a headset with a microphone, and it started to feel like the FPS game wasn’t really designed with me in mind. Constant toxicity forced me to unplug the mic and over the years I gradually strayed to other shooters like Valorant. Still, I always hoped Global Offensive would clean up its act. There’s no silver bullet to remove sexist online trolls, but Valve can stand shoulder to shoulder with women by changing how Counter-Strike 2 looks.
Until 2019, CSGO didn’t have a woman in any shape or form. Agent Ava’s graying hair and velvet thunder voice stole my heart, but also served as a bitter reminder of what CSGO had missed for years: female representation. It was an issue more prominent than the developers and community seemed to consider.
The lack of women in CSGO made the game and its server feel like they were solely for men; when the in-game character roster lacks female representation, it perpetuates the belief that women don’t belong in the gaming space. If Valve doesn’t include women, what signal does that send to CSGO’s male player base?
Counter-Strike 2 is Valve’s chance to champion women
In 2023, CSGO’s agent models are 82% male, with only 11 female skins. Worst part? All female models are locked behind a paywall. So, women must start off with default male skins or invest money right away for a basic character that looks like them. It sucks big time. However, Valve has the golden opportunity to attract female players now that they know women like FPS games.
CS2 should have an equal number of female agents or at least a decent number of free female skins to attract new players who don’t want to spend
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