Chris 'GeT_RiGhT' Alesund on Counter-Strike: "I don't see it as a sport at all"

As life was starting to wind down for the end of the year, Monster Energy reached out to ask if we’d like to attend the Counter-Strike StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Playoffs in Hungary. In short order, our daydreams of Christmas dinner-induced food comas were AWPed out of existence as we soon found ourselves fully-immersed in the high-stakes action and drama of top-end esports tournaments.

With eight teams pitted against one another, we bore witness to the best Counter-Strike players and teams as they duked it out for the chance to lift the coveted trophy and walk away with a cool $500,000.

There were standout performers like Team Spirit’s Danil ‘Donk’ Kryshkovets, who, at just shy of nineteen, played a game that belied his age, building upon his success of being named the best player of the year in 2024. No doubt an illustrious career lies ahead.

Ultimately, only one team could walk away with the top prize, and French Team Vitality saw a decisive 3-1 win against FaZe Clan, which, after a confident start on Nuke, crumbled under the Franco onslaught in Dust2, Inferno and Overpass.

Against this backdrop of Aces, upsets, clutches, et al, RadioTimes.com had the pleasure of speaking to one of the best of all time, the man who practically invented lurking, Chris ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund, about all things Counter-Strike. You can see the whole interview at the top of this page!

Now a full-time streamer and Monster Energy Ambassador, Alesund has stepped back from playing professionally, though is keen to stress he is not retired. But, having been able to step back and reflect on it all, we wanted to hear his thoughts on how Counter-Strike has changed over the years, from the man who was there since day one.

"I would say, like, the best example is, like, the first ever time I went to a LAN. And basically, [a] LAN is like, maybe 100, 200 people get together, play different [kinds] of games, they put up, potentially a tournament in it, try to be a little bit serious, but it's not like, you know, a big tournament like this."

With the StarLadder Major Budapest taking place in the MVM dome, a brand-new sports facility, it’s not just the number of players that’s different.

Reflecting on past events in his youth, he added: "You sleep on the floor. It's an outdoor chair. You're sitting on the table… all the table[s] looks like [they’ve] been standing outside for a whole year. It's been [in] rain, winter, snow, whatever – it has been on it. You know, it's really bad. You bring your own computer, your gear, everything."

There wasn’t even a sniff of a cash prize back in those days, either, as Alesund reminisced, you would be competing "for like five mousepads, sometimes even, like two mousepads as the first-place prize."

But, in spite of what was an incredible career, Alesund can’t help but feel nostalgic for the old glory days, as he remembers that "everyone is just having a good time, and it's not really someone walking around, like super serious, like an admin or... a judge that [knows], like, the rules are correctly done, then everything set perfectly to what the level is today. There's no one watching the games, really. It's just like you're one of the [people] there."

Certainly, it’s a far cry from the kind of budget and planning involved in a tournament such as a StarLadder Major.

"And now it's, you know, professional people travel. People live in fancy hotels. People actually get paid serious money. You have sponsors. You're a brand. You have to take care of your own organisation, brand, you're doing interviews, you have to also perform to [a] level, [you’ve] got to work out, eat healthy. You have someone to talk to, like a mentor, coach or psychiatrist. Sometimes it's like on a completely different level."

With Counter-Strike reaching such lofty heights, we asked Chris what he thought lay ahead for the sport’s future, but getting to where it is in the first place was beyond any of his expectations.

"I think I've only dreamt and been looking to get to the stage where it is now, so I don't know [the] answer… mostly because I'm also not a professional anymore, so I'm not involved as I [was]."

However, Alesund takes issue with the notion that eSports, specifically Counter-Strike, is a sport at all.

"I know some people don't like it when I say this, but I don't see it as a sport at all. I see it as entertainment business."

Asking what he meant by this, Alesund went into more detail, saying that it’s "because I think that works with the economic way of eSports and CS specifically, that's why I see it as that kind of category, instead of like, this is a sport itself."

Of course, Alesund can see the parallels as he can "see the sports reference there", but ultimately "It has a way shorter lifespan for a lot of professional[s] in it, and you can be the hottest piece on the market for like, two months, and then you're out, and then you disappear into nothing, basically."

With such a high turnover rate and low chance of success, Alesund believes that many look at how punishing esports can be and "People don't maybe want to go this like route as a human being, because there's so many other things now and the digital age that we live in. You can become a very successful streamer, a YouTuber, influencer, TikTok-er."

When asked how he reckons he would fare travelling back in time to compete in a Counter-Strike 1.6 tournament against his younger self, Alesund believes he would lose, despite the years of experience, owing to the fact that when he and others were that young, Counter-Strike was "the only thing you thought about."

These days, as well as reflexes slowing with age, Alesund has much more on his plate as an adult, such as "bills, insurance, taking care of my girlfriend, 'maybe I should have vacation this year, what do I need to do on my work?'"

But unlike in other physical sports, Alesund believes that this is "the beauty of games", that even when you do get older, he surmises that "you're not gonna really end up as the worst player", as it "doesn't matter how old you are, it's just more how you adapt to the situation."

For the whole interview, be sure to check out the video above, or on the Radio Times Gaming YouTube channel.

We also had the chance to sit down with Counter-Strike player and fellow streamer Erik Flom, so be sure to check back in for more CS goodness!

Once again, many thanks to Monster Energy for providing us with the opportunity to sit down with top-class talent.

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