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hltv.org
Counter Strike: Global Offensive continues to stand up against other top titles, having been released six years ago. It is still popular among gamers, with dedicated communities existing online. One such website is HLTV, which keeps its users fully up-to-date with CS:GO tournaments and news around the world.
HTLTV and CS:GO relevancy
We all love the good things about HLTV.org; its competitive core gameplay, active community, and widespread popularity. Although other thematically-rich games have taken over in recent years, CS:GO still reigns supreme when it comes to competitiveness and user-friendly experience.
CS:GO - A prominent title on streaming platforms
HLTV.org has a large traffic flow because CS plays a major role not just on streaming platforms but also in the gaming community as a whole. A major chunk of Mixer?s and Twitch?s audience consists of CS:GO communities, and the game has been able to influence many playersâ lives and make the entire gaming niche competitive. Thus, itâs no surprise that there are many dedicated websites featuring pure CS:GO content.
What is HLTV?
HLTV is the website that many people turn to for news and live coverage of the world of CS:GO. It provides quick access to results and live scores, but it also allows you to subscribe to your favorite matches and get notification about them. In addition, you can watch the latest news, view tournament standings, and check out matches and results as you want.
I am going to focus exclusively on the website design and layout as well as my streaming experience with CS:GO. I have nothing to say about the content since it's purely based in that game. So, I'll just share my opinion of the website and how it looks and streams.
Design
For a first-time visitor, browsing around HLTV.org can be time-consuming. The website is cluttered and has a lot of content happening all across the screen. However, it's a passing feeling and you'll get used to the interface within a few minutes. Aesthetically, it isn't the best streaming website but with content as its main focus, there are hardly any expectations. There are more than a couple of main sections on the website and we'll discuss them one after the other.
Header
On the homepage, there are links to resources that matter: CS:GO News, Matches, Results, Events, Stats, Galleries, Forums, and Bets. Each of these links leads to pages with detailed information about that particular topic. There are also links to other helpful sections on the website like FAQs and How-Tos.
CS:GO News
Discussing the main categories starting with CS:GO news, this section is well divided based on time. Thus, you can access pages and browse efficiently with relative ease. On the right side, you can find ongoing or upcoming matches.
If you click on any of the fixtures, you'll land on a separate page with all the information about that particular match. This includes the date of the match, maps, teams, gaming journals, statistics, rosters and key players. Apart from that, you can even place a bet on a particular team that you like.
Matches
On the left side of the page is a block for all special matches. On the right, you can see upcoming matches and results. In the middle, there are live match options and other options for future matches.
Results
On the results page, you can see three sections- the left block has a time filter, the middle block has recent results of matches and detailed statistics, and finally the right block has activities in the past five days.
Events
The events page is one of the busiest pages on the website with a lot of filter options on the left. You can filter an event using a prize pool. You can find current events and upcoming events along with other details such as Dates, Venue, Teams, Duration and Price Pool on this page. You can even get details about each participating team.
Stats
The stats page on the HLTV website has a column on the left that is dedicated to best players. Apart from that, it has navigation, maps, and other filter options. One of the most important options on this page includes Best Players, Firepower-Teamwork-Utility (FTU), Top Events, Flashes and Pistol Rounds.
Gallery
Gallery has a page filled with images and video albums of events. When you open the page, you can find data and the ability to browse by tournament, dates, season, prize pool, venue, and more.
Forums
This is one of the biggest advantages of the HLTV network. Forums are where the community interacts with each other and asks questions. Additionally, you can start a discussion by asking a question to the HLTV administration department. Lastly, you can provide advice to management and recommend changes to the network.
Bets
On the Bets page, you can find betting odds on sporting events from 16 leading bookmakers. The highlighted bets depict safe bets which are marked blue in color.
Live
The live section on this website is the most lively. You can access a variety of live streams without any advertisements. You can watch replays and stream without any interruptions. You can chat with the streamers and viewers and see all of player's money, deaths, kills, and scores by maps.
Streaming Quality & Compatibility
I wasn't too impressed with the lack of visual appeal as I described earlier. There's a lot of information throughout the website which doesn't affect the stream in any way. But the quality is simply phenomenal, so that makes up for it.
Desktop/Mobile experience
The website is really quick. Sure, it?s not the best when it comes to looks but the overall user experience is more than satisfactory.
Even when you access it on your mobile device, it's as responsive as your desktop. It will fit with any mobile screen resolution and looks great on any device. Sure, there are some advertisements here and there, but they don't take anything away from the overall streaming experience.
Don't be too impatient when streaming this website. There's a lot of data on there, so take your time browsing the pages, checking individual pages one after the other, or else you'll get overwhelmed.
Plans & Pricing
HLTV.org is completely free to watch. You can sign up, log in, and stay updated with what's happening in the world of CS:GO on a professional level. If you'd like to play CS:GO yourself, you can either buy the free edition on Steam for offline play or you can spend $14.99 for full access. Though it's not related to HLTV.org, myself being a CS fan, I would love for you to try the game if you haven't yet done it.
Suggestions I have for HLTV
I think by adding a few great developers, HLTV could improve its website and app, which could possibly draw more users and keep them interested on the network. Now, if this was the 2010s, I wouldn't be complaining but in present times, such basic designs can rub visitors the wrong way.
Conclusion
HLTV is a great website to stay up-to-date with everything related to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. If you're as crazy about CS:GO as I am, you'll find yourself visiting this website every day. I'm not a full-fledged gamer, but I do like to watch top players play against each other. And CS being the legendary title that it is, HLTV becomes a great source of entertainment at no cost.
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