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Dota 2 built esports' richest prize pool era through crowdfunding, then watched it collapse when Valve killed the Battle Pass model. Here's how the mechanics, the money, and the meta actually work.

Counter-Strike evolved from a free Half-Life mod into esports' longest-running competitive shooter. Here's how a bomb-defusal game outlasted every rival for 25 years.

Half-Life proved FPS games could tell complex stories without cutscenes. Gordon Freeman's silent protagonist became iconic, blending action and narrative.