Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev is widely recognized as the best player in the history of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Along with his extraordinary talent, he is especially admired for how consistently he can maintain a level that many professional players only reach at the peak of their careers. But what does it cost to be the best player in the world?
Who is it about?
- Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev is considered one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time and has been awarded as the best player in the years 2018, 2021, and 2022.
- The 26-year-old Ukrainian has played for HellRaisers, FlipSid3 Tactics, and Team Liquid in his career.
- s1mple reached the peak of his career at Natus Vincere (NaVi), for which team he has played since 2016.
- Currently, s1mple does not think much of CS2 and says, you should not play the CS:GO successor right now.
You can watch the launch trailer for the successor Counter-Strike 2 here:
s1mple works over 2,100 hours per year
What does s1mple say about his playtime? On the release of the successor Counter-Strike 2, s1mple shared a photo on X, formerly Twitter, showing his previous playtime in CS:GO.
Since the release of the tactical shooter 11 years ago, the Ukrainian has spent a proud 23,476 hours in the game. That corresponds to 978 days and an average of 2,134 hours per year.
You can see the tweet from s1mple here:
s1mple’s playtime shows what it takes to become a pro
What does the playtime of the pro show us? s1mple’s playtime reflects the reality of professional players who put a lot of work into their profession to be successful.
Although it may sound easy for some, being a professional player is very hard work – especially if you want to be among the best in the world. In comparison: the average working time in Germany is 1,735 hours per year. That’s almost 400 hours less than s1mple can claim.
Playtime hides tasks that exist alongside playing: s1mple’s playtime conceals as much as it reveals.
As a professional gamer, s1mple not only has the task of playing and training, but he also collaborates with advertising partners and travels with his team “Natus Vincere” around the world to participate in tournaments.
This time investment is much harder to measure and can certainly add hundreds or even thousands of hours. After all, the Ukrainian has been working on his professional career for 10 years, of which he has been known as one of the best players for the last 7 years.
What was all this for? Besides fame and recognition from the community, s1mple earned over one and a half million US dollars solely from tournament prizes (via esportsearnings.com). Additionally, there are income from advertising commitments and the salary he receives from his team.
Moreover, s1mple has received almost all the awards a professional player could wish for.
Of course, s1mple is not an isolated case. Other professional players invest a similar amount of time in Counter-Strike or other games, but the example of the Ukrainian helps to demystify the profession of a professional gamer.
It is certainly no exaggeration to state that players at such a high level invest their entire lives into a successful career. However, quite a bit can go wrong:
The Fortnite pro Bucke, for example, unsuccessfully flew 6,500 kilometers to a tournament, only to be disqualified before it started:
