Counter-strike mania hits cyber cafes
By Azlan Othman

Newly-opened shops or those having its anniversaries are now offering as low as $1 per hour to its customers, regardless of whether they want to play games or just surf. Currently, there are more than 10 cyber cafes throughout the country offering various prices to customers.

The most popular game now among teenagers is "counter-strike" popularly known as CS. Said one regular user, Shahrul, "the game becomes more interesting when many players are enrolled into using several PC's inside the cafe. That's why it's interesting compared to playing alone at home."

"The game involves two parties - terrorists and a squad to catch them. The team who manages to kill the most terrorists become the winner."

"Interestingly enough, cash price are even given to skilful teams who manage to win the game. Bulletin learns that each player contributes $10-$15. So if there are five players, the winning team will get a reward of $50 to $75. An anxious team from Brunei is even willing to entice 'best' players from Miri to come to Brunei to join their team," he said.

However what's more irritating to observers is that some cafes did not isolate players from those surfing the net, while some cyber cafes provided a special room for players by offering earphones to avoid distraction.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin