"Because it was terrible": CS2 community reacts to 'Play like s1mple' course being canceled

In a recent turn of events, Ukrainian esports pro Oleksandr Olehovych "s1mple" Kostyliev's ‘Play like s1mple’ CS2 course has been canceled. According to members of the official Discord channel, those who bought the course are getting refunds without any prior notice.

s1mple announced this CS2 course in May 2024 It featured a series of interactive video sessions (ranging between 60 to 72 videos) catered towards newcomers and veteran players seeking to adapt professional playstyles for the game. In those sessions, the esports pro explained most of his strategies, thinking process, and adaptability based on certain scenarios. In terms of pricing, it cost somewhere around $100-$149 to purchase.

Now that the refunds are being issued by the authority, numerous netizens are commenting regarding its cancelation. While some CS2 community members voiced their disappointment with the course, others are looking at the bright side and speculating about s1mple’s return to CS esports' Tier 1 scene.

This was brought to wider public attention by a Reddit post from user u/Nova_Powerplay. In response, many community members voiced their opinions. One in particular, u/DefinitiveRD, commented:

“Because it was terrible, the free first videos I saw were completely unstructured and just him trying to speak about something in a macro situation and then suddenly tunnel vision into a very specific scenario and just showing what he does.”

The user went on to explain that s1mple was "not very good at explaining things," but also admitted that it is "almost impossible" to teach newcomers and veterans at the same time:

Comment byu/Nova_Powerplay from discussion inGlobalOffensive

In support of DefiniteveRD’s comment, user u/Xyaena explained the reason for the downfall of s1mple’s course. The user explained how poorly the videos were made by claiming they oversimplified things.

On the other hand, they also cited that the best player doesn’t need to be a good teacher either. The interactive videos were mostly catered toward veterans and high-elo players. The average gamers of the CS2 community can’t learn something out of it.

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A Redditor commenting on s1mple's CS2 course (Image via Reddit)

Meanwhile, user u/Harucifer directly accused the Ukranian legend of an “attempt at cash-grab.” According to them, the NAVI legend tried to earn some money as he’s currently inactive in the CS pro scene. Moreover, the user added that the video sessions could have become something cool, but were never able to reach their full potential.

Comment byu/Nova_Powerplay from discussion inGlobalOffensive

As evident from the comments of users like u/BobertoRosso, u/k1lazept, and u/Frl_Bartchello, most players think YouTube is a more viable and cost-effective option for CS2 enthusiasts seeking to reach high-elo or newcomers trying to learn the basics of the game.

According to them, instead of spending $100 on a course by a professional, watching veteran content creators like TheWarOwl, CS Tactics, and austincs, will be a better option overall.

They also explained that being a better player doesn't equate to being a good teacher. Hence, you can’t always expect s1mple to teach the basics from scratch.

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Reddit comments on s1mple's CS2 course (Image via Reddit)

Meanwhile, user u/szii24 expressed their opinion on the current commotion over s1mple’s CS2 course. They explained it all comes down to a player’s dedication and the number of hours they can spend on a game. If they really want to improve, they need capitalize on their past mistakes. Moreover, they must work on their communication skills to provide proper call-outs to the ally.

Players must learn “game sense” on their own and adapt different playstyles according to certain scenarios. No content creators and professional players can teach them that.

A Redditor commenting on the course (Image via Reddit)

Among the stream of negative comments, user u/O_gr looked on the bright side of s1mple’s career. They praised the Ukrainian professional for openly admitting the bad implementation of his video course and expected a quick comeback in CS esports' Tier 1 scene. They commented:

"If refunds are being issued, respect to S1mple for admitting it was a badly thought out idea."

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Why was the ‘Play like s1mple’ course canceled?

'Play like s1mple' is closing? byu/Nova_Powerplay inGlobalOffensive

According to netizens, Oleksaander's 'Play Like s1mple' video interactive course lacked the "interactive" part. The videos were poorly made and only directed toward the high-elo players. A newcomer or an average CS2 player might face a hard time learning from them.

Meanwhile, they also elaborated that instead of focusing on the overall player base, the NAVI legend just casually explained his game tactics and showed a couple of his clips from different pro matches. Basically, he failed to explain scenarios from scratch.

Several Redditors speculated that the course's poor conditioning was why only few players went for it. As a result, s1mple and others behind this project failed to reach their expected target, resulting in a full shutdown.

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