This is not the first instance of highlights in a video game – as ever, the Saints Row series seems to have led the industry with its comprehensive hair customisation options – but it is a new thing for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which seems to be getting a lot of new things in preparation for next weekend’s DreamHack Winter.
As of last night, CS:GO players can view their own or others’ highlights from downloaded matches via the in-client Watch menu.
The idea is either to have a quiet, celebratory moment to yourself over a cup of tea as you watch a montage of your small victories in combating / committing terrorism – or to gain new perspective on the many ways your enemies have got the drop on you.
To view your highlights, you’ll want to head to the ‘Your Matches’ tab on the Watch menu, click on a downloaded match, and select the ‘Watch Your Highlights’ button.
Find an offending opponent on the match scoreboard, meanwhile, and you’ll find a similar button there.
“There’s still more to come,” write Valve. “So link your Steam and Twitch accounts and get ready for next week!”
Next week is the 2013 DreamHack SteelSeries CS:GO Championship, which features a $250,000 community-funded prize pool not unlike that cobbled together for the Dota 2 International this year. It’ll be one of the largest cash rewards in CS history.
In addition to the Highlights thing, you’ll find a dedicated DreamHack window in the game’s watch panel. But will you? Watch, that is?