In 2025, what keeps you playing CS? (academic research)

Hey everyone!
I’m a Master’s student researching live-service games and online communities, with a focus on CS2, as case study. I’m exploring what keep players engaged for years. I’d love to hear your thoughts:

• What keeps you coming back to CS2?
• Is it the gameplay, the community, monetization, events… or something else entirely?

For anyone interested in going deeper, I’m also running a short 4 min anonymous survey as part of my thesis. 👉 https://emlyonbs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0BsYkv1L1S9EfNs

https://preview.redd.it/mfjre0ort8if1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=fa39d71f9b046a952738458d177412f5fe3f7428

Note: While I’ve interned for game publishers before, all results will remain confidential and used only for academic purposes. This post is meant to start a discussion here, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!