The making of m0NESY: why I risked my education for CSGO
17-year-old CSGO prodigy Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov is one of CSGO’s most promising and upcoming players, however, the risks he has taken to fulfil his dream have been huge.
In this in-depth interview with m0NESY, he breaks down the most impactful moments in his Counter-Strike career, from his roots in Counter-Strike 1.6, to the huge risks he took on his education to become a professional player, and his journey to joining G2 Esports
The deep roots of Counter-Strike
Beginning his career in Counter-Strike at the age of just 5-years-old, m0NESY’s passion for the game ignited after watching his older brother play 1.6 at a casual level, ultimately inspiring him to intensely play the game and eventually pursue a career in the latest title ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’ at the age of 12-years-old.
Joining the professional scene at an academy level, m0nsey played for various low-level teams before joining Natus Vincere Junior in 2020, alongside his education in school, causing him to skip most of his lessons to practice, and competitively play CSGO.
‘M0NESY’ AT THE AGE OF 14-YEARS-OLDNow in esports college, m0NESY is finding it much easier to spend time focusing on CSGO, however his education is still on the back-burner, stating: “I haven’t been there since 1st of September last year”.
Joining the G2 roster
After proving his ability on the Natus Vincere Junior roster, m0NESY was faced with many, various offers from reputable CSGO teams, and ultimately G2 Esports, which he dived at the opportunity of joining, stating: “I just wanted to play in a good team. I didn’t look at contract or salary. I just want to play in a good team which could teach me a lot of stuff, so I chose G2.”
In January 2022, it was announced by G2 Esports CEO Carlos “ocelote” Rodríguez, that m0NESY had joined G2’s active CSGO roster as their AWPer, after getting many messages from fans and supporters of m0NESY, encouraging the team to pick him up.
Discussing his future with G2, m0NESY has made his ultimate goal clear: “to go on the stage, lift the trophy and see fans looking at you, and of course to win the Major”, and he is on a great path to do so!