You're seeing the point is probably not a requirement..
I never played any fps games online before Quake3 and UT. I liked them both, eventually got to the stage where I could beat them both, then jumped online and got my ass handed to me on a platter... after awhile, I started to win fairly often.
Since I've never so much as looked at Counterstrike, I'd probably chose the same route before I jumped in. At least that way I'd know what I was doing and not be screwing up my team all the time...
It's always done for money, but maybe a tutorial version which CZ seems to be will get more people into it for Half Life 2. I hope so, having seen Counterstrike source, I'm thinking seriously about giving it a shot.