The world of professional gaming can be quite a lucrative place if you know how to play your cards right. The next time your parents tell you to stop wasting your time playing games, this is what you need to tell them: Chinese Dota 2 players, NewBee, have just taken home $5 million in prize money from the world’s most lucrative video game tournament, The International, which ran from the 18th to the 21st of July 2014.
Dota 2 is a PC MOBA from the developer Valve, where teams of 5 people pit themselves against each-other, each team trying to destroy the other’s stronghold. Each player controls one of 107 possible hero characters which they level up while collecting gold and acquiring items in order to better their chances of crushing the enemy and ensuring victory.
The tournament saw more than 20 of the world’s greatest Dota 2 teams working together to destroy their rival teams. The finals came down to a match between the two Chinese teams NewBee and Vici Gaming.
While it may be easy to jump to the conclusion that ‘second place is first loser’, the runners-up still managed to take home $1.4m, with a further $4.5m distributed between the other teams taking part. Dota 2′s developers, Valve, only donated $1.6m of this total $10.9m in prize money; the rest was raised by other Dota 2 players.
Believe it or not, these professional videogame tournaments are becoming more prevalent in the mainstream conscious, with the finals shown in bars, pubs, and gaming centers around the world. Perhaps the most surprising coverage of The International, however, was seen on one of ESPN’s channels.
Michael O’Dell, the manager of the UK-based professional gamers, Team Dignitas, has been on record saying that “this year has certainly been the banner year for eSports, with massive tournaments in Dota, League of Legends and CS:GO. And there are more to come. The scene is very vibrant right now.”
Nic Bunce
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