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I'm not sure how many of you follow e-sports I sure don't, but this figure is interesting regardless. Dota2's next big tournment now has well over $6 million to hand out. It's actually starting to approach $7 million!

This is thanks for $2.50 being added to it every time someone in Dota2 buys "The Compendium" which gives you extras in the game and for the tournament itself.

This is now the single biggest prize pool in e-sports history. Let that sink in for a moment, this is a prize pool for a free 2 play game's tournament. The closest to it was the previous Dota2 tournament in 2013. This kinda proves that e-sports are alive and well and will probably be for a long time and Valve's free 2 play system really works.

Imagine how much money Valve themselves have gained from this tournament. They only put $2.50 from each sale into the pot and The Compendium costs £5.99 (~$10). So Valve seems to earn ~$7.50 themselves for each purchase.

You can see Valve's tally right here.

Are you watching the tournment? Do you watch any others? Let us know. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial
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8 comments

WorMzy May 25, 2014
That's an insane amount of money.

No, I won't be watching. My younger brother probably will though, he loves watching people play games for hours at a time. I'd rather play a game than watch someone else play it.

The term "e-sport" really makes me chuckle though. Are the people competing "e-athletes"? That's an interesting description of someone who sits at a desk for a couple of hours, playing a video game. When I was younger, we just called it a LAN party. ^_^

Maybe I'm bitter because I know that I'd never win! :D
Liam Dawe May 25, 2014
I like to think i'm a good Dota2 player, but I probably wouldn't stand a chance in hell against any of the teams players haha.
tf2 better May 25, 2014
meh dota 2... TF2 is much better xD
Kossak May 25, 2014
I watch some of the qualifier matches and for sure I'll watch whole event in July. Dota 2 is the best game ever (I have about 2200 hours spent in it) and if it wasn't available on linux I would still use my previous os (now using linux mint, dota works perfectly here).
pd12 May 26, 2014
I play on Linux, and while it's gotten better than the WINE version, it's still buggy and lags at times (like when Spectre ulti's, anyone else on Linux get that?).
This means Valve has already earnt ~18 million from 2014 Compendiums alone ... go Valve =P

I suck at playing, but would rather play than watch (with anything, sport, games, etc.).
However, e-sports is fun to watch, just like sports, because you're watching the best players of their respective disciplines be it football or Dota 2. Tbh though, I think Tribes (1 and 2) is a lot more fun to watch than MOBAs like Dota. Those intense e-grabs and caps!
Check these intense skill footage:
View video on youtube.com
And teamwork:
View video on youtube.com

Edit: Now if CIG at Star Citizen uses this model for Arena Commander every year and there was a good team/player base ...
Anonymous May 26, 2014
It's not quite the same as a LAN party when the people in question practice insane hours per day for years to get there. :P

I love watching pro Starcraft, but have had a really hard time getting anything out of watching MOBAs for whatever reason... I'll probably check TI4 out a little bit though, it's just big enough to generate interest even in people not interested in the game.
E911 May 26, 2014
My wife and I have over 1,000 hours logged playing DOTA 2 on Elementary. It kicks ass.

Their Compendium Prize Pool has achievement marks for about every $500,000 dollars where players get in game additions like Rain weather Effects, Customization of Dire / Radiant buildings.

Also, until the championship is done you get points for each game you play that count toward being awarded Immortal Items that will never be made again, so their value in the Steam Marketplace will go up as the supply is extremely limited. The highest a item has sold for is several thousand dollars.

We used to be bummed out League of Legends didn't run on Linux, but DOTA 2 kicks LOL's ass as the game engine mechanics are much more responsive and better made - LOL still runs on the trash that is Adobe AIR and Riot Games are lazy hack frauds that refuse to support Linux or do anything that would require "work".

LOL's prize pool last year was 2 Million, but this year DOTA 2's prize pool started at 1.6 Million and including community contributions from ticket purchases has risen to $7 Million dollars and is going up until the championship happens in July. Tickets have only been on sale for about 2 weeks so far.

Valve sits on a throne of gold over a river of steam. DOTA 2 FTW.
Nezchan May 27, 2014
Quoting: AnonymousIt's not quite the same as a LAN party when the people in question practice insane hours per day for years to get there. :P

I love watching pro Starcraft, but have had a really hard time getting anything out of watching MOBAs for whatever reason... I'll probably check TI4 out a little bit though, it's just big enough to generate interest even in people not interested in the game.

I'm the same, I enjoy SC2 replays (go Husky!) but when I try watching a DOTA 2 match commentated in the same way I'm lost. But I have found that watching Heroes of the Storm vids that I like watching when it's a player 'casting their own play as an individual player rather than a sports-type commentary treating it as a team since I don't know the game well enough to know who everyone is, what their abilities are, etc. That's especially true of DOTA 2, where there are so many different characters.
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