$2.5 Million for the Biggest eSports Video Game Tournament of the Year! I was there and you will be surprised…

As soon as I arrived in Copenhagen, I was struck by the striking contrast between the tournament atmosphere and the tranquility of the city’s canals. A mix that I immediately liked and that only increased my desire to discover the Royal Arena in the colors of Dota 2 and the new hero Ringmaster. After an interview with the Steelseries teams and the presentation of their new products (which you will soon discover on JVTech), it was finally time for me to experience The International from the inside.

A day dedicated to Dota 2

For those unfamiliar with The International, it is an eSports tournament that takes place on the Valve video game Dota 2. Like League of Legends, Dota 2 is a MOBA in which two teams of five players each compete against each other. Each team’s goal: destroy each other’s base by collecting resources. As you probably understood, Dota 2 is a complex and demanding team strategy game, where each game (which can easily exceed an hour of play) is a real battle of minds.

When I said in the title that this tournament is the biggest eSports tournament of the year, This is simply because the latter is historically the tournament with the highest cash prizes at stake. To give you an idea, in the top 10 largest prize pools in historyThe International takes the first 7 places. And even though the prize pool this year is a little smaller than previous years, we’re still talking about it more than $2.5 million.

In short, let’s get back to our topic and my experiences on site. The atmosphere in the Royal Arena was electric. Thousands of fans around the world screamed at their team’s every kill. Clapping of hands and light exchanges between bracelets placed around the room followed each important action. For the Friday competition I took part in, There were 4 games planned: BetBoom Team – Team Falcons, Aurora – Xtreme Gaming, Team Liquid – Cloud9 and finally Tundra Esports – Gaimin Gladiators.

Beyond the purely playful aspect The International is also an event that has left its mark on the history of eSports. As I explained above, the prices at stake reach astronomical amounts every year, testifying to the exponential growth of the sector. Professional players are considered true stars and are adored by millions of fans around the world. Frenchman Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is considered one of the game’s greatest legends, having won The International twice. (2018 and 2019).