Five on Friday: 5 things about e-sports that will make you go 'wow'

SINGAPORE: Singapore will play host to Dota 2's The International 11 this October – where e-sport players from around the world will duke it out for the Aegis of Champions trophy and a yet-to-be announced cash prize. 

Teams will compete at Suntec Arena and the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Gone are the days when gaming is seen as a hobby for teenagers. It is now a massive industry with startling revenue numbers. 

While e-sports viewership continues to rival that of traditional sports events, its meteoric rise in the last decade may signal a shift in audience appetite.  

Ahead of the major competition here in Singapore, here are five things about e-sports that will make you go “wow!”

Did you know that the prize money for last year’s edition of Dota 2's The International reached a whopping US$40 million? I didn’t.

But it’s true – last year’s prize money was 25 times the US$1.6 million awarded in 2011. The championship broke the record for e-sports prize money for 10 consecutive years – and this year may be no exception.

The money isn’t all from the game publisher though. For example, for the last Dota 2 The International competition, game publisher Valve put in about US$1.6 million while the remaining money came from fans.

Fans can contribute to the prize pool via an annual battle pass to the tournament, priced between US$9.99 and US$44.99. Part of these sales go directly to the prize pool.

With the pass, players can form communities, unlock rewards and make predictions.

Dota 2 is not the only tournament to offer an eyewatering amount of cash as prize.

Competitive shooting game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive offers a prize of about US$21 million, while the 2019 Fortnite World Cup finals had a pool of US$30 million.

Some famous names