Yay! Today we talk about gaming! Since this whole industry grew so much in a very short period of time, I think we can consider that video games developed a culture of their own.
I think that we've all heard at some point in life this particular phrase:
"Are you gonna earn your living with your video games?"
Hmm, well, apparently yes, now we can! It takes a lot of dedication and training, not to mention the talent required for it, but once realized as a successful gamer, you practically don't need to worry about anything else.
We have professional leagues for all sorts of games: Starcraft, CS: GO, League of Legends, even Heartsone is a proud owner of a competitive stage. However, the highest prize pools always were, are and probably will be, unless Fortnite will rule the world, at DOTA 2 competitions.
For those of you who are not familiar to gaming, DOTA was originally developed as a Warcraft III mod by a nice fellow self-baptized in the cyberspace as IceFrog. He crafted a map consisting of three main lanes and some important structures. The game features 10 players fighting for two distinct sides, Radiant and Dire. It's basically a 5v5 arena with tons of champions that have unique skill-sets, abilities and roles.
Now, if I were to explain the principle of MOBA's (the game genre DOTA belongs to), it would take us a few hundred pages at the least. MOBA's are quite complex and to become a master of the craft, you must grind and grind and grind match after match.
DOTA 2 MAP with its three lanes: Top, Middle and Bottom
Now, DOTA 1 clearly belonged to Blizzard, as it was a Warcraft mod. However, Gaben's Valve (the guys who simply refuse to give us Half-Life 3) purchased the license for the mod for almost nothing. They copied the mechanics in an improved engine and developed a sequel, neatly titled as DOTA 2. Crazy graphics for a MOBA, wonderful, challenging gameplay, a mesmerizing jungle and a tiny winged horse courier boosted the game through the roof.
Today, the game features several competitive majors throughout a year and an annually Worlds Championship Tournament. In 2017 the prize pool consisted in $24.787.916... 24 MILLION. The team who ranked first received 10 million bucks. That means around 2 millions per player! Two whole millions.
Okay, okay... Let's chill. It might not have been that much since the team also claims a part of the money for trainers, upgrades for the GameHouse and so on, but we're still looking at about 1.2 million for each player... And this is just one event!
Check out this screenshot (I couldn't find a decent picture) with the highest grossing DOTA 2 players. This is insane!
So, yeah... If you ever hear that tormenting phrase again, you can smugly whip out your smartphone, run a fast google search for DOTA 2 Worlds prize pool, and then shove that blue screen under the nose of the unbelievers! Yes, I can earn my money with my stupid video games!
Ex-Riki main, noob DOTA 2 player Victor Rain wishes you the best in your conquest to rule the battlegrounds and hopes that you will always enjoy heart-pumping, mind-bending, knee-clapping gaming!
I know it's from another game, but... uhm...
FOR THE HORDE!!!
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