VANCOUVER, BC — Another week of heartbreak, struggle, and conquest has commenced at the 8th annual Dota 2 International. Teams are competing for close to $25 million in prize money. This is the largest some of money ever for one single Esports tournament. A win here could change a players life forever and cement them in history as one of the best dota players of all time.
Two days ago, at the start of the tournament I felt like an outsider looking into a complex game I would never truly understand. Dota is hard to say the least. The game boasts over 100 unique heroes to master and a large map filled to the brim with objectives and camps. Dota 2 was released in 2013, and is still going strong today. In July of 2018 it had over 10 million active players. With no prior experience playing the game I expected it to be a challenge to watch. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Witnessing the exhilarating teamfights and plays being made by the worlds best has been an unforgettable experience. Teams are laying out everything they have on the battlefield to compete for the ever so prestigious Aegis. After maybe two games I was starting to understand the meta of the game and how it was meant to be played at a high level.
Bracket and prize money
While I do believe other Esports tournaments are well produced The International just blows the competition out of the water. The stadium’s setup looks astonishing. Special effects, lighting, team interviews, casting, and coverage of the event in general are all top notch. The viewer can really tell that this is the biggest event in esports. Other tournaments need to look at the International as a precedent for how to successfully run an Esports tournament. This is top notch entertainment and the games are only going to get better throughout the week.
What also surprised me the most about The International is how passionate Dota 2 fans are. They truly love the teams that they are supporting and want to see them succeed. Dota 2 has something special going on here. The combination of entertaining gameplay, exciting atmosphere, and the roar of die hard fans shows me that this sport is not going away for a very long time. Even though Dota 2 is an considered an older moba I don’t foresee them transitioning into a new game for at least 2-3 years.
The International is something special. If you are interested in watching, matches will be streamed on Twitch. The final games will be played on the 25th of August. You don’t want to miss this.
