THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF DOTA
By Ash Mahtani
Chances are you know someone
watchable in some movie theaters
who plays DOTA 2. Maybe it’s you.
(in case you need some popcorn to
Fact is, DOTA 2 is one of the most
go with your gaming).
popular MOBAs of all time, with a
player base in the millions. Some of
eSports has become a huge
them are making a lot of money.
business in recent years, with
tournaments making their way
The International is Valve’s simply
to ESPN and even getting their
named DOTA 2 championship
own section on Yahoo (which
tournament, first beginning in 2011
we all know is the benchmark
— you remember, it was that year
of relevance and success) —
people kept bugging you about
something that would’ve been
some kind of “Royal Wedding”
unthinkable back in the early days
while you sat there thinking “good
of basement LAN parties.
for Mario…” — and currently
entering its sixth year. In 2015, the
There’s no way of knowing
prizes totaled over $18 million with
which team will make it past The
2016 likely to beat that. At the time
International’s First Blood all the
of this writing, some sites have
way to the Finals, but it looks like
estimated the pool to be nearly
eSports — and, by extension,
$25 million. It’s kind of a big deal.
DOTA 2 — are going to be around
for a while.
This year’s tournament is headed
to Seattle’s KeyArena for the
Are you headed to The
second time and slated for August
International this year?
8th through the 13th, with tickets
Let us know!
running $75 to $100 depending
on the package. Of course, it’s
@LootgamingHQ
all streaming on Steam and even
facebook.com/lootgaminghq
LOOT GAMING / THE GAME MANUAL
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