Still don't believe that competitive gaming has reached the big leagues? Consider this: The total prize money for the upcoming Dota 2 International tournament has surpassed $10 million. That is the largest prize pool ever for an eSport event, and more than the U.S. Open golf tournament purse. Dota 2 is Valve Corp.’s wildly popular multiplayer online battle arena video game and the sequel to the Defense of the Ancients mod. The Dota 2 championship tournament takes place in Seattle on July 9-July 21, so the pool could get even bigger by then. Nineteen teams from four continents will compete.
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— James Eng, NBC News