In August game developer and publisher Valve held its third annual tournament for Dota 2 — a game probably best described as five-a-side wizard death football — known as The International.
The thing about this particular bout of wizard death is that over one million spectators tuned in online to watch the grand finale, fan contributions pushed an extra $1.2 million (£750,000) into the already-large prize pool, the matches were broadcast live on television in Sweden, and, for those attending in person in Seattle, there was a chance to meet the professionals and members of the community who enhance the experience of playing on a day-to-day level.
The work Valve did with Dota 2 and The International 3 tournament (also known as TI3) offers up a better understanding of how the company is building a solid foundation for an eSport. Its model takes a triangular partnership between developer, professional player and community which is then able to support or tap into satellite companies and auxiliary businesses. In short, TI3 demonstrated a healthy eSport in action.
Wired (UK) – Dota 2: How Valve is making five-a-side wizard death a healthy eSport
Introducing AKBARRR.com
Free to Play
Prizepool
2GD in Grilled Episode 72
RPS: Why is Dota 2 the biggest game on Steam?
