The International 4 has broken $5 million in prize pool money.

[Kirihuna]

It was already the biggest prize pool in all of e-sports history.

Now it's past $5 million. Up from the initial $1.6 million.

 

The International 3, held last year, had a prize pool of 2.275 million. That prize pool has been doubled that of last year's within a week.

 

http://dota2.cyborgmatt.com/prizetracker/international2014

 

Also, who ever wins the TI4, all 5 players should be the top 5 in all time e-sports earnings.

 

http://www.esportsearnings.com/players

 

As a Dota 2 player and fan, this is huge and exciting to see.

[Askew]

shiver me timbers that's a bunch of cake.

[Fred Castellum]

Now to figure out what account it was wired to so I can hack it.... 

 

[C1intFunWood]

You forgot the manager

[TopWargamer]

Damn. 

[Mooshi]

I'm still bothered that sitting on your ass playing vidya is classified as a "sport".

[DirkaFat]

I'm still bothered that sitting on your ass playing pew pew is classified as a "sport".

Why?

[Mooshi]

Why?

 

Because it's not.

 

It's being good at a video game. Nothing more, nothing less. It's as absurd as telling your knitting granny she's a top athlete.

[Eroda]

Because it's not.

 

It's being good at a video game. Nothing more, nothing less. It's as absurd as telling your knitting granny she's a top athlete.

 

They are playing that videogame by themselves or in a team against another or others for the entertainment of others. that meets the criteria to allow it to be called a sport by the definition of the word sport 

[TopWargamer]

I'm still bothered that sitting on your ass playing vidya is classified as a "sport".

They're classified as e-sports.

I bet if you were up there you would have a completely different opinion on the matter. These people are entertaining others through highly competitive multiplayer games. I don't see the problem here.

[pbenologa]

I'm still bothered that sitting on your ass playing vidya is classified as a "sport".

E-Sports to be exact. You use your mind creating strategy. To win the game you must have skills and talent. It's like saying chess is not a sport.

[mvitkun]

I'm still bothered that sitting on your ass playing vidya is classified as a "sport".

That's the same thing as saying 

"I can't believe running around catching a ball is classified as a sport."

 

And yet it is, because it's much more than that.

Its intensive strategy, your ability to react to new or different actions taken by your enemy/opponent, and also your knowledge of the game.

In both football and DOTA you need to practice in order to have good chance at winning the tournament level matches.

In both football and DOTA you need to come up with plans and strategies, practice those strategies, so that when a certain situation comes up you have a game plan.

In both football and DOTA you need to have good intuition and be able to act on it in a timely manner, or have somebody else who leads you that makes up for your lack of intuition.

In both football and DOTA you need to work well with your teammates.

 

You could argue this for every sport, and guess what, many people can't believe that we value sports as much as we do; Many people believe that it is just running catching/hitting/throwing a ball.

Right now you're being one of those people for one side of the spectrum but not the other, you're being a hypocrite.

 

Either both sports and E-sports are overly-hyped games, or both are much more than that.

You can't have it both ways.