The largest prize pool for a single esports event is Dota 2's The International 2021, which reached $40,018,195. Dota's Internationals are crowdfunded: Valve funnels a share of in-game cosmetic purchases into the pool, which is how the game's championships have repeatedly set records unmatched by any other title.
Not yet as a full Olympic Games sport, but it is moving in that direction. Esports was contested for medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, held in 2023, with seven official medal events, a significant step toward institutional recognition.
Pick two names from this sport’s all-time list. The larger number in each shared stat is highlighted.
| Stat | Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) | s1mple (Oleksandr Kostyliev) |
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All points done. Next: Open the topic: Esports
The largest prize pool for a single esports event is Dota 2's The International 2021, which reached $40,018,195. Dota's Internationals are crowdfunded: Valve funnels a share of in-game cosmetic purchases into the pool, which is how the game's championships have repeatedly set records unmatched by any other title.
Not yet as a full Olympic Games sport, but it is moving in that direction. Esports was contested for medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, held in 2023, with seven official medal events, a significant step toward institutional recognition.
Esports careers skew remarkably young. Many players turn professional in their mid-to-late teens, and some win world titles before turning twenty, Faker won his first Worlds at seventeen, and Fortnite's Bugha took a $3M solo prize at sixteen. Peak reaction speed and the sheer hours of practice required favor the young, and rosters routinely feature teenagers.
Because esports spans many games, there is no single rulebook, but the shape of a professional contest is shared. Each title defines a clear win condition, destroying the enemy base in a MOBA, winning a set number of rounds in a tactical shooter, forcing an opponent to concede in a strategy game, and a match plays out until one side satisfies it.
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