The International held in Vancouver, Canada in 2018. Photo courtesy of Steve Kidd.
Rejoice, gaming fans! The International Dota 2 Championships 2022 is coming to our sunny island, with the finals to be played out at Singapore Indoor Stadium on 29 and 30 October. The International is one of the grandest electronic sports (esports) tournament in the world, with elite Dota 2 teams across the globe fighting it out for the lucrative purse and The Aegis of Champions. The latter is an iconic trophy forged out of bronze and silver, which pays homage to the most exclusive in-game item called The Aegis of the Immortal. The Aegis, which must be earned and cannot be purchased, has the power to resurrect any dead character in the game.
Although tickets for the playoffs (at Suntec Singapore) and finals are sold out, you can still witness the battles online. The event will be broadcast live on The International’s Twitch channel and streamed on the official Dota 2 YouTube channel. You can also watch the games live on your PC if you have the Dota 2 game installed.
Even if you’re not a Dota 2 player or are new to esports, it’s easy to get swept up in the spectacle, fun and excitement, especially with the energetic shoutcasters providing play-by-play commentary and the carnival atmosphere of the event. Those who have secured tickets can look forward to booths selling exclusive Dota 2 merchandise, selfie stations, cosplay and other pop-up activities.
The International held in in Bucharest, Romania in 2021. Photo courtesy of Steve Kidd.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL 2022
The International is hosted annually by Valve Software, the game developer of Dota 2. The upcoming event — the first to be held in a Southeast Asia country — is also referred to as The International 11 (or TI11 for short), as it’s the 11th games since the tournament was introduced in 2011.
The qualification process for The International is intense. Teams are required to win the highest number of points in smaller competitions — referred to as the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) — before getting invited to The International.
The tournament is historically known for its record-breaking, multi-million dollar prize pool. The International 2021 made headlines when the amount ballooned to US$40 million. The champion, Team Spirit, took home US$18 million, with the rest of the money split in staggered amounts between the other 17 teams. To give you a better understanding of the breakdown, the first runner-up received US$5 million, and the bottom two teams (#17 and #18) received US$100,000 each.
This year will see a total of 20 teams in the tournament.
Valve offers a base prize of $1.6 million and crowdfunds the remaining sum. It does this by selling Battle Pass to players, a type of in-game purchase, where 25% of the sales goes to the prize pool. This year’s prize pool has exceeded $12 million (at time of publication), and the final figure will only be announced closer to date. And, of course, the winning team also gets the honour of lifting the Aegis of Champions.
Some proponents believe the potential value of esports net worth could one day outstrip that of sports like basketball, boxing and football. Photo from Shutterstock.
SPORTS GAINS LEGITIMACY
Much like how you would tune in to watch the Olympics, English Premier League matches or mixed martial arts tournaments, esports events are about tuning in to catch world-class professional players take on each other in epic online battles.
Thanks to video streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, the esports industry is able to grow its fanbase to over 215 million dedicated viewers and raise multi-million tournament prize money that is unheard of in many traditional sports.
“Just like conventional athletes, esports athletes train rigorously, have sponsorships, collect salaries, master their craft, and compete for the world’s top competitive honours using their mental acuity and physical skills,” says Kaci Aitchison Boyle, a spokesperson for Valve Software. Top professional players around the world are known to bring home seven-figure earnings and a host of brand endorsements.
For spectators, esports offers entertainment and action as pro players display quick reflexes, sharp strategy and savvy gameplay that are developed through hours of training, coaching and game analyses. Games also have professional commentators (known as shoutcasters) to guide viewers through the gameplay and inject insights, adding to the richness of the spectator experience.
Plus, online gaming is powerful in building community and connecting people around the world. “Ask players about their experiences and relationships formed through esports and PC gaming, and you’ll hear so many stories of friends who’ve played together for years. They form meaningful and close bonds despite having never met in person,” says Kaci.
The global esports industry is expected to earn US$1.8 billion in revenue in 2022, so it’s definitely a sector that will continue to gain attention and recognition.
COOL AS ICEICEICE
Singaporean professional esports player Daryl Koh, 32, who goes by the username “iceiceice”, has represented various teams at The International on nine occasions. Unfortunately this year, his current team, Team SMG, will not be in the playoffs. Nonetheless, Daryl is gracious to share some background on how he got into professional gaming.
Photo courtesy of Team SMG.
How did you get into professional gaming?
I’ve been playing games ever since I could remember. My first memory of gaming was my parent’s roommate playing on the Sega console. The first year I was able to earn an income from gaming was in 2011 when The International had just started.
Why did you choose Dota 2 as your game of choice?
It’s a fun game, and it had great long-term potential once Valve started to implement proper infrastructure. I was also considering playing League of Legends, but the ecosystem was under-developed back then.
How has gaming impacted your life?
I knew very early on that I wanted to be a professional gamer. With anything in life, you must sacrifice to achieve success. In my case, I sacrificed school opportunities to give myself a better shot at going pro in esports. I believe my experience is similar to those in traditional sports — in terms of the commitment needed to reach the top. I do think that in another life, I would have been a doctor or a lawyer!
