The International is one of the four major championship competitions organized on the Dota 2 platform by Valve. The competition ranks as the most coveted in the e-sports world thanks to its colossal prize allocations. Founded in 2011, the competition has become one of the most prominent activities in the global e-sports community. Fans, players, and organizers come together under The International’s banner to celebrate and compete in the grossing Dota 2 game. For the uninitiated, Dota 2 is a strategy-based, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) construct where teams battle each other for glory. Each team consists of individual players who, in turn, control differing characters, acting in tandem with the common goal of defeating the opposition.
These game world characters are known as ‘heroes’ and have peculiar abilities. Each player has to collect experience points and unique items to augment his character’s abilities, enabling him to surmount the threat of the enemy. To win at Dota2, a team has to ensure it destroys the opposition side’s ‘Ancient’ – an immense structure often located on the far end of the battlefield. The game was released on the Steam platform in 2013 and is available on Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems.
Dota 2 is one of the most played e-sports games globally, pulling millions of individual gamers monthly. Since its release, the MOBA game has been nominated for the Steam Awards four times, coming second in the 2020’s list based on popularity. This article is authored by Mightytips’ e-sports expert, Tomaš Selinec – whose profile you can read here.
A Brief History Of The International
The first edition of the International took place in Germany back in 2011, when Dota 2 was introduced. That year, sixteen teams were invited to the competition meet, with prize money of $1,600,000 on offer. Since then, the International has been held annually in different European cities and American cities. In 2013, Valve introduced crowdfunding, enabling Dota 2 players to contribute to the prize pool. This shot the prize money up to $2,800,000 that year and $10.9million in 2014. By 2016, the prize pool for the International hit $20 million and has been going up ever since. The prize pool for the 2021 edition is pegged at $40 million, with financial rewards available up to the 18th position.
This year’s edition is the tenth anniversary of the competition. It was initially scheduled for summer 2020, in line with tradition, but those plans were shelved due to the covid pandemic. Now, Valve has confirmed that the International will be back this year, bringing with it the most lucrative prize pool in the history of e-sports. It also announced the introduction of supporters clubs, which lets fans contribute to their favorite teams’ chances of winning the competition.
The competition will begin in Stockholm on August 5 and come to an end ten days later. Valve is keen to let fans into the Mercedes-Arena but has also provided alternative broadcasts via live streams, in-game viewing, and global pub stomps. Slovenian players can also partake in the goodies by signing up on gaming sites offering bonus stavnice.
Why Is Dota 2 Popular?
You may be wondering why so many people are glued to their screens and the internet, competing for Dota 2’s glory crown. The answers are not far-fetched. One of the major reasons why Dota 2 has huge reception is its multiplayer and strategy features. This allows you to play with friends and connect with other gamers online. The game also has different tasking settings, requiring you to sit tight and up your gameplay every step of the way. Some other reasons why Dota 2 is popular include:
- Its ties with Warcraft: The majority of the heroes featured in the Dota 2 franchise are Warcraft-inspired. This makes the game even more appealing to Warcraft fans looking for smoother gameplay and CGI.
- An Intense Ranking System: Dota 2 ascribes rankings to players based on their performance in the game. Your rank increases or decreases with every win or loss, making players strive to improve their winning streaks. The introduction of winning medals also gives successful Dota 2 players a bragging right.
- An Array of Grossing Tournaments: The Dota 2 franchise has several competitions through which players can win money. These competitions are referred to as majors and minors, chief among which is the International – the most rewarding e-sports competition globally.
Conclusion
As the e-sports world gears up for its biggest competition ever, fans in Slovenia will be warming up to see who emerges the winner as well. The e-sports community in the country is a thriving one, and several online gaming sites are coming into the country. This will allow Slovenian gamers to participate in some of the most entertaining e-sports games globally.
For an insight into the e-sports world, players should watch out for bonus stavnice offers for a seamless gaming experience. They should also make sure to read reviews of gaming sites operating in the country via Mightytips Slovenia.
