Dota 2's $18 Million The International Tournament Starts Now

Dota 2's The International Main Event starts now, boasting a prize pool of over $18 million, the largest prize pool in eSports history. While the Group Stage games last week made for interesting viewing, the "real deal" matches begin today and will run all week leading to the final event on Saturday, August 8th.

You can watch the games inside the Dota 2 client, on many various Twitch streams, or at the official site.

If you haven't watched Dota 2 before, it can all seem a bit overwhelming – check out our guide for some handy tips to get the most out of your viewing (it's not all that much different than positions on a sports team!)

Our Take
eSports is growing at a fascinating pace with the rise of MOBA/ARTS titles, with the community-funded International boasting yet another incredible prize pool. While last year's finals left much to be desired as a viewer, I'm eager to see how changes to the game make for new strategies this year – I can't wait to see the inevitable big plays and crazy character picks that come out of this wild tournament. If you can't check out the games during the week, I'd still highly recommend catching the finals on Saturday!