Online gaming championships – what you need to know

It seems with every year we get more and more accustomed to online phenomena’s blowing up and becoming mainstream. Everything from dating, ordering fast food and selling unwanted goods is done on the World Wide Web. The world of gaming is no different, online gaming championships are getting bigger and more mainstream every year. This article aims to give you the low down of the biggest competitions, the prizes money to be won, who the big players are and how do you get to compete against them.

The Competitions

1. The International

The biggest gaming tournament in the world is known as The International. This Seattle based annual tournament sees teams of gamers compete in Dota 2 (Defense of the Ancients 2); an arena-based game for the PC that sees two opposing teams attempt to destroy their rival’s base – an artefact known as the ‘ancient’. This year it handed out a whopping $10 million in prize money to competitors.

2. League of Legends

LoL (League of Legends) is one of the most popular online multiplayer games in history. The game’s popularity is growing steadily. In January of this year, Riot Games, the development company behind LoL, reported some truly astonishing figures: LoL boasts over 27 million daily players – that’s 7.5 million at any given time. In 2013 we say Korean team SK Telecom T1 win the massive $1 million top prize.

3. Call Of Duty Championships

Call of Duty is a true online phenomenon. It is one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time and boasts millions and millions of dedicated players. The Call of Duty Championships in 2014 saw over thirty teams take part. The tournament took place in Los Angeles and had a total prize pool of $1 million. The winning team, compLexity, were awarded $400,000.

The Players

KT FlaSh – Total Earnings $449,516

FlaSh’s game of choice is StarCraft: Brood War, a game that is massive in South Korea. This gaming wonder kid usually takes home $10k a tournament and won half of his total earnings before his 18^th birthday.

Jaedong – Total Earnings $515,086

With nicknames including “The Tyrant” and “The Legend Killer,” Jaedong is something of a competitive video gaming heavyweight. As with fellow South Korean KT FlaSh, Jaedong specialises in StarCraft. He revolutionized the way StarCraft was played, he holds several records, and he earned half a million dollars from playing a videogame.

Fatal!ty – Total earnings $454,919

Johnathan Wendel is widely considered to be the most versatile player ever. Unlike many of the players today, he plays a wide variety of games as opposed to specializing in one particular title. He made his name in games such as Painkiller,, Quake, Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament, Doom 3, Counter Strike, and Alien Versus Predator . He also boasts a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for most COD kills in sixty minutes.

How to get into online gaming tournaments

First and foremost, you must have a love for online gaming, dedication, a competitive edge and the desire to practise until you are the best.

Many aspiring online gamers join clans where they play the game with fellow gamers until they feel ready to compete at a higher level.

If you feel ready to mix it up against the big boys at online tournaments, there are many you can register for online and begin turning your hobby into a source of income.

We hope this article has been an insightful introduction to the world of online gaming. SO, what are you waiting for? Get your pad and get gaming!