The International 4: Valve's $10 million Dota 2 tournament brings e-sports to the masses

The rapid rise of e-sports continues this July with the biggest and most lucrative tournament held to date. The fourth Dota 2 International takes place in Seattle's 17,000-seat Key Arena, where the world's best teams are competing for a share of a spectacular $10.5 million prize pool, highlighted by a first place award of over $4.8 million.The majority of that funding comes from Dota 2's highly engaged and committed players, who've been buying in-game Compendiums of goodies and rewards that in turn have directly funded the TI4 prize pool. With a new, much larger venue, a prize pool that vastly outstrips anything that's come before, and a comprehensive set of online streaming options, The International 4 promises to be a seminal moment in the history of e-sports.