 The World Cup may have just ended, but there's another huge tournament happening right now that you should be watching. It doesn't have end zones, or a home plate, or even LeBron James. But it does have mythical ancients, powerful wizards, fearsome warriors, a dude riding a bat, and this guy. Right now 16 teams are competing to take home millions of dollars in an event that could be watched by millions of people. It's called the International and it looks like the future of sports. This is the fourth year of the International, an annual Dota 2 tournament, and it's by far the biggest year yet. It's hosted by Valve, the company best known as the creator of the Half-Life series. This year Valve enlisted Dota 2's huge fan base to sweeten the pot for competitors, and they came through in a huge way. Valve seeded the tournament with a $1.6 million prize, but players pitched in more than $8 million to bring the total purse to over $10 million. That makes it not only the largest esport tournament in history, but also bigger than some traditional sports tournaments. These players are the best of the best in Dota 2, but that doesn't mean they're paid like LeBron. There's no salary, and losing can literally mean missing out on your lunch. This year's winning team will take home nearly $5 million. If you're new to Dota 2, there's a lot to learn, so much in fact that listening to the tournament's broadcast can be completely overwhelming for newcomers. You're going to hear a lot about laning, creeps, BKBs, Rat Dota, and dozens of other jargony terms. It's complicated, but really there are just a few basics you need to know before watching. You could compare Dota 2 to a lot of games, and that's both good and bad. It's part chess, part capture the flag, part Magic the Gathering, and part Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Dota is short for Defense of the Ancients, and that's actually the game in a nutshell. Two five-man teams battle in a big square gladiatorial arena with a single objective — siege the other team's base and destroy their Ancient before they destroy yours. Of course, it's not as simple as hitting a baseball out of the park. Each Ancient is protected by a series of defensive towers that must be toppled splintially. These defenses have four layers, and they're spread out in three lanes, which are just pathways from one team's base to the other. There's one that goes straight down the middle of the map diagonally, and two that wrap around each edge. Unlike pro sports, Dota 2 is incredibly easy to watch. You don't need television or a special cable package. You just need an internet connection. And this year, Valve has made it even easier for newcomers with a beginner's broadcast that breaks down the game for newbies. Even Valve's spectacular documentary on the game, Free to Play, is free to watch online. But this year, for the first time, major networks are also getting in on the action. The stream will be available to watch on ESPN3. The main event starts today and runs through Monday, July 21st. Each team will compete on a stage at the Key Arena in front of cheering fans. You're likely to see furious combat, emotional comebacks, surprising twists, and at the end, one team taking home almost $5 million and a giant shield trophy called the Aegis of Champions. If you're thinking that kind of Dota 2 is tempting, you too can someday become a champion. Dota 2 is completely free to download and play, and it's available for Mac or PC.
 The World Cup may have just ended, but there's another huge tournament happening right now
 that you should be watching.
 It doesn't have end zones, or a home plate, or even LeBron James.
 But it does have mythical ancients, powerful wizards, fearsome warriors, a dude riding
 a bat, and this guy.
 Right now 16 teams are competing to take home millions of dollars in an event that could
 be watched by millions of people.
 It's called the International and it looks like the future of sports.
 This is the fourth year of the International, an annual Dota 2 tournament, and it's by far
 the biggest year yet.
 It's hosted by Valve, the company best known as the creator of the Half-Life series.
 This year Valve enlisted Dota 2's huge fan base to sweeten the pot for competitors, and
 they came through in a huge way.
 Valve seeded the tournament with a $1.6 million prize, but players pitched in more than $8
 million to bring the total purse to over $10 million.
 That makes it not only the largest esport tournament in history, but also bigger than
 some traditional sports tournaments.
 These players are the best of the best in Dota 2, but that doesn't mean they're paid
 like LeBron.
 There's no salary, and losing can literally mean missing out on your lunch.
 This year's winning team will take home nearly $5 million.
 If you're new to Dota 2, there's a lot to learn, so much in fact that listening to the
 tournament's broadcast can be completely overwhelming for newcomers.
 You're going to hear a lot about laning, creeps, BKBs, Rat Dota, and dozens of other jargony
 terms.
 It's complicated, but really there are just a few basics you need to know before watching.
 You could compare Dota 2 to a lot of games, and that's both good and bad.
 It's part chess, part capture the flag, part Magic the Gathering, and part Monty Python
 and the Holy Grail.
 Dota is short for Defense of the Ancients, and that's actually the game in a nutshell.
 Two five-man teams battle in a big square gladiatorial arena with a single objective
 — siege the other team's base and destroy their Ancient before they destroy yours.
 Of course, it's not as simple as hitting a baseball out of the park.
 Each Ancient is protected by a series of defensive towers that must be toppled splintially.
 These defenses have four layers, and they're spread out in three lanes, which are just
 pathways from one team's base to the other.
 There's one that goes straight down the middle of the map diagonally, and two that wrap around
 each edge.
 Unlike pro sports, Dota 2 is incredibly easy to watch.
 You don't need television or a special cable package.
 You just need an internet connection.
 And this year, Valve has made it even easier for newcomers with a beginner's broadcast
 that breaks down the game for newbies.
 Even Valve's spectacular documentary on the game, Free to Play, is free to watch online.
 But this year, for the first time, major networks are also getting in on the action.
 The stream will be available to watch on ESPN3.
 The main event starts today and runs through Monday, July 21st.
 Each team will compete on a stage at the Key Arena in front of cheering fans.
 You're likely to see furious combat, emotional comebacks, surprising twists, and at the end,
 one team taking home almost $5 million and a giant shield trophy called the Aegis of
 Champions.
 If you're thinking that kind of Dota 2 is tempting, you too can someday become a champion.
 Dota 2 is completely free to download and play, and it's available for Mac or PC.