Dota 2: Chinese team wins $5m gaming prize

Image source, Valve

Image caption, Newbee's success make the team the richest players in e-sports history

Chinese team NewBee has taken home $5m (拢2.9m) after winning the world's most lucrative gaming contest.

The International pits the best players of a game called Dota 2, created by developer Valve, against each other.

NewBee defeated rival Chinese team Vici Gaming to win the title.

The total prize money was $10.9m, with the runners-up getting $1.4m, and $4.5m distributed among the other 19 teams taking part in the tournament, which began on 18 July in Seattle.

Valve donated $1.6m of the prize money, but the rest was raised by some of the millions of people who regularly play the game.

Dota 2 is as a multiplayer online battle arena game for the PC.

Each player assumes the role of one of 107 different heroes and must work together to defend their own and destroy their rival's "ancient" - an artefact sitting in a fortress sited in one corner of the game map.

Video streams of the matches have been shared online, and Valve even ran a "newcomer" series to educate people new to the game.

In addition, some bars, pubs and gaming centres around the world held parties for people keen to see the finals in a crowd.

Image source, Valve

Image caption, The online arena game pits two teams of five heroes against each other

The final was also shown on one of the ESPN channels.

"Valve have put an awful lot of thought into packing digital sports up as actual things for people to actually follow and watch and enjoy," in a blogpost on the Rock, Paper Shotgun website.

Michael O'Dell, manager of the UK's Team Dignitas, said: "This year has certainly been the banner year for e-sports, with massive tournaments in Dota, League of Legends and CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). And there are more to come. The scene is very vibrant right now."