If the incentive to play games at a professional level for the competition and bragging rights was not enough, Valve has announced a $1,000,000 prize pool for CS:GO players. This is a fairly generous prize for the eSports community, especially when you consider that professional gaming franchises have fairly low operation costs. However, what may seen as a large amount of money, is really not that much wen you consider the multi-billion dollar revenue the gaming industry brings in every year. Currently, multiple gameshows have a grand prize with a high prize pool, and thats disappointing to see. It would make more sense that the rise in eSports popularity would lead to larger prize pools that Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The $1 million incentive is nice and nothing to brush under the rug, but it could be more. Counter Strike: Global Offensive is one of the largest eSports events following closely behind audience numbers of games like League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Starcraft. Out of the other games in weightless, it has been around the longest and has a fan base that spans over a decade.
“When we announced the first CS:GO Major Championship in 2013, we hoped the Majors would be rallying points for the community, tent-pole events that could draw new audiences and amplify the value of all events,”
Valve has been pleased with the increase on interest of CS:GO players to compete at a competitive level. Since the announcement of the prize pool, the development of multiple new competitive teams has taken place, ensuring that this year will be the most competitive to date. With money on the line, the professionals have a bit more incentive to be the best. The first tournament will be the MLG Columbus 2016 tournament and tickets are currently available for purchase.
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