Dota 2, League of Legends and Counter Strike: Global Offensive are all game titles that parents may have heard their kids mention before.

But what parents arguably don’t understand is that these games are part of an industry that spends over US$50 million a year on tournaments, contracts and sponsors.

Over the last few years, we have seen an exponential growth of popularity for these games with the advent of online gaming becoming more accessible to everyone. Last year, Dota 2 hit 12 million unique players, while League of Legends and Counter Strike attracted 27 million and 2 million a month, respectively.

Amid the popularity of these games came a competitive scene that has also grown exponentially, especially in terms of prize money. At last year’s Dota 2 world championships, the total prize pool was $18 million, allowing each of the five players on the Dota 2 Evil Geniuses team, all below 30 years old, to become millionaires. 

Just like any other sport, top-level competitive teams have tons of support in the form of sponsors, coaches and managers. Each team usually has a team house, where all the players live together to create a more cohesive environment as teamwork is of utmost importance in these games.

Players live together, eat together and train together, 365 days a year. This might put a vision in your head of players eating junk food and just sitting in front of computers, but they have to fulfill certain dietary requirements to stay in top form for the competition. Their health is especially important due to all the traveling that has to be done.

Nowadays, competitions are held all around the world, and teams usually have a travel schedule for the next six months. In 2015 alone, locations included Beijing, Lithuania, Croatia, New Orleans, New York, Frankfurt, Seattle and Romania, with a total prize pool of about $27 million.

Below the competitive scene, online streaming platforms such as Twitch, Hitbox and Douyu TV allow fans to watch their players in a more casual environment. For example, Twitch allows a player to develop a fan base and get constant revenue for themselves as well as provide entertainment for their fans.

This article is not meant to advocate for children to sit in their rooms all day playing video games. No matter what, that is not a healthy lifestyle. And just like any sport, it takes a great amount of dedication and hard work to get to the top.

Many people do not realize that the scene has only started flourishing in the last few years; before that, there were players who gave their lives to the game and got nothing in return. They were kicked out of home, had arguments with their parents and took risks like leaving high school or college to make gaming a full-time job.

Even when you become a professional player, you are constantly traveling around the world to tournaments and have millions of people judge how you play and comment on your performance in forums every single day. It is not an easy lifestyle, just like any sport.

But parents should try to understand that playing video games can be more than just a "useless" hobby; it indeed has the potential to turn into a profitable sport.

***

Kenneth is a 17-year-old high school student who loves comic books, Dota 2, movies, political science and history. He is currently living in Jakarta and working toward his IB diploma. You can reach him at @kenneth2098 on Twitter.
 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.