Every year, millions of fans tune into esports tournaments to see their favorite pro gamers win serious money. A decade or two ago, the average person would hear about gaming competitions and only really think of a handful of teens playing Call of Duty in their parents’ basement. That's not the reality of modern esports tournaments, though, so let's talk about what competitive video gaming looks like in on the eve of 2022.

What is a Video Game Tournament?

Video game fans have been competitive about the games they play since stores started selling them. Still, over the years, multiplayer gaming has gotten very serious about its PVP and tournaments.

Now, for context, a video game tournament is where gamers come together to compete for special prizes or titles. In the early days of esports history, organizers offered winners Rolling Stone subscriptions and the title of Nintendo World Champion. They weren't the big deal they are today. From the Space Invaders Championship to early StarCraft competitions, these events were rare and only happened a few times a year, with (at best) hundreds of viewers.

Competitive gaming has now grown into a multi-million dollar business with thousands of tournaments each year. The prizes are very high, topping at millions of dollars. Among the best events, they can garner thousands, if not millions, of viewers tuning in to each match.

Top Gaming Tournaments: prize money and history

These gaming events include some top esports titles out there. The best of the best tend to be international tournaments that test professional players and teams from around the world, offering outrageous amounts of prize money.

LOL Championships

Spearheaded by its creator, Riot Games, the League of Legends tournament scene is one of the most robust in the esports industry. The climax of the LoL season is the LoL Championships, which offered as much as over $6 million in prizes. In 2019, it had almost 4 million viewers.

Dota 2 Invitational

The best money in esports always comes from Dota 2. They are masters at pulling together tremendous prizes to fund their events. Dota 2 players can always expect some great returns on their winnings, but none more than champions of the Dota 2 Invitational: this event has offered record-breaking prize pools of more than $30 million.

Fortnite World Cup Championships

While Fortnite may be newer to the esports scene, its tournaments are no less grand. For example, the 2019 Fortnite World Cup offered both solo and duo players $15 million in winnings. Also, the scene is very friendly to young players; some current top players are as young as fifteen. So, if you're looking for a new esport to break into, Fortnite holds many opportunities.

Evolution Championship Series

For lovers of fighting games, EVO is the place to be. Admittedly, the prize money isn't quite as irresistible as MOBA or FPS prizes (only in the $70,000 range), but for a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat pro? It's still the perfect place to win money and show off your skills. And, if teamwork isn't quite your style, fighting games are always a great option.

CS:GO Majors

Many FPS games are big deals in the esports world, but the top dog is still CSGO. While that may not be the case forever, the CSGO Majors event attracts millions of fans and offers the best quick-scopes over $1 million in prizes, too. So even though it's one of the oldest top esports, there's always still room for fresh players if your trigger finger is your best feature.

World Cyber Games (AKA Gaming Olympics)

This "Esports Olympics" event isn't the most significant event out there, but it is the grandest video game tournament for diversity. Just like the traditional Olympics, different countries offer representatives for a vast host of games and battle each other to see who is the best. Hosted in a different city each year, the Esports Olympics prizes have been capped at over $600,000. Any player should be proud to contribute.

How to Find Video Game Tournaments?

It's relatively easy to track down the largest tournaments internationally, as they get humongous coverage, but those events are hard to join. Meanwhile, if you want to find smaller, local/regional competitions to play in, you'll have to look a little harder.

The internet is always a great place to start, but the search will always be skewed towards huge championships with esports organizations when you look up esports events. For amateur players, an even better route might be asking around locally or joining in on small communities and events to learn more about the smaller events on the esports scene. These local gamers and fans will know a lot more about what your area has to offer, and you could end up with a great gaming community, too.

How to Host Competitive Gaming Tournaments?

Sometimes, a gamer might want to go the extra mile and not just attend or play in a tournament, but actually organize an event of their own. There are some big players on the market, such as Compete from WePlay Holding. Their esports tournaments have games titles such as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

The most crucial part of hosting your video game tournament is booking an event space and knowing how to market it. After all, you need people to come, and you need a place to put them. Research and explore the local event spaces in your area as well as the local gaming scene. What kind of games are popular around you? What will attract the most people? How many people do you want to come? Theoretically, if you just want this event to be you and all 12 members of the hardcore Magic: the Gathering club, you can do that pretty simply. Or, you could invite all gamers in the local region for a Super Smash Bros., a hundred-person extravaganza.

It's really up to you how you want your event to go; you just have to put in the effort and make time to properly prep.