DotA 2 The International 2013 starts today

Whether you're a DotA 2 fan, League of Legends fan, or just like a bit of eSports in general, there's no reason not to be excited this weekend, as the DotA 2 International 2013 championships kick off with a bang – and it's got the biggest eSports prize pool ever.

Thanks to a collaboration with the community, each purchase of the official International Compendium contributed $2.50 to the prize pool available to competing teams. This has led to some huge cash prizes for those that place in the top few in the world.

• 1st place: $1,390,029
• 2nd place: $611,613
• 3rd place: $278,006
• 4th place: $194,604
• 5th place: $111,202
• 6th place: $111,202
• 7th place: $41,701
• 8th place: $41,701

Cider plus eSports? I'm in.

So the stakes are high people, which should mean for some great competition. But how do you get involved? Fortunately our pals at PCGamesN have given us all a good run down. Want to watch live? You can spectate from within the DotA 2 client itself, which will give you the best quality. If you don't have it installed or would rather go more traditional, Twitch TV is offering up a stream of the whole event. The quality there won't be quite as high, but you will get crowd reactions and colour commentary.

Then there's the option of watching with a bunch of other fans at your local pubstomp. The only one in the UK is at the Meltdown Esports Bar on Caledonian Road in London. And of course you need to be 18+ to attend.

KitGuru Says: Anyone got money on this? Quite tempted to throw down a few quid on it myself. 

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