eSports a hit in Australia

The growing popularity of eSports has again been illustrated by a high attendance at an Australian tournament.

Local media reports from Melbourne indicate that thousands of fans flocked to the Margaret Court Arena on November 26th – 29th to watch the League of Legends All Star tournament.

Over 6,000 tickets were on sale for the event and thousands more around Australia attended special screening sites to follow the games, the reports note.

According to tournament organiser Riot Games, the event was the largest ever held in Australia.

League of Legends has become one of the most popular games in the professional gaming scene, alongside Starcraft, Defence of the Ancients (DOTA), and Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

There are currently around 67 million active online video gamers around the world, and in 2014 the net worth of the overall e-gaming industry overtook that of the music industry by US$20 billion, with sponsors such as Samsung, Coca-Cola, Red Bull driving the market.

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