E-Sports are fast becoming a popular and important part of popular culture, attracting more fans and participants each year. With prize money now reaching into the millions of dollars, competition is fierce and the athletes involved are no less passionate than those participating in physical sports.

An e-sport is any video game that is played at a professional level through tournaments and other recognized competitions. Games include genres like Real Time Strategy, First Person Shooter and Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. The largest of these competitions are usually the world championships of their respective games. Below is listed the top prize money tournaments in e-sport history.

1. The International. The world championship of Defence of the Ancients has the record of having largest prize money, with about 11 million USD available in 2014 and nearly 3 million in 2013. In 2014 14 teams of 5 participated in front of sold out audiences at the KeyArena in Seattle.
2. LOL World Championships. League of Legends has recently grown in popularity and ranks second for overall prize money available in e-sports. The finals in 2014 were held in Seoul, South Korea and had a prize of 2.1 million dollars. 16 teams totalling 82 competitors participated.
3. Call of Duty Championship. The Call of Duty championship holds the number three position when it comes to e-sports. The last few years of championships have offered 1 million dollars for prize money to 8 competing teams. Each year a different edition of the game has been played.

Other notable e-sports featuring tournaments with large cash purses to win are Halo, StarCraft, counter strike and Dead or Alive.