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Truly a spectacle - Pictured is the Fortnite World Cup Finals eSports tournament at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the Queens borough of New York, US.

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It's more profitable than other entertainment - According to Deadline, in 2018 video games were a US$139 billion business, which was bigger than worldwide box office (US$42 billion) and music streaming and album sales (US$19 billion).

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Dominated by teens - The winner of the Fortnite World Cup, Kyle Giersdorf, who goes by the gamer name Bugha, took home a whopping US$3 million. Giersdorf is 16 years old.

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eSports are still relatively new - The International Dota 2 Championships, a multiplayer game tournament, launched in 2011 with a then-groundbreaking grand prize of US$1 million.

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It’s exponentially growing - Now the International Dota 2 Championships are eSports' largest annual tournament, with approximately US$25 million in prize money to be awarded.

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A lot is on the line - In 2018, the first place cash prize was US$11.2 million.

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It's free to get started - 'Dota 2' is a free 10-player online game that anyone can start training on. In the tournaments, two teams of players from all over the world compete against one another in each game.

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Gaming makes more money than many other leagues - Remember, the video game industry was worth US$139 billion in 2018. That’s more than MLB (US$10 billion), the NFL (US$15 billion), the NBA (US$8 billion), and the NHL (US$5 billion)—combined.

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FIFA's less advertised but equally glamorous virtual life - The 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final took place in London's O2 Arena.

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A prize pool of US$500,000 - Mo "MoAuba" Harkous of Germany (right) won against Mosaad "Msdossary" Aldossary of Saudi Arabia in the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup Final, and took home US$250,000.

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And they perform better than box-office hits - Several game releases have rivaled high-grossing films, like 'Red Dead Redemption 2' which made over US$725 million in its opening weekend alone.

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Video games have also inspired Hollywood - Several video game franchises inspired movies, including an upcoming film for 'Call of Duty.'

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Outpacing Hollywood? - "Video games are a much better business than [movie] studios,” KeyBanc analyst Evan Wingren told Market Watch. “Games, in general, have the enviable position that their content is interactive, which allows them to make data-driven insights and adjust games and business models that benefits players and the company."

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The most popular game surpassed Hollywood classics - 'Grand Theft Auto V' has made over US$6 billion, compared to film sensations such as 'Star Wars' and 'Gone With The Wind,' which both collected just over US$3 billion. The game became the most profitable media title in history and shipped over 90 million copies.

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The concern about violence - 'Grand Theft Auto' has been widely criticized for depicting torturous acts and extremely sexual scenes, using racially offensive terminology, and holding an incredibly misogynistic portrayal of women.

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Blamed for violence in teens - In the US, video games have often been used as the reason for violence in society, particularly in the prevalence of mass shootings. President Trump has repeatedly tried to draw a direct link between the two.

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A scapegoat for gun violence? - Though some psychological organizations in the US discourage children from playing violent video games because it may lead to aggressive behavior, research has not found a direct connection between violent video games and mass shootings, CNN reports. Many view video games as a scapegoat for addressing bigger problems.

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Studies outside of America have found little to no connection with even aggressive behavior - A 2019 study published in British journal Royal Society Open Science reports that teens who play violent video games did not exhibit more aggressive behavior compared with teens who did not play them in the UK.

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The US is an outlier - According to data compiled in the book 'Moral Combat,' when comparing per capita dollars spent on video games to homicides by firearm, the US is a clear outlier, with a much higher rate of firearm homicide than any other developed nation, even though countries like South Korea and Japan actually spend more on video games, as a chart published by CNN reveals.

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There are also positive, therapeutic games - 'Apart of Me' is a game designed to connect children who are dealing with grief around the world. Created by social enterprise Bounce Works, the game is a "safe space" for bereaved children available 24/7 where they can discuss death and grief with those who can help.

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Countering the aggressiveness fostered in other games - 'Apart of Me' takes users on a journey across a beautiful, tropical island, where they learn to express their emotions calmly and develop coping mechanisms that can help them on their journey through grief in the real world.

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Online interaction can help offline interaction - "We all recognize that we need human connection to help us get through these really difficult times," Louis Weinstock, a child psychotherapist told World Hacks. "So this isn't about just hanging out on a mobile app. A big part of our design philosophy is encouraging offline interaction through this virtual world."

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A huge part of gaming is just about watching - Video game streaming is another widely lucrative facet of the gaming industry, which has made people millions by simply playing for a virtual audience.

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Streaming stars - He may not be a professional gamer, but PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg) has one of the highest numbers of YouTube subscribers in the world, after starting his own streaming channel. He and other streamers like user Markiplier rake in millions of dollars every year.

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Streaming services - Twitch is the world’s biggest streaming platform, and gets an average of about 15 million visitors a day.

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A huge influence in cosplay - Fans regularly attend tournaments in cosplay, and video games provide a lot of the inspiration for many costumes.

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It’s created new careers - There are many eSports and management courses designed to prepare students for jobs in the growing industry.

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It's a viable career - Students of eSports usually study a wide range of subjects, from commentating and script writing, to event organizing and gaming strategy.

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The Millenium Gaming House - Gaming houses are becoming more popular, like this one in Marseille, France, which houses pro gamers who live, game, eat, and sleep full-time in the building in order to train for international competitions.

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Gaming House - Players train long hours to master only one game. They also attend LAN parties—a gathering of people with computers or compatible consoles, where a local area network (LAN) connection is established in order to play multiplayer games together—around the world.

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Controversy and unionizing - Unfortunately, there are reportedly many issues in the gaming industry, including harmful labor practices, unfair layoffs, and sexism. Employees are allegedly often overworked and underpaid, then laid off without warning or sometimes even severance.

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Controversy and unionizing - Organizations like Game Workers Unite were born to help game developers unionize to demand better working conditions, payment for overtime, and more stable employment opportunities.

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If it's already this big, the next steps are unprecedented -

Who knows, you could find yourself cheering enthusiastically at a bunch of young people fidgeting with controllers very soon. 

Check out which celebs love to play video games. 

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