E-Sports Superstars: gamers earning millions

Bucharest Romania it's 10 p.m. at Cloud9's training camp for 12 hours the team has been competing against a rival team playing Dota or defense of the ancients.
It's a fanatic battle game that's some describe as chess on steroids Cloud9 is EternaLEnVy, bOne7, FATA, MiSeRy a newest member BigDaddy who joined six months ago.

Being a new guy than there's added pressure but my team are great I think everybody is very funny everybody has a good sense of humour.
Family and friends call him Johan but to he's fans he's known by a different name.

This 21 year old Dane is a global superstar carrying the hopes and dreams of thousands of followers.

• - I idolize them they’re like Gods to me.
• - One of the best players in the world.
• - When you have a guy like big daddy on your team you have instant fan appeal.

But he's no ordinary sports men. Big Daddy is one of a new breed a professional computer gamer. Just like sports athletes these guys all strive to be the best. Big Daddy's the new star player for top ranking team Cloud9 and they're about to compete in the biggest ever eSports tournament.

Welcome to the International DOTA 2 championship

He is of those players that there is a burning desire to be a world champion. There's an 18 million dollar prize pool at stake but that's not all for this new generation of e athletes staying on top is the toughest game there is.
It's very cut throat if you stop being the best just for a little while that can mean the end of your career.

Each team-mate plays as one hero chosen from a roster of over a hundred.

All have unique abilities so the right mix is crucial if they're to achieve their goal of destroying the enemy teams base.

Quick thinking lightning reaction times and teamwork are the keys to victory. It's so important for the 5 people to play the same strategy if 5 different people want to play five different strategies is gonna be very hard.
Big Daddy's been brought in the give Cloud9 a decisive edge at the International a tournament being held in Seattle in a few weeks time.

Johan is a very good addition for us I will individual skill is very very high I think there's a potential for the team to be the best.

Cloud9 is one of the most popular eSports teams and around the globe 134 million people now watch competitive gaming online with tournament prize winnings larger than in many traditional sporting events and a young growing fanbase in their world Big Daddy and his teammates are rock stars.

• Four hairy annoying girlfriends yes that's that's how I can feel like sometimes I think it's definitely like a band or a sporting team I was travelling over 10 times last year.
• And here we have our manager pretending to do managing.
• Playing some cs:go
• Yeah he’s he’s such a bad manager, no I'm just kidding.

Team manager Conrad Johnson has been dealing with e athletes and their egos for the past 3 years.

• I wanna talk to you guys about the international plans that we have so we're gonna arrive July 16 we're all gonna have new laptops which is pretty cool I'm working on getting you business class.
• A lot of people get surprised and really shocked by how much money is in our field and you know these guys are earning almost you know quarter of a million dollars in beginning of the year.
• Everything's going good you guys feeling good that's
• Yeah it's going good.
• A lot of them have really become you know the celebrities that didn't ask to be a lot of these guys they just like playing video games and they just happen to play them at the high-level.
• In my world people look up to me and that is that's a very nice thought but I still I want to be able to make something I'm proud of and not not turn into some Paris Hilton who's just Paris Hilton like she's known for nothing that's not that's not what I aspire to be at all.

What's driving big daddy right now is the chance to prove himself on the biggest stage of all the international but with just two weeks to go he's still learning to gel with his new teammates and it's not proving easy. - I want a perfect fight, I don’t want fucking any fight that is not perfect for us.

• It's hero specific, its not like every hero is gonna be a better on dire.
• That’s not true.
• I will control my lane if I fuck up I have a method of bringing it back
• And don't kill them?
• No that's not gonna happen.
• Johan is a very very talented player the only problem is just putting everything together and having very good team play that's our weakness by far.
• I'm not nitpicking we can make it better.
• I mean it was not bad like.
• It was not bad it just wasn't good. I am just trying to fit in it's been troublesome that sometimes I think he's under pressure from from everybody his teammates himself and you know just the scene in general.
• You can't just be good and talented at the game you have to have so many other skills to be the best team empathy, human skills these are for me so important for showing how good you are.

Copenhagen Denmark

With only a week to go before they leave for Seattle the teammates have returned home for some rest but Big Daddy isn't out enjoying the sunshine.
I think this is a 24/7 job I think that's kind of how it is a lot of the best players they don't just take a week off. I've been playing computer games and gameboy ever since I was 1 years old I get all the emotions you can get from playing satisfaction, depression, anger, joy I'm kind of addicted I think when I was younger it might have you know gone over some things something maybe important such as school.

Despite being academically gifted Big Daddy dropped out when he was just 17 to become one of the industries first full time pro gamers.
There's still alot of people who wanted me to stay especially like my school counsellor, my parents yeah that was a ongoing struggle for a while especially my mum she still wanted me to have an education.
Big Daddy's parents divorced 3 years ago and his mum has come around to see him before he leaves for Seattle.

• How much is the winner?
• First place
• Yeah
• How much does the winner get?
• 10 million
• 10 million?
• Dollars
• Jesus Christ, wow
• I didn't know that there was the possibility for him to make money and now it's it's crazy he's famous as I'm very proud of Johan.

His family is now so supportive of his gaming career they've given him the living room the rest of the family has to stay out of my room I need some kind of calm and quiet like trying to get some restarting now by the way so sorry if if you're gonna feel ignored.

There is a little bit of Rain Man in Johan, yeah I think that's why he's so good.
Seattle home of the fifth international the biggest eSports tournaments in the world and Dota fever has hit 16 teams have travelled from around the world to compete for the 18 million dollar prize pool the games will be watched online by millions around the globe as well as thousands of fans in the arena.

• This is my first like eSports event it’s really ridiculously big.
• People look up to athletes because they can't do what they do I feel the same way about these guys.
• They're celebrities absolutely celebrities when I see them I just freak out they're completely celebrities to me.

Cloud9 owner Jack has flown in to see his team perform. I feel like this year that we actually have a shot of of winning this 18 million dollar prize pool I mean you win first, every single player is a millionaire they just need to get in there and play as a unit together.
And this is CDEC our next opponent. Cloud9's first match is against CDEC a little-known Chinese team who've come from nowhere it's the first time they've qualified for a top level tournament.

We prepare for almost a year for this if we win it's kind of a challenge and we will do our best to beat the Cloud9, yeah. It's 9:30 on the night before their first match Cloud9's final practice should be a time for fine tuning team tactics but they're still grappling with more fundamental issues.

We asked you, we're actually getting worst like there's no plan we need to fucking natural have a natural instinct to play as a team we need to have a natural instinct to group up against a good team were your fucking punished where you get fucking smashed and folded up like monkeys.

• It's good to talk about it but I feel like you're putting too much into it right before the match against CDEC look at N0tail he's already worried now.
• Honestly is one day before playing against CDEC see that you can talk about problems all the time but it's also a question of morale you know we gotta be feeling good about tomorrow don't want to go into the day feeling bad.
• The team is pretty stressed right now.
• You just need to keep calm I mean if you have a fist and every finger goes another way you cannot punch anybody you know. They showed already in some games that they can play pitch perfect finger crossed.

It’s the morning of Cloud9's game against unknown chinese opponents CDEC.

• I'm here to see Cloud9 they're gonna win the whole tournament.
• I bet there were a lot of internal issues, it would be a dream to see them win TI
• Cloud9 play solid I place them as one of the best team in the tournament if not the best team.
• I want a quick prediction from you
• 2-1 Cloud9
• 2-0 Cloud9
• Alen?
• 2-0 Cloud9
• People are expecting so much from the team I really want to show how good we really are.

Cloud9 need to use their heroes to kill the enemy and destroy their base the first team to take over the map will win.

• Cloud9 gave them the first blood
• MiSeRy and BigDaddy are just winning this game right now.

It's a strong start for Cloud9 but CDEC launch a counter attack. C9 can’t really deal with that level of aggression CDEC is rampaging through the Cloud9 side of the map. The team's strategy begins to fall apart.

• CDEC just played the C9 and collecting kills after kills after kill. It’s GG CDEC have done the unthinkable. (Comentator)
• They're team like they've been around for a long time it's been the same group of players they clearly are going to trust each other teams that fully trust each other and work together as unit they prevail.
• I think it’s very unforgiving scene a lot of the best players I know walk around with so much on their shoulders but for me, I know I can get back up wether it be in this game on something else.