Imagine all the things you could buy with $6 million. Now imagine all of that money being earned for playing a game. Not possible? Talk to Valve and their upcoming tournament, The International, which just hit a prize pool worth $6.1 million. The tournament's prize is fueled by the purchase of an eBook titled The Compendium which adds $2.50 to the pool per sale.

The idea is simply brilliant since the eBook acts as a conduit that allows viewers to interact with the tournament (exactly how, I'm not sure) making it a great purchase incentive to eSports fans around the globe. To me, this continuously increasing prize pool is just a direct correlation to how much of an upward spiral eSports itself has gone towards. The days of sitting on bleachers and barely filling a cafeteria are gone.

The International 2014 will take place in Seattle, WA on July 18th through the 21st. By the time that happens, I wouldn't be surprised if the prize pool hit $10 million.