The second Esports World Cup (EWC) has begun in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Over the next seven weeks, teams from around the world will compete across 25 games including Call of Duty, League of Legends and EA Sports FC (EA FC).
Up for grabs is a share of $70m (£50m).
There are prizes for individuals and teams but, despite the tournament’s name, players don’t compete for their countries.
Most are members of organisations such as Team Liquid, one of the world’s biggest esports squads.
BBC Newsbeat went behind the scenes at their HQ to find out why the EWC is so important to them, and why they feel they can’t ignore the controversial contest.
Located in Utrecht in the Netherlands, Team Liquid’s base is part office, part video game arcade and part luxury student accommodation.
There are two rooms where team-mates can compete head-to-head or online, and streaming booths where they can broadcast live to followers on Twitch.
Many of Liquid’s top players live and train in the building, where an on-site chef provides three meals a day, all of them designed to boost concentration and reaction times.
When play is work and work is play it’s important to distinguish between the two, and members tell Newsbeat they spend about eight hours a day training in the run-up to major competitions.
One of those is Levi de Weerd.
Like many others he got into EA FC (formerly known as Fifa) as a child.
Now aged 21, he’s made playing against the best against the world into a career.
He says being part of Team Liquid gets him access to the high-spec facilities and experienced coaches.
“We have a gameplay coach, we’re analysing games from tournaments in the past and in friendly games where we try things out. We have performance coaches and mental coaches too,” he says.
Being in one place, he says, is more important than you might think.
“I think it’s important to have a good environment with coaches, with players and staff to get a good chemistry”, he says.
Because EWC competitors don’t represent their countries, teams are able to bring in talent from around the world.
YanYa, part of Team Liquid’s Apex Legends squad, joined from his home country of Mexico.
He says the EWC is “the best feeling in the world because you are playing the best players”.
“You get a lot of excitement. You get a lot of adrenaline,” he says.
Team Liquid are looking to one-up their performance last year, when they finished second overall behind Saudi side Team Falcons.
YanYa insists that doesn’t affect him, though.
“I don’t feel pressure, I feel confident,” he says. “We’ve been practising a lot.”
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