The global e-sports professional gaming market generated US$194 million in revenue last year, and is expected to grow to more than US$465 million by 2017, according to market research firm Newzoo.
There are an estimated 408 million online gamers in China, spending a combined 114 billion yuan (US$17.6 billion), according to local media. Around 56 per cent of them currently watch e-sports competitions.
The number of professional e-sports teams has ballooned in recent years as big sponsorship money entered the Chinese market. SCMP staff reporters have sifted through the ranks of the professional gaming circuit to find some of the most promising teams. Their inclusion is based on popularity, and the number of championships and cash prizes they have won.