LIVE STREAM: Global gaming tournament

The International Dota 2 Championship's 2012 finals might not start until August 31, but preliminary rounds are already in full swing and streaming live online.

The International Dota 2 Championship's 2012 finals might not start until August 31, but preliminary rounds are already in full swing and streaming live online.

Coinciding with the PAX Prime expo in Seattle, Washington, the tournament is in support of new game Dota 2, whose developer Valve is situated on the other side of Lake Washington in Bellevue.

Dota 2 is based on a free fan modification for 2002 title Warcraft III, called Defense of the Ancients, which has become a tournament staple in pro-grade competitions around the world.

Warcraft III and original DOTA inspiration StarCraft were developed by another company, Blizzard Entertainment, which is making Blizzard All-stars its own continuation of the DOTA lineage.

Viewers can watch live matches from The International via the Dota 2 website or by downloading the free Dota 2 spectator Client from Valve's storefront Steam.

Other tournaments hosted at the PAX event, August 31 - September 2, include Mario Kart 7, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Shootmania, 007 GoldenEye, Trials Evolution, Halo: Reach, Beautiful Katamari and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.