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Intersection: E-Sports

Ben Noel (l) and Alex Jebailey.
Ben Noel (l) and Alex Jebailey.

E-sports, competitive video gaming, draws big crowds, and in August, gamers will compete for big prize money in the Call of Duty World Championships in Orlando. 

"It's just like watching any sport on TV, says Alex Jebailey, director of CEO Gaming. Jebailey hosts fighting game tournaments in Orlando.

"You have the players, you have the crowd, you have the interactions between the players and the crowd, so it's just something that's very easy to latch onto once you understand what's going on," says Jebailey.

Ben Noel, executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy at the University of Central Florida, says E-Sports generate about $500 million in revenue a year. He's not surprised at how big E-sports has become.

"It probably came a little slower than we though," says Noel.

"The online world, and the ability to communicate and the ability to create content on your own is only going to increase."