Pro video gamers descend on Denver this weekend for DreamHack e-sports tournament

DENVER POST — Eric “ESAM” Lew never goes to a video game tournament without his custom Wii U controller. But there was that time when he set his bag down before a competition in Austin, Texas, and inadvertently left without it. Preparing for a big e-sports competition isn’t unlike practicing for a baseball game or hockey tournament. Lew, who joins dozens of competitive gamers this weekend at Denver’s first DreamHack Festival, has his own tools. He practices five to eight hours a day before a big game. The reward? He is paid and gets to fly around the globe for competitions.