The Curse of MOBAs (mainly DOTA 2)

DOTA 2 DOTA 2 was a game I’ve always wanted to get into but knew nothing about, except that you’d get called out for being a n00b and there being a steep learning curve. I had it downloaded since the beta but still had never jumped in. This all changed a couple of months ago. I would say back in late May what really caught my eye was this whole compendium on steam. If you bought one you’d get all sorts of goodies, could watch the game, and contribute to the prize pool that ended up being almost eleven million dollars. So I bought one and it basically forced my hand, I had to figure out what I was doing.

So I began practicing. I watched several videos on how to play, I played vs bots and watched some games. Even still it was hard for me to decide to jump in. I decided to try other MOBAS as practice for DOTA 2. I tried Dawngate but it was so completely different that it didn’t really count as practice at all. So I sucked it up and decided to jump into a public match. Honestly I can’t remember how I did. But the game is addictive. The ultimate “just one more game” experiences. I found that the players weren’t all that unfriendly actually. A lot of them were forgiving and some even were helpful in telling you how to play a hero and this and that. I do know why some people end up getting called out but after some time with the game even such acts (feeding) would even frustrate me!

But other than playing I got into watch as well. I mean I did buy access to The International so I might as well watch right? You can watch inside the game client to get the best picture possible. There were some great matches even if I didn’t know what was going on at the time. Watching DOTA 2 is serious business. Just like any pro sport they have commentators casting the game. You’re watching the greatest players in the world play this game and it shows but they are great sports and have a lot of fun too. I enjoyed The International so much I even decided to buy a ticket for another pro tournament, The Canada Cup. This tournament is not as big as the International but it still has pro players and some even using some unorthodox heroes as well.

Overall I would say I’ve had a positive experience overall. I don’t think I’ll be going pro anytime soon but the game has racked up 400 hours of time out of me, which is probably the most of any game I’ve played ever. If you’re on the fence give it a try, you’ll probably end up enjoying it. Who knows, maybe you’ll become the next International champion!

Below is some poor quality video of a match I played a while ago. I’m a lot better now. :-p

 

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