Impact of Dota

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is a custom scenario for Warcraft III, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is to destroy the opponents' "Ancient". The two teams' ancients are heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. Players use powerful units known as heroes, and are assisted by allied heroes and AI-controlled fighters called "creeps". As in role-playing games, players level up their hero and use gold to buy equipment during the mission.

The scenario was developed with the "World Editor" of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and was updated upon the release of the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. There have been many variations of the original concept; currently, the most popular is DotA Allstars, which has been maintained by several authors during development. Since its release, Allstars has become a feature at several worldwide tournaments, including Blizzard Entertainment's BlizzCon and the Asian World Cyber Games, as well as the Cyberathlete Amateur and CyberEvolution leagues; Gamasutra declared that DotA was perhaps the most popular "free, non-supported game mod in the world". The map has gone on to influence other maps and games, including the upcoming strategy game Demigod.

DOTA GAMES have now been with us for over 30 years. The Atari 2600 is nearly 25 years old. Civilization is now nearly 10 years old. Yet, many Filipinos fail to recognize these complex achievements as more than fads or child’s play. Ask most people what they think about video games, DOTA and many will respond that they’re awaste of time. Many critics argue that games produce socially isolated people or promoteviolent behavior.

DOTA games are simple, mind numbing entertainment. Playing games is a waste of time. Some of these criticisms may (or may not) be true, but to view all game playing through this lens is to ignore the broader history of games and the diverse range of game...