Research

The Influence of DotA on Warcraft 3

Today I would like to take a look at a debate that I find somewhat interesting. Many games in the past have spawned hybrid games or parallel games that have had success. Half Life gave us Counter-Strike which was arguably more popular than its predecessor. More modern games like Call of Duty have given us maps that create whole new games and spread like wildfire. Out of all of the mods and sub-games that have come in the video game world in the past 15 years I believe that DotA (Defence of the Ancients) is the largest, or at least has the potential to be the largest. Many people that know me probably find it very weird hearing me say that because I am known as the opposite of a DotA fan, but I cannot deny the popularity and influence it has had. I have to admit that most of the following DotA knowledge is coming from friends that play and know a lot more about it. The question I would like to pose is whether or not DotA has had a positive effect on Wc3 overall. There are some positives and some negatives so let's break them down.

There are a few obvious positive effects that the DotA craze has produced. There is no doubt that more copies of Wc3 were sold because of DotA. It is obvious that the overall Wc3 community has grown a great deal because of DotA whether or not everyone that is part of the community has bought the game. Beyond these basic reasons it gets more complicated. Your opinion on whether or not a lot of the other effects DotA has had on Wc3 depends on your perspective. I am someone who has played the game since its release and have barely touched any custom games throughout my playing days. I sometimes have discussions with my dad about many of the trends in sports and pop culture. We discuss some of the more modern aspects of sport and how they have changed. He still enjoys watching them but wishes some things were “like they used to be”. I find that in the gaming community I fall into this category. I feel...