DOTA 2: More than a game

With ‘The International 10’ just around the corner, DOTA fans are more excited than ever. Each year the game is achieving new heights and breaking former records. The pro-scene is so competitive that even the defending champions hardly made it to the tournament. And with the new generation being so obsessed in E-sports, we’re optimistic that this is just a start.

Myself, being a Nigma fanboy, I feel a void within- waiting for the International which is set to start in October 2021. It was difficult to recover from the loss of the TI 9 final, where Kuroky and the crew were thrashed by the OG team. And now, the same team took away our hopes of another chance for the title. However, we have only ourselves to blame with captain Kuro flaunting his non-existing drafting abilities.

Feels like yesterday, throwing high-school bags into oblivion and getting on the computer to play DOTA2. Those in-game 2000 hours seemed so significant that I frequently boasted about it. There was something in the atmosphere of the game that made me feel like I had powers. After all, I could be the Windranger, who ran like the wind itself. And Puck sometimes, appearing out of thin air and creating chaos.

But only a DOTA player would understand what the game means to the fan base. I dare say; it is more emotionally attached than any real world games like Football or Cricket. And even if it’s not, we’re the master of our opinions, aren’t we?

I grew up with Warcraft and studied its lore more than my books. I played DOTA as a child and found magic in my keyboards. For people like me, DOTA 2 is not just a game. It’s so much more!