Entering into the World of Dota: Defense of the Ancients

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Like soccer, DotA has its own world cup known as “The Internationals.” Here, professionals play and earn millions. Huge audiences and sponsorships go along with this tournament, making DotA a viable career option for many who aspire to play in that league. But most people and I play DotA simply as amateurs. So many may ask why play this game and waste so much time if I don’t aspire to be in the big leagues? We play the game to appreciate it, as a workout for our minds. The local tournaments I played weren’t formal and the idea wasn’t about winning the game it was about being with people who appreciate and celebrate the game like I do. The game for me has been a wonderful learning experience. Plus my goal is to become an engineer and not a professional gamer. The things I learnt from these game persistence, anger management, timing, teamwork etc will help me to be a better person and will make it easier for me to join other discourse communities throughout my life.

I experienced euphoria when I won a game which should have been a definite loss, despair when I made the wrong moves and paid for it with humiliation, and peace, which I still feel when I channel my energy while playing this game. I can only compare it to the feeling of an amateur guitarist who, after a hard day of work, comes home to play his guitar to sooth his senses. My heart has found its place in this enormous community and I feel that I have earned my place in the world of DotA by hard work and passion.