If you don't know Icefrog, then you definitely haven't heard or played DoTA. Non-gaming people I know haven't got the slightest idea what it is. Some perceive it as a computer game (which is actually true) that kids are so crazy about. Apart from that, they know nothing. Poor creatures. For their sake, let the enlightenment begin..DoTA stands for Defense of The Ancients, and contrary to the DoTA-innocent population's belief that DoTA is a customary stand-alone game (I always get requests from friends, and friends of friends, to help them "install" DoTA in their PC's!), DoTA is just a customized scenario map of the popular Warcraft III game. If I only give you DoTA, it would obviously be unplayable and utterly useless without Warcraft. You get my point.
Warcraft III made DoTA possible because of its World Editor feature, where players can create their own customized scenario and gameplay. So who's Icefrog? DoTA became the brainchild of a developer only known by the pseudonym Icefrog. Since its release, DoTA became a hit among Warcraft players, and made Icefrog an instant celebrity in the gaming world. The DoTA map itself had undergone numerous gameplay changes, new items and hero characters, and many balance tweaks through the years.
The default Warcraft III scenario map is the build-search-defend-destroy type, where you create buildings and command different units. DoTA is obviously different, as a player only focuses on one individual unit, known as a hero.
The DoTA gameplay revolves around one goal - destroy the enemy's base and fundamental building (known as as an Ancient, thus t
he title Defense of the Ancients) before they destroy yours. Two opposing teams battle using unique heroes with different abilities. Customized teamwork and strategy play vital roles in winning a DoTA game, as each hero has their strengths as well as weaknesses when teamed up or matched against other heroes. Items can also be purchased to improve attack and defense of a hero. With this fact, DoTA matches are practically nonidentical with each other!So why do guys go loco over such game? Simple reason -- just the same as why male species in the animal kingdom fight each other -- dominance. It's a thing even the female species are having a hard time comprehending. In the human world, this takes form as army wars, political oppositions, sporting events, and street brawls. In the gaming world, DoTA became a perfect battleground host for dominance (no real blood and gore involved, only the mind and the fingers do the work).
For the not-so-DoTA-drowned individuals out there, here are some popular DoTA terminologies you might want to check out (some even used in non-DoTA conversations):
First Blood - It is the first kill of a DoTA match. The first player who gets to make an opponent hero eat dust gains additional gold (for item purchases) and the irreplaceable taste of dominance! Can also be used as a threat to real life enemies.
Godlike - The player with unstoppable consecutive hero kills gains this notorious title. Any opponent who kills this player stops the winning streak and gains additional gold in return. Also refers to people with very high almost-impossible achievements. Can also refer to my charm and good looks.
Creeps - are mostly non-controllable non-hero units in the game that play as army pawns or neutral monsters scattered in the map. Can also refer to people who are evident but have no significance to what is going on.
R
oshan - the ultimate creep in DoTA. Killing this unit gives the team additional gold and the unique item Aegis of the Immortal. Also a name worth giving to destructive college professors whom you can only defeat once you have barely passed their rough exams.Imba - short for imbalance. Some heroes are just way too tricky or have the upper hand against certain enemy heroes. Depends upon player's discretion when used. Also an effective alibi for noobs.
Noob - a newbie, commonly used in almost all games to refer to new, inexperienced players. Also a very effective insult in trash talks.
GG - (stands for Good Game) now known as Garena, it is a gaming platform that lets players around the world play against each other in various games, such as DoTA in Warcraft III. Download the platform here.
DoTA became so popular that it has been a feature in many international cybergame tournaments. Check out this cool DoTA-inspired techno-song by Swedish musician Basshunter (which, by the way made it to the 2006 European Single Charts), Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DoTA:
For those who want to have a copy of the latest DoTA map, download it here in the official DoTA website.
For a gamer, DoTA is a taste of what a successful game should be. Not many games out there make it through the gaming market for many years and still be hot and worth playing for. Take it from the guy who has been playing DoTA since its debut release in 2005 up until now -- me.
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