“I must be a masochist. After going through the trial by hell-fire of learning the various intricacies of DotA (and this was back in WC3 where it was even less friendly to new players) and Starcraft II I’ve decided to pick up another game that has a notoriously steep learning curve, Counter Strike: Global Offensive. […]
Year: 2018
Free to Play: The Stories of Those Who Play the Game We Love
“It’s easy to look at pro players like Dendi or Fear and think that they must be on top of the world given that they are where they are now. It’s true, they are playing a game full time and being paid to do it but that doesn’t mean they are without their personal battles […]
No Longer Ban-Prone Batrider: Icefrog and Valve’s Design Philosophy Regarding DotA 2
“ With the release of patch 6.80 for DotA 2 we see yet another series of well thought and targeted changes for heroes and gameplay. It is truly remarkable that in a game with 105 heroes the balance team for DotA 1 and 2 continues to make game design decisions that improve the game rather […]
The 1.43 Million Dollar Draft: Game 5 Alliance vs. Na’vi
“Some people may find the drafting stage to be long and drawn out. However, once you begin to consider the elaborate strategic decisions and mindgames that are occurring behind those seconds ticking away on the screen it becomes a simple task to allow yourself to be drawn into the intellectual battle that is unfolding before […]
Tidehunter’s Tumble: An Analysis of the Leviathan’s Falling Popularity
“Tidehunter used to be such a frequent appearance in professional games that he even had a team, No Tidehunter (now playing under the name of Alliance), jokingly named in honour of him because they found him so annoying to play against. Unfortunately, (at least for those who enjoy watching him being played in professional matches), […]
Abbadon’s Success in the Pub Scene
“Currently, as per dotabuff.com, Abaddon has the second highest pub win rate this month (at 56.64%) . I believe this is the case because of the versatility of the hero and the power and synergy between his skills. Abaddon has the potential to be a hard support, an offlaner, played mid (albeit somewhat ineffectively), as […]
The Neverending Quest: Life as a Gamer
I’ve played video games as far back as my memories go. I remember being in the basement of my home back when I was six playing educational games with my siblings. One of the most magical things about video games was that when I played them(even the single player ones) they always involved my friends […]