What Makes a Game Special - An Opinionated Article About One of Most Popular Mobile Online Battle Arena Game

There are a lot of good Mobile Online Battle Arena Games out there that can give it's players the level of competitiveness and fun while playing it. But for me, among those games, one stands out as something special, something that is unique from others, and that is DOTA 2.

As one of the earliest MOBA genre game, DOTA 2 originated from Defense of the Ancients, a MOD for Warcraft III. Since its early days, I have played this game. Me and my buddies will go to the nearest computer cafe after school, and play this game for hours i can't really remember. It was really fun even though I sucked at it, having a topic to talk to your friends is something really special. But when the time comes, we went different ways to pursue our career.

But still, I continued to play Dota. It was when the time it transitioned to DOTA 2 where I met new friends to party with, new companions to talk about the game I once loved. It was when I realized that this game isn't just game, it is something that transcends beyond it.

So, what makes this game special for me? Well a lot actually. I'll not talk about the specific MOBA gameplay but what makes DOTA 2 different from other MOBA's out there.

First, let's start with heroes. Unlike other MOBA, heroes in DOTA 2 are based on counter-mechanics. Meaning that every hero, no matter how much powerful they are, have counter heroes that can completely shut them down. It requires a lot of knowledge about the heroes and their hero counters as well as their abilities. An example is how multiple hero units like Phantom Lancer and Chaos Knight can be countered by Earthshaker's Echo Slam.

Second is the abilities. From the easiest hero to play to the hardest one, their ability execution is must know in DOTA 2. Different heroes have different combinations of their ability execution. An example is Invoker, where you can throw combos like tornado - emp - chaos meteor - deafening blast, or you can freely choose the spell that creates the most impact during the teamfight.

Third is the items. There are a lot of counter items for heroes, and it is you to decide what will be the best for your hero. Also, there are clickable items which can really turn the tides of the game. A good example for this is that spell caster heroes are easily countered by an orchid of malevolence, which silences the enemy that he can't cast his spells.

There are tons of small mechanics in DOTA 2 that makes it really unique. Examples are lane pulling, camp stacking, warding, dewarding, micro-managing and macro managing skills. See some guides if you want to know more about it.

So, what really makes it special then? For me it's not about the gameplay or stuff like that. It is something you play and have fun to play with others. It is something you learn and put your passion in learning more about it. It is what makes a game special.

But you know what, after hours of playing with friends, I can say I didn't get any better. But who cares, as long as you're having fun with your friends talking about how you got those nasty plays during the game, it makes me feel that we're having something special, a memory to remember when we all got our own lives.

The gist of all of these? I recommend it. It may be hard to learn at first but trust me, it will be something to tell your grandchild "I play a great game when I was young".