I’ve been meaning to write something about this for quite a bit of time, always putting it off as needless sentiment, or the whims of someone living in a bubble. But screw that, I’m over that phase now. These are my words, and I get to decide their validity. I’d posted this on r/Dota2 a while back, and since I’m happy with it I’m putting it here as well.
Originally written on 10.05.2021
Here goes:
I remember back when I was in high school (circa 2011), a few of us were deciding what games to install in the computer lab for a gaming event. Of course, with our school’s limited resources plus the negligible funding we had, we couldn’t explore too much beyond the usual titles you’d find at any cyber cafe. Counter Strike, Fifa, maybe even a Need for Speed game if you’re feeling adventurous. While attending one of these ‘meetings’ during recess, I came across Warcraft 3 for the first time. I had of course heard of it prior to this instance, since it was critically acclaimed after all. I just couldn’t get around to playing it because it was expensive for a video game, and also I wasn’t sure if my system could run it back then.
The same person also told us about this custom mod called DotA: Defense of the Ancients. We didn’t think much of it at the time. It was a custom game in an RTS. How different could it be from the usual routine of base building, turtling and then overwhelming everybody on the map?
Oh boy. We couldn’t be further from the truth.
The first version we tested was 6.72f. Rubick had just come out. I remember my first game of DotA taking place in my computer lab, in the middle of a class. Just a bunch of guys bunking classes in lieu of ‘game testing’.
I’m not sure how many people remember what the hero picking screen used to look like back then. You had these rows of coloured houses and you had to pick a hero from one of those. They were separated into the Sentinel and the Scourge by default, and to access heroes from both sides, you needed to enter ‘-ap’ in all chat. All pick.
I was of course overwhelmed, so I picked the one hero that seemed familiar. I of course picked Sniper.
I had no idea what to do, I had no idea about items, about spells, about creeps, about anything really. All my friends told me was the goal of the game: destroy the ancient. That meant destroying the enemy base. I attempted to play Sniper from what I could garner from the name itself. I played far back, kept spamming shrapnel, maybe a few shots here and there. People called me a coward because I kept sending my hero back. Of course. I’m a Sniper. What did you expect?
The Scourge models looked terrifying. I was facing Lich, Doom, Bloodseeker, Obsidian Destroyer… and let me tell you, in front of puny Sniper, those models meant business. I routinely got my ass whomped by Scourge heroes. Especially Bloodseeker. There was absolutely no way people like me, with less than 3 games under their belt, all of them on LAN, would’ve known how Rupture worked. My only interpretation of it was that my character was being poisoned, and all I had to do was spam my spells before I died. How else would you interpret a constant spurt of blood?
I’m not even sure how I discovered the Playdota forums.
It was only after seeing this that I realized the immense complexity of the game. I could actually pick Scourge heroes. My recipes were useless without their base items. There was another shop, away from your base. I remember being fascinated endlessly by “My life for Ner’zhul!” Before I knew about the secret shop, all I did was build items that could be purchased in the fountain. If you were on my time, you’d have gotten used to seeing a lot of Mekansm Juggernauts and Yasha Linas, that’s for sure.
We used to play on this platform called Gameranger, back then.
Few months down the line, a friend of mine calls me, talking about this Russian guy who’s offering him beta keys for “the sequel to Dota”. That didn’t make sense to me. How could a custom mod have an entire game dedicated to it, separately? I didn’t think too much of it. I gave him my email.
That evening, I had a beta key to Dota 2, a game I’d spend well over 2k hours in. More so than every game I’d ever played, combined. And the hours just keep on coming.
Dota 2 was… so different. Everything seemed muted after the vibrancy of Warcraft 3 Dota. The difference in the number of heroes available here was off-putting, to say the least. The spells seemed harder to land, the controls seemed to be slightly sluggish, there was no concept of a “host” here who had control over the match. There was no “-rmk” command. I couldn’t have 2v3s, or 3v3s, or what have you.
The lore was different. God, that bothered me to no end.
None of that mattered, though. Inextricably, Dota 2 kept drawing me in like no other game, hell, no other hobby ever had. I was determined to be the best. At least, amongst my friend group. And I was. I’d like to believe that I was. But I digress.
Dota 2 awoke in me a competitive instinct I was unaware I had. I remember practicing last hitting, reading guides, penning down drafts when the teacher wasn’t looking. Discussing strats with my classmates.
And of course, playing. Dota 2 was my home as soon as the schoolbus dropped me back.
I was in the final year of my high school during TI 3. At a time when everybody was cramming as much information as they could into their minds, I was watching entire VODs on Youtube. I remember Burning AM breaking Alliance’s legendary winning streak in the playoffs. I remember Na’vi vs Tongfu. Na’vi vs Orange. Na’vi vs Alliance in the playoffs, getting their asses beat.
Of course, every moment of the grand finals is etched into memory. I was shushing my friends the next day because I didn’t want any spoilers. I was devastated that Na’vi lost, and I irrationally hated s4 for the million dollar coil.
There were these 2 Youtube videos I watched endlessly. Natus Vincere: Can you feel it? By Professor Fierce (RIP), and Long live the International, by joinDota. They’re based on TI 2. But these two videos solidified my love for the game and the sport like nothing else.
I think I discovered Reddit around this time.
I thought I loved the game. It was only after Reddit that it truly hit me that I was actively a part of a community so much larger than I was, a part of a community that made me feel like I belong for the first time in my life.
The memes and events Dota 2 has witnessed over the years have been nothing short of stupendous. From statesman Bruno and 2GD, to Synderen’s “WHOAs” whenever he casted TI. From million dollar dream coils to death stares between former teammates. From Dendi cosplaying as Pudge to Slacks cosplaying as CM. w33 styling on Liquid at the Shanghai major, RTZ making a mark after MLG Columbus and bringing about a new era of gameplay. The constant EU vs China rivalry, with new regions popping off after a while. From Na’vi appearing in successive TI grand finals to OG lifting the aegis twice.
LD, Luminous, Merlini, Ayesee, Maelk. My god. Do you guys remember Ayesee’s voice? One of the most pleasing voices you’ll come across. We could have a “We didn’t start the fire” just for Dota.
From Sunsfan introducing every hero to hero trailers at TIs, how far we’ve come.
It’s been nearly 10 years since I first touched the game. I don’t nearly play it as much. I don’t nearly enjoy my games as much. My movements feel sluggish, rusty. I lack the instinct I once had.
But the games. The community. My love for this has only grown. And it will continue to do so.
I feel so lucky to have stuck around after playing (and losing) my first game of Dota 2.
Thank you to Gaben, to IceFrog, to the countless people who make this game what it is. You’re all amazing. Except Techies pickers.
