(Disclaimer: Excuse me for any grammar or punctuation errors. As a journalism major I should be ashamed, but I am also very lazy.)
The International is coming up very fast and I just have a few things to say about it.
I received a press pass for this years International and I couldn’t be happier. Not only is this the first press pass of my career as a journalist but I genuinely love Dota. I get to cover something I really enjoy, but there’s a catch; I dont play Dota 2 all that much.
How can someone who doesn’t play Dota love Dota at all?
Let me clarify, I have played Dota. I had fun playing Dota, I loved laning with Kunka as Naga and I had a blast when I won (and sulkily hated when I lost.) I played enough to get the game, but there just wasn’t enough time for me in the day to focus on my school, career and hobbies all at the same time.
So it isn’t like I’ve never played Dota, I just don’t play Dota now. Despite this I still love Dota, just because I dont play 5 games of Dota per day or have a 4k MMR does not mean I love Dota less than anyone else.
There is something about Dota that people love and it isn’t just the game, which is why it enables people like me to really enjoy it.
It’s the culture of Dota 2 I am so enamored with. From the drama within the pro-scene, the countless jokes, the faces of Dota, or the epic moments in Dota tournaments. When all of these merge together it’s like nothing else. Every moment in Dota has the potential to be viral, to become a trademark memory that keeps us coming back.
Dota 2 wouldn’t be as popular as it is right now if it wasn’t for the great community behind it. The community is what makes people love Dota. I mean I can’t say for sure, but that is at least why I love Dota. I love all the talk amongst fans during a team shuffle, I loved the broken hearted feeling I got when Arteezy left EG.
I remember harassing Arteezy over twitter about his music taste and him replying back, then meeting him at TI4 only proved he was a nice guy… Or atleast I thought.
I remember Xboxt trying to get me into the secret shop a day early by putting his Player pass over my neck and assuring the entrance monitor that I was his friend.
I recall shitting myself when I spilled water all over a notoriously foul mouthed player, Singsing.
None of those experiences would be the same if it wasn’t for the community that hyped me up for it. The players are characters, the teams have history, and the community is an entity all to itself.
Its the community that appreciates the intensity and real competition that Dota 2 provides, while still making fun of itself. We don’t even take ourselves seriously which is why there is humor in every corner of the Dota 2 scene.
I can’t wait for The International 5. I can’t wait to tell the Seattle area exactly why we love Dota 2, every aspect and dimension of it is worth writing about.
dotagril 