The growing eSports competitions here and abroad has sparked interest among gamers.This year’s inclusion of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2 in Silliman University Intramural games is something new and enthralling to Sillimanians and could be the beginning of an improved DOTA competition in the succeeding Intramurals.
DOTA is a multiplayer video game famous among Filipino gamers. Its popularity has been growing rapidly that even girls—including myself—engage in a game mostly dominated by boys. However, most people see gaming in general as connected to addiction. I don’t think that seeing the game that way will be enough reason for people to underestimate the game itself, the people who play it and the people who want to try .
The creators of this game are most probably geniuses. The objectives of the game is simple. Get to the opponent’s base called “ancient” and defend your own “ancient.” You have a hero who gets stronger from every kill, you have creeps to help you push through and you have various items to choose from in the shop.
But, every second, skill and strategy is vital in getting to that victory. Players don’t just choose randomly and win; rather, they use critical thinking and wise strategy to achieve it. Players may not be too focused in perfecting their quizzes in school but it doesn’t equate them to not knowing anything at all.
DOTA doesn’t make you an addict. Perhaps, video games were just meant to make you get into the game often, but not necessarily addiction. Besides, it is all a matter of control and discipline just like any other activity. Getting into the nerves of this video game is like being in a relationship—it can either be a distraction or an inspiration.
Although playing DOTA doesn’t involve much of physical movements, it is still a sport just like chess doesn’t involve bodily movements. Based on observations, the Silliman population is densely populated with gamers, which means that including DOTA and other popular video games such as Counter Strike and League of Legends might encourage more students to participate in Intramurals., thus making Intrams more “sadya.”
Promoting eSports in this annual celebration is not an agenda to promote computer addiction. Nor does it mean distracting the students from their studies. If properly implemented, it might even encourage students to do well in their class performance by requiring eSports competitors to have a passing grade in all their subjects.
After all, any form of leisure activity in the court, board or computer is just a matter of discipline.
