The Rise in Popularity of MOBA Games
It’s no secret that Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) concept has been around for some time now. However, it was only two decades ago that this game mode began gaining significant traction.
Today, MOBA games are among the most popular and are even the highlight of the eSports industry to the point where people refer to sources, such as https://legalbet.uk/betting-sites/sets/league-of-legends, for issuance, in order to wager on tournament matches for games like the League of Legends (LoL).
What set this trend into motion was the simple mod called the Defense of The Ancients (DoTA) for Warcraft III back in 2002. After that the popularity of MOBA games has been on the rise ever since. So let’s have a look at how this popularity has evolved over the years.
Why are MOBA games so appealing these days?
There’s much more to MOBA games than players beating each other senseless in an arena layout that makes these games so appealing. As a matter of fact, MOBA games are much about strategizing, teamwork, choosing the right team composition, gear and many more.
The original Dota pave the way for the future of MOBA games and when Valve acquired rights to the mod and made the renowned Dota 2 in 2013, everything was refined to ensure a huge surge in popularity for MOBA games. So you don’t actually have to play the game to find it interesting and entertaining.
You can watch other people do it via stream and have a lot of fun doing so. It’s pretty much like watching a regular sports match but much flashier and with more dynamics to the event. This is one of the reasons why millions of people both play and watch other people play MOBA games.
MOBA games redefining eSports
It’s a well-known fact that MOBA games are the stable of eSports today. When you look at Dota 2, LoL, Smite and so on, they are the ones with the most viewership around the globe and some of the largest prize pools for tournament wins. MOBA games literally took over the eSports industry and redefined it as we know it.
News are shared on social media regarding upcoming competitions, there’s worldwide coverage on streaming platforms and even TV channels so the entire gaming community is buzzing and speculating regarding predictions and possible strategies teams may use when facing each other.
The hype for MOBA competitions resembles much of the hype for major sports tournaments in football or some other popular sport. Simply put, it’s no longer just another gaming completion, MOBA games have turned eSports into a global phenomenon.
The impact of MOBA games on the gaming industry
The purpose of gaming companies is to develop games that will sell good and sell fast. However, that has changed a lot in recent years. Major game development studios like Valve and others are now organizing and sponsoring major eSports events as well.
Although game development is still their primary focus, for the most part at least, major studios now have a new branch of business that focuses on marketing, promoting and organizing eSports happenings, as well as broadcasting these events to millions of people around the world.
In order to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, gaming studios are partnering up with media outlets, digital agencies, broadcasting services and many other providers to make the event as memorable and as exciting as possible.
MOBA tournaments and leagues are pretty much the Super Bowl in the world of video games and organizing such events requires a truly delicate and well-planned approach. That’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding how MOBA games are having a significant impact on the entire gaming industry.