Article by: Kyle Kim

Every year, there are trends and so called “raves” that circulate around social media for a certain period of time. These trends have been able to make it into the community of International School Manila, and thus, have impacted the social networking of the students in the school. Previous trends ranged from the multiplayer online video game League of Legends to the pixilated Minecraft. This year DOTA 2, also known as Defense of the Ancients, is one of the trends that has been circulating in our school.

Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) is an online battle arena game. The main focus of the game is to destroy and conquer the ancient structures of their opponents, found in the corners of the game map. In the game, players are able to use characters or units called heroes and earn gold from achieving accomplishments. Through these accomplishments, heroes can be leveled up and by using the gold, they can buy game equipment that helps them conquer structures more easily. Currently, there is a sequel to Defense of Ancients called Defense of the Ancients 2, which has a very similar style. However, DOTA 2 features a high-level perspective of the character the player is using, and an enhanced system that operates the game to run smoother and faster than DOTA 1. All in all, each DOTA 2 game lasts around 20 to 30 minutes per victory over the opponent. There is a new round each time the player is able to conquer and destroy all the structures of their opponent.

With a member count of 800,000 members, DOTA is clearly popular. Now with the popularity of DOTA growing exponentially, there are several members of our student body that have become a part of the trend. In fact, DOTA is so popular that it was even an event at our school’s own Battle of the Bearcats! And though some may find DOTA to be an unwanted distraction to the ISM community, the positive effects of the game seem to be more evident. According to sophomore John M., DOTA is able “to bring the school together more than sports do.” DOTA allows the ISM community to bond through online activities that involve mental simulation and communication. Furthermore, DOTA helps students release a lot of stress. According to sophomore Sophia Mapua, DOTA “helped [a student] go through exams.” Overall, DOTA’s current and future presence in our school seems to be positive, so long as students remain organized and able to balance schoolwork and game time.