MOBA

moba (multiplayer online battle arena) is a new gaming genre. sp-wned from early forums from the custom map for starcraft called {aeon of strife} and evolved in to the most recent defense of the ancients or “dota”. the objective of the moba genre is for each team to destroy the opponents’ base, heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. players use powerful units known as heroes, and are -ssisted by allied heroes and ai-controlled fighters called “creeps”. as in role-playing games, players level up their hero and use gold to buy equipment during the mission.

each human player must control one hero, a powerful unit with unique abilities. in dota-allstars, players on each side choose one of ninety-five heroes, each with different abilities and tactical advantages over other heroes. the scenario is highly team-oriented; it is difficult for one player to carry the team to victory alone. nevertheless, some heroes, given enough time, can change the outcome single-handedly, while countering the opposing team’s heroes.

because the game play revolves around strengthening individual heroes, it does not require one to focus on resource management and base-building, as in most traditional real-time strategy games. killing computer-controlled or neutral units earns the player experience points; when enough experience is acc-mulated, the player gains a level. leveling up improves the hero’s toughness and the damage it can inflict, and allows players to upgrade their spells or skills. in addition to acc-mulating experience, players also manage a single resource, in most cases: gold.

the typical resource gathering is based on a combat-oriented money system; in addition to a small periodic income, heroes earn gold by killing hostile units, base structures, and enemy heroes. using gold, players buy items to strengthen their hero and gain abilities. certain items can be combined with recipes to create more powerful items. buying items that suit one’s hero is an important tactical element of the scenario.

most moba games offer a variety of game modes, selected by the game host at the beginning of the match. the game modes dictate the difficulty of the scenario, as well as whether people can choose their hero or are -ssigned one randomly. many game modes can be combined (for example, an easy difficulty level and a random hero pick), allowing more flexible options.
aganoize: did you hear about that new moba?
kite-dothack: which one?
aganoize: league of legends of course!
kite-dothack: ya, that game looks awesome!
the museum of bad art (moba) is the world’s only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms.
steve: what do you think of this game?
jeff: that thing is so gay it belongs to moba!