Research and Compare: Online Video Games

Research and Compare: Online Video Games

Introduction
While a sizeable amount of the population still uses the Internet to find information and check the news, an increasing number of users have acknowledged the change in the trends and chiefly use it as part of their daily entertainment. The internet has changed, and there is no denying that. As a result, many companies have had to innovate to keep current with the market trends.

Scope of the Problem
The online gaming scene has grown wildly in the last few years. It passed from being an underground entertainment to becoming an industry that makes billions of dollars each year. Currently, two games dominate the competitive scene and are among the top in both players and earnings. League of Legends (LoL) and Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2). These games, along with their business models; game styles, and online presence, represent exceptional examples to understand online gaming and its repercussions on the use of the Internet.

Discussion
Comparison between the Games
Business Model
Being free to play both games shares the same business model of free distribution. The games are free to download in their respective websites, and all the game features are available for free. This strategy allows developers to attract new players and enabling them to play the game without feeling the commitment of playing it extensively. Nevertheless, as a way to keep the game profitable, the games created “micro transactions”” that allow gamers to purchase in-game features such as “skins” and power-ups that while do not offer competitive advantages, allow the players to level up faster or get more game points.

Game Style
LoL comes to life as a modification of the first DOTA game, a product of former Blizzard game developers. Therefore, both games can strike an inexperienced watcher as the same, or at least very likely. Strictly speaking, both games are of the same style; a style called Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), a gaming style where players are pitted against each other in arenas where each of them holds a particular role to aid their time. When it comes to the controls, both games have the same mechanics, and a DOTA 2 player could play LoL with ease, providing they have learned the basics and understand the controls.
Online Presence
Although both games seem very alike, LoL has been able to gather a bigger fan base than its antecessor. League of Legends has an average of five million concurrent players in all its servers while DOTA 2 has 1 million. Also, LoL players tend to be younger, and the community is not as well-developed as DOTA 2 community. However, when it comes to public knowledge of the game, a sizeable amount of people knows what LoL is, opposing to the smaller number of individuals who have played or watched a DOTA 2 match. Still, both games are wildly popular and make substantial revenues each year in sponsorships and merchandising.
Conclusion
The internet is changing, yet the human desire of sharing experiences and competing against each other remains present. This shows that human behavior remains largely the same regardless of the method of communication they choose. It does not matter if the players are thousands of miles away from each other; competitiveness remains their primary drive, as well as the many rewards professional gamers could earn. Nevertheless, to casual players, the experience remains as something fun to do when bored, something to relax and enjoy, akin to watching television or a movie.