What Contributes to Success in MOBA Games? An Empirical Study of Defense of the Ancients 2. Issue 5 (July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xia, Bang; Wang, Huiwen; Zhou, Ronggang
• Is Part Of: Games and culture. Volume 14:Issue 5(2019)
• Page Start: 498
• Page End: 522
• Publication Date: 2019-07
• Subjects: effective predictor -- Dota 2 -- tactical awareness -- operational skills -- multiplayer; Games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Video games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Computer games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Interactive multimedia -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 303.4834
• DOI: 10.1177/1555412017710599
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1555-4120

Abstract

With the development of computer science and Internet technology, online games have become one of the most important sources of entertainment in daily life. Meanwhile, increasing attention has been paid to top international electronic sports (eSports) tournaments in which competitive pressure is becoming increasingly more serious. Therefore, how to win such games is a problem worth exploring. This article proposes a set of evaluation indicators for testing gameplay in Defense of the Ancients 2, which is a popular multiplayer online game. The analysis shows that the multiplayer killing indicator is an effective predictor of the game result. Furthermore, the evaluation indicators are divided into two categories: operational skills and tactical awareness. The functions of the indicators in each category are discussed. The results show that, for professional eSports teams, tactical awareness affects the multiplayer killing indicator and the game result more so than operational skills.