You’re missing the thrill inherent in leveraging power over another person. The article briefly mentions this:
When you beat another player in a game, you have affected that human being’s emotions in REAL LIFE. That’s so good a Power Fantasy that it’s hardly even fantasy anymore.
The appeal of playing dota is the victorious thrill when you kill another person. Not a mindless, stupid NPC. A person. Someone who is your equal, who you aren’t guaranteed to win against. Having the potential for failure makes victory so much more real and so much more enjoyable. Losing half the time sucks, but those moments of genuine victorious conquest are what make pvp appealing.
All the more so if you know the other players. Killing someone you know and dislike is ten times more satisfying than killing a stranger from matchmaking.
Mowing down hordes of soulless NPCs just isn’t the same.
You’re missing the thrill inherent in leveraging power over another person. The article briefly mentions this:
The appeal of playing dota is the victorious thrill when you kill another person. Not a mindless, stupid NPC. A person. Someone who is your equal, who you aren’t guaranteed to win against. Having the potential for failure makes victory so much more real and so much more enjoyable. Losing half the time sucks, but those moments of genuine victorious conquest are what make pvp appealing.
All the more so if you know the other players. Killing someone you know and dislike is ten times more satisfying than killing a stranger from matchmaking.
Mowing down hordes of soulless NPCs just isn’t the same.