scott91575 said:
The only piece of advice I can give to someone is don't start out actually playing the game. I know, I know, sounds stupid. Yet if you spend a little time either reading guides like Purge's "Welcome to Dota, You Suck," watching youtube tutorials, or watching some pro games it will be way more fun the first time you pick up the game (you should also play against bots the first few times instead of just jumping into a game). Either that or make sure you only play with friends when you first start. If you just jump into a game without knowing much about it, well, you are gonna have a bad time. There are some minor tutorials now in game, but they only help a little.
It can be one of the best games you have ever played, but the learning curve is massive and yes, the community can be toxic. If you are not patient and have a thick skin or lots of friends that also play, then the game is not for you.
That's the same advice that I've heard others say about learning DOTA. I play LoL, myself, and that community is toxic enough, even with the whole Tribunal thing going (though it has gotten a little better, at least to me). I will say one of the best pieces of advice I read in one of those very guides you mention, which I instantly applied to my playing in LoL, is that the very first time someone starts insulting you, calling you "noob" and whatever else, don't bother arguing back with them; just put them immediately on ignore and get on with enjoying the game. Following this advice has made my game experience in LoL much, much more relaxing and enjoyable (even though I still accumulate losses).
As far as I know, and I admit I could be quite wrong on this point, DOTA doesn't have quite the same behavioral enforcement that LoL has developed. LoL's community is about as toxic as I can stand, and it has behavioral enforcement (although I will never play a ranked game because of the expected toxicity, based on the progression of it from bots to blind pick PvP). So, I've mostly stayed away from DOTA for fear of having to deal with a level of toxicity that would just completely rob the game of any sense of fun. I will admit, I feel I may be doing myself a slight disservice, because the gameplay in DOTA looks to be far deeper than LoL's.
However, I will have to say that I don't care how thick a skin you have; unless you're an unfeeling, uncaring husk (or a robot), getting yelled at constantly for even the slightest error is a soul-syphoning experience that robs the game of any and all fun.
To be honest, I've never understood the extreme rage factor that develops in MOBAs. I've seen rage in MMO PvP before, but it was usually almost comical in its nature. But the rage I've experienced directed at me, and others, in LoL was just vicious and malicious. I had a guy actually make a death-threat against me, at one point. I've never had that in MMO PvP. I know I'm not the best player, but that kind of thing is just uncalled for on any level, in my opinion.
