Top 10 Addictive Elements of MOBA Games

MOBA right? Curious what all the fuss is about? Allow us to try to break it down. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today in conjunction with Hi-Rez Studios we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 Addictive elements of MOBA Gaming.

During our visit to the Smite North American Championships in Atlanta, we asked players and staff member what they found to be most addictive elements of MOBA’s, not just in Smite but in other major MOBA games as well.

Tired of sequelitis? MOBAs buck the trend of yearly releases that current AAA behemoths like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed, or even 2 year releases, instead opting for a series of long term updates and skin packs. The result is that the games stay relevant and competitive for years to come without alienating long time fans. The communities just keep on growing making for more epic battles, hell the Warcraft 3 mod Dota which started the trend still gets played a lot today. Imagine what your favorite MOBA will be like in 5 years time?

Many players can’t commit to the time investment of an MMO, building clans, leveling up a character and organizing raids can be month long comitments. MOBAs offer similar experiences in small chunks of time, allowing for players to feel progression, teamwork and accomplishment in a much shorter gameplay loop. By condensing rewarding gameplay of an MMO into bite sized matches, along with other elements from RPGs, Action Games and Real time strategies, there’s something for everyone in the MOBA genre.

Don’t ditch your old computer just yet, as with a run of the mill PC, almost anyone can jump into a MOBA and start making a name for themselves. The low end system requirements also means that players in South East Asia, where high end computers are a luxury, can jump into the action, too. It’s one of the reasons the genre exploded so rapidly in those regions as it eliminated a huge barrier for many would-be PC gamers. With some games even being playable in a browser, it’s no wonder why this genre is such a global sensation.

The rise of Youtube’s Let’s Plays and Twitch’s live game streams has made video game spectating mainstream, but MOBA enthusiasts were doing it long before it became cool. Matches are not only entertaining to watch as players employ a myriad of strategies, but viewers get a glimpse of the whole match as it unfolds, and can often see more information than the players themselves. There’s nothing like knowing a team is doomed before they even realize it, and the ensuing massacre is always a sight to behold.

Do you dream of being the best in the world? From online tournaments to stadium matches, the competitive MOBA scene is massive and prizes even more so. Few genres can post the numbers on offered here, and the experience of playing in front of huge audiences is even more impressive than it seems on screen, but winning the jackpot is the icing on the cake. With League of Legends selling out the Staples Centre, and the DOTA 2 championship selling out in an hour, it’s only a matter of time before competitive gaming gets to go prime time. And lets not forget, grand prizes for so many MOBA tournaments range in the millions and climb up every year.

With constant updates and a supportive community, MOBAs are blessed with new content on a regular basis. The results are games that rarely get boring with so much to learn, do and discover. New characters, arenas and game modes are always on offer, and the developers usually keep in touch with the community to make the best content possible for the players while maintaining balanced gameplay throughout. Players who get in early can see the game evolve from its humble beginnings into a worldwide phenomenon, and that’s just epic.

Yes, even you can play a MOBA. Easy to get into, MOBAs offer a great learning curve as players learn new tricks and strategies to conquer the land. While tournament level play certainly represents the best of the best, it’s not out of the question for a new player to practice and hope to one day compete with the big boys. It’s a far cry from other genres where expert level play can dominate and leave little opportunity for new players to practice months after launch. The fact that MOBAs go on for years and still entice new players to take up the reigns is a sure sign of victory.

Most MOBAs offer a free to play structure, but unlike other Free to play games that are constantly try to siphon money from you, all the essential tools are not locked behind paywalls. Usually one can pay to unlock new content like new skins and voice packs, but it’s never anything necessary to win as the games are balanced enough to ensure competitive play at any level. Anything you can pay for is usually cosmetic or optional, meaning that those with the biggest wallets aren’t guaranteed the highest score.

Part of the skill to dominate in a MOBA is the development of a rock solid strategy. With large arenas, complex economy management, hundreds of characters, it can be a lot to take in at once. That means the skill ceiling is extremely high: there’s almost no limit to how good you can get. The low instance of random number generators and the immense amount of variety has helped this genre become the dominating force in esports, just because there’s so much room for highly skilled play. No matter how good you get, you can always get better.

No man is an army, and the same goes for champions and gods too. Ask as many people as you want, the answer that keeps coming back again and again is that MOBAs are fun because they are true team sports. No single player can carry an incompetent team against competent opponents, and no weak link will be left unexploited by skilled adversaries. True team games, there’s no other genre that consistently requires group cohesion in order to achieve success, making every hard fought victory feel like all the more of an accomplishment.


Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite addictive element of MOBA gaming? For more unstoppable top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.