Second Article Published.

My second article was published by hdhub.com here.  In the article I talk about the most anticipated MOBA of the year, DOTA 2, going free to play.  For those of you who didn't know, DOTA stands for Defense of the Ancients.  It was a mod for the game Warcraft III which created the first of a new genre of game that would soon come to be one of the largest influences in esports.

What I found amusing about the whole development of DOTA 2 was the lawsuit.  You see, DOTA 2 was developed by Valve, which created series like Portal, Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Counter Strike.  Warcraft III was developed by Blizzard.  Valve never asked Blizzard if they could make a sequel.  PC gamers all over the place were placing bets on when Blizzard would speak up.  For whatever reason, Blizzard didn't file a lawsuit until way late in the development stages.   The game was in closed beta, I believe, when the lawsuit was filed.  Now, I know that some of you believe that Blizzard deserves rights to DOTA 2, but consider this:
First, Blizzard didn't make DOTA, it was a mod.  Which means a developer, who was not tied to Blizzard, created DOTA using the Warcraft III map editor and some code.  Second, Valve never states that DOTA 2 stands for Defense of the Ancients 2.  So technically, its a different title.  And third,  Valve hired the man behind the creation of DOTA to work with them for DOTA 2.  Blizzard did nothing with the development of DOTA but that didn't stop them in trying to get a piece of Valve's pie.  So, it ended with the case being dismissed and no loyalties being paid to Blizzard.

Anyway, back to my article, it has nothing to do with the lawsuit, I just got on a little side note.  I'll be trying DOTA 2 out when I get the chance.  I like to play the MOBA genre on occasion but I'm not at all a serious player that plays ranked matches all the time.

And, for those of you who didn't know, the first Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Event is going on this weekend!!! You want access? Everyone who pre-purchases the game gets access to the event.  You can pre-purchase the game here.