What is a MOBA?
MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. It is a genre of games with arenas where teams of gamers compete against each other. The definition is actually quite broad. However, it targets a very specific genre of games. Indeed, a MOBA is characterised by an aerial view (from above), control of a single unit, movement with a mouse and a team job to demolish an enemy building, usually called the “Ancient”.
In addition, it should be noted that some gamers do not accept the name ” MOBA” , which has been adopted by the inevitable League of Legends. This is why they prefer the term “DotA-like”. This is the name of the first real success of the genre. The term “A-RTS”, an acronym for “real-time action/strategy game”, can also be found.
Origin, LoL and reasons for the success of the MOBA
Similarities with the MOBA were already present in the strategy game Herzog Zwei, which was played on the Megadrive console in the late 1980s. However, it was “Aeon of the Strife”, an amateur map designed for StarCraft in the late 90s and then taken over by Warcraft III in 2003 under the name DotA, that really propelled the Moba genre. Even more than MMORPGs.
Afterwards, a multitude of competitors emerged to counter. Obviously, the best known of them is none other than League of Legends (LoL). Launched in 2009, it did not imagine the genre, but we owe it to it to have been able to digest the principles of play as well as the complexity of DotA, a title carried by die-hard fans. Thus, Lol’s Moba has made the genre accessible to everyone, making it more accessible to the general public. In addition, Lol has also removed rules that are specific to the genre, such as “deny”, which is the act of eliminating one of one’s monsters in order to prevent the opposing gamer from performing it himself and accumulating experience points.
The factors explaining the success of the MOBA genre are multiple. Firstly, the freemium concept makes the game accessible to everyone and from a multitude of territories. They are among the most anticipated games in the “MMORPG 2018” category. The second reason is that the games themselves are based on a perfect alchemy of fantasy, action, strategy, competitiveness and community. Third and last reason: MOBA games are games that slowly but surely reveal their potential as the gamer learns the various tactics and characteristics of each hero genre. Indeed, like a chess game, the roles are perfectly defined and require a seamless collaboration between gamers, offering the best the reward of a well-finalised group work.
See also >> Lexicon