Dota is one of those games that I can lose myself in for hours and it almost seems to distort your sense of time. It has gotten so bad at times I even forget to eat; one could say Dota is bad for my health. The game is so addicting it’s like a heavy drug. There is just something about playing that gets my adrenaline going and puts me on a high that’s unlike anything else in this world. I mean you don’t even have to be playing Dota to be completely engrossed in the game. One can spend all day watching tournament games and before you know it the sun is already setting. Not only this but one can walk away from Dota feeling absolutely terrible and stressed to the point of rage. Just like a drug would one seems to build up a sort of tolerance to the actual enjoyment the game provides leading you down a path of frustration and stress. How does one combat this? It seems obvious but just like a drug Dota is hard to put down.

So you are in a game and your team is doing a great job in the laning phase and early game. Things are going your way! Suddenly, people start making big mistakes. Teammates are getting caught out and your pushing lineup is losing momentum. What would have been a 25 minute game is now turning into 35 minutes then 45 then 60. Suddenly, you find yourself in the late game with no hard carry and finally the enemy team is in your base raxing you. You are well past losing your cool and end up with a 70 minute game that did nothing but drive you insane. What should you do next? Many people would queue up and try to start fresh thinking “Stupid team, I hope this next game is better” This is the wrong decision. Maybe that next game will be good but you are still stressed out from the last. It could also likely go bad and stress you out even more. This is something you want to avoid at all costs in Dota because too much stress is not only harmful to your overall health; it also makes you a bad Dota player.

The game I described happened to me and I can tell you this, I was not a happy person after that game. Since I had to go to work afterwards I didn’t queue up and so I went to work pissed and angry at myself for wasting my own time. Work went better than expected and so I came home feeling good and then I sat down at my computer; invites popping up to play Dota. I had to put my foot down and decided to do something else; in this case I played music as I am quite passionate about that. So, the next day I decided to not play Dota at all and in fact this went on for a few days. I usually like to hang around the Dota 2 Subreddit but that was as far as I was going to take it. I was feeling good and then I watched Total Biscuit play Dota and I felt the tickle. Just like that I was back in the queue but this time it felt different.

I went into games with a positive mindset rather than a negative. I found myself making fewer mistakes and bigger plays. I was more encouraging towards others even if they were making very obvious blunders. On top of all that I decided instead of queuing alone I would only play games with friends. I made a rule that if I didn’t have at least 4 to play with I would not play Dota. Since then I have won 8 games in a row (One being an IH) and never felt better as a player. I have seen improvement in all aspects of my game from lasting hitting to positioning and team fights. Overall I have improved my confidence in the game and I look at the way I play Dota in a different light.

So what is my advice to you? Well if you find yourself in a slump take a break and go do something else. It’s really that simple. Don’t queue up after a stressful game win or lose and instead watch your replay or find another thing to do. When you take a break from something your mind has time to take it in and process it. This is why I saw improvements in my play and my overall positivity towards my games. I think we all seem to believe that re-queuing will somehow improve us as a player but I believe that stopping the cycle of stress and allowing your mind to reflect is truly what allows us to improve. So if Dota is stressing you out and it seems you can’t get out of that slump why not make it a New Years resolution and give yourself a break, because you are much too hard on yourself. Happy new year everyone! And play Omninight! He is having his 10 year anniversary come this Janurary!

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