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ounds of combat filled the hall as the crowd cheered. The scene was not of an ancient battleground, but a professional gaming competition. First blood was drawn, and the crowd went wild.

The GESC Indonesia Dota 2 Minor was held at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in Serpong, South Tangerang, last weekend. Eight teams from around the world went head-to-head in a game of Dota 2, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game from Valve Corporation that originated from a custom, user-generated map in Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft 3.

The tournament featured six teams from regional qualifiers: Ukraine-based Natus Vincere from the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Southeast Asian wing of London-based Fnatic from Malaysia, Digital Chaos of North America, Infamous from Peru representing South America, The Final Tribe of Europe and VGJ Thunder from China.

The tournament was also joined by two others, namely Evil Geniuses, one of the United States’ oldest professional gaming teams, and the Indonesian regional qualifier Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ).

The teams competed for a cash prize of US$300,000, as well as qualifying points for The International 2018 in August, Dota 2’s annual tournament hosted by the game’s developer in Vancouver, Canada, this year.

Evil Geniuses finally became the champion of the tournament, while the Indonesian team struggled in the earlier rounds.

According to Mariano Caneda of Infamous, known as Papita, judging by the performance of RRQ in their losing match against The Final Tribe, the Indonesian representatives became lost around the 15-minute mark and got confused about their strategy.

“What’s important for them is to watch replays of the best teams and stick to their strategies,” said Mariano, noting that the issue is common among newer players.

Clinton Loomis of Evil Geniuses, better known by his handle, Fear, said Indonesians looking to break into professional gaming should train every day and not get discouraged by failure.

Aside from the teams looking to win big, attendees also jumped at the chance to see their favorite gamers in person, with tickets for the 5,000 seats at the event selling out in 72 hours.

The massive crowd chanted their favorite team’s name at crucial moments, with professional commentators analyzing every player’s move, not unlike a televised soccer match.

Dimas Andaru Kusumo, an attendee who purchased his ticket online to avoid long lines, said he attended the tournament as it was the first of its kind in the country.

“This is the first tournament with major teams coming in from all over the world. I think the government should support our gamers more so that we could compete in international tournaments as well,” said Dimas, adding that major countries such as Germany and the US have begun to support their homegrown
gamers.

According to Dimas, Indonesians are more likely to play the mobile phone-based Mobile Legends due to its accessibility across platforms.

Separately, a gamer who went by the handle Pavane in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Dragon Nest said the traction gained by the professional gaming industry should serve as a wake-up call to the public.

Pavane, who started gaming in high school with World of Warcraft, said he had retired from gaming, citing money spent due to his competitiveness.

“Gamers are literally competing for millions of dollars in prizes. The public does not have any place to look down on us, because we can earn big while supporting a multimillion-dollar industry. It’s time for Indonesians to get a piece of it,” said the gamer, who did not wish to reveal his real name due to privacy. (jlm)