DOTA blamed for Double Murder, Made Illegal

DOTA 2 might be one of the most popular games in PC gaming today, but that doesn’t mean that the original has been forgotten; as it turns out, Vanilla, original DOTA is still extremely popular, especially in Asian countries like the Philippines… in fact, it might be a little too popular, as recently a small town had to ban the game from ever being played.

How does something like this happen? Pretty straightforward, actually—the game is being blamed for multiple murders in the area, with government leaders and internet café owners claiming the game is causing children to become more violent. However, unlike the baseless rhetoric used by conservatives in our country claiming games make kids violent, this wasn’t exactly baseless. Last November, two teenagers were stabbed and killed as a result of disagreements and arguments stemming from especially bad matches.

This ban only affects one small town, and is only directed at the original DOTA—DOTA 2 or any other MOBA is still available to play, as long as it’s available in the region. But it is official, DOTA has been banned on account of murder—so I’m just letting ya’ll know before you hear it from some crackpot conspiracy theorist.  Please excuse the clickbait title.