This weekend included a banner day for eSports with a competition for Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm getting broadcast live on ESPN 2 . More on that later, but first, there were also major developments across Dota 2 , Hearthstone and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It’s all on this week’s eSports Rep

Now, online multiplayer games are the norm. Even series that feature single-player campaigns, like the Call of Duty , Battlefield , and Gears of War franchises, are better known for their multiplayer. Games that once featured only single-player stories, such the Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed series, have implemented online multiplayer in sequels. And although more games are incorporating multiplayer elements, few allow for local multiplayer; the focus is almost entirely on virtual shared gaming experien

The two (former) professionals are Olzhas “Naiman” Batyrbekov and Dan “Alchemixt” Walton. The two lesser known players were only identified by their gamertags, XzaM and Damnery. While Blizzard has banned players for offenses like botting and win trading in the past, this is the first time they have publicly named the players. It seems like they’re stepping up their efforts to clean up the professional scene as Blizzcon gets clo

Earlier in this article, I said that HeroesHearth Esports was a favorite to win. However, by most accounts Team Dignitas is the favorite to win the Western Clash this weekend. Just this year, they grabbed 2nd at Mid-Season Brawl, 1st at the HGC – Phase 1 EU Pro League, and 1st and Phase 1’s Western Clash. They have yet to lose a match this phase, and I don’t see them deviating from that dominating p

Who’s a good Frostwolf? WHO’S A GOOD LITTLE FROSTWOLF?! This World of Warcraft Frostwolf Cub Plush is great for some holiday snuggling or as the latest trophy up on your wall of gaming collectibles. An official Blizzard Gear product, this pup’s soft blue-eyed gaze will never betray the fact that it’s seen some seriously harsh things on the battlefronts of Draenor and Alterac Valley while serving the Ho

So, what is the importance of Game W-L and G +/-? These statistics determine where a team is ranked in the standings if two or more teams’ match record is tied. For example, in the HGC North America Standings, Team Octalysis and ENDEMIC are tied for 4th place. However, since Team Octalysis has the better game record, they get the 4th place spot. In the case that both the match and game records are at a tie, the team with the higher G +/- score gets the higher spot in the standi

2K’s multiplayer online-only Evolve is under fire for this very reason. The game already has several DLCs and a deluxe edition available on top of its $60 price tag. Some critics claim this is equivalent to Evolve being a free-to-play game with microtransactions. Others, who support Evolve ‘s unique 4v1 approach to multiplayer and gorgeous graphics, hope that paying more money upfront will benefit and support future work. Adding more opportunities for players to pay more for games—through DLC and custom items—is a strategy that has earned developers more money thus far, so it’s unlikely to end anytime s

Most early video games, such as Pong in 1972, featured multiplayer modes. This was likely due to expectations from analog games, which were almost always played in person with friends and family. Early multiplayer modes were often turn-based, co-op arcade games—when one player died, another would take over or continue until all lives were extinguis

Valve posted on the Dota 2 website that it hopes the new series will address some of the specific issues that the game has faced within the competitive scene. Namely, teams that want to participate in the Major Championships will have to have a set roster all year long. This seems to be an attempt to get teams to stop reorganizing or recruiting team members shortly before The International each y

On the other side is Team Octalysis, a team that has struggled throughout the season. They did place 3rd at the HGC – Phase 1 NA Pro League this year, but with Team Dignitas as its first opponent, I don’t see them staying on the upper bracket for l

RISK: Starcraft Collector’s Edition Board Game is a uniquely Blizzard take on the classic strategy game. Just like in the video game, players must choose between the Terrans, Protoss or Zerg and then head into battle in an attempt to gain control of the Koprulu Sector. While base-building in Starcraft the video game can get complicated at times, this board Moba Game Beginner Guide follows traditional RISK rules, meaning anyone ages 10 and up can jump right in. The Starcraft theme touches every part of this game, including the highly-detailed custom playing pie

Distributors clearly have a lot to gain from online multiplayer games, especially with the popularity of microtransactions and the increasing popularity of DLC—more maps, more costumes, and more weapons often tempt gamers into paying more. This works well for free-to-play games like League of Legends or other MOBAs, but announcing DLC before a game’s release often draws criticism. Many players argue that paid DLC encourages some developers to omit necessary or desired player content for higher prof