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As I write this, the $1 million DOTA 2 International is ongoing at this week’s Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The first round of matches has ended with the second slated to begin tomorrow, August 18, at 10 am CET. The battles are being streamed on the DOTA 2 website, a stream that offers more than simply gameplay for interested players. Valve’s spectator tools deliver a first look at many of the heroes in DOTA 2, along with their basic stats and their full descriptions. This affords players of DOTA and its ilk some context for the onscreen action. More importantly, it sets a precedent for how Valve intends to support its e-sports initiative, headlined by DOTA 2 and the recently announced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In addition to the information on each hero, player data is available for each match, with a full scoreboard that lists everything from kills and deaths to income rates for both gold and XP, even items used. 
By Shelby Reiches |