First DotA (Defense of the Ancients) Tournament in Cuba

Kabir Vega Castellanos

HAVANA TIMES — After years of waiting for DotA, Cuban gamers have finally announced the first large-scale event of this mega popular game.

DotA is a live strategy game, where two teams of 5 players each, using 113 characters, have to destroy the opponent’s Throne while they protect their own.

“Resplandor Naciente” (Growing radiance) is the tournament’s name. Although it was organized via the same SNET network, (the alternative network which brings together houses, buildings, municipalities, provinces… and tries to replace the precious Internet) will take place “wholly on site”.

That is to say that battles will take place at the same venue. The first round will take place at the famous leisure center Hola Ola, opposite Havana’s Malecon, in Vedado, and following matches will take place at the Central Computing Palace, located on the corner of Amistad and Reina Streets, in Central Havana.

On Saturday August 26th, the registration period ended, two weeks after it was first announced. If none of those people who wrote their name down officially pull out, up to 41 teams will take part, a total of 205 players at least, excluding substitutes.

Participation is free, only the time the computers are used for during the matches will be charged, a price which remains to be seen but will try not to exceed 10 Cuban pesos (0.50 USD) per hour.

The start date of the tournament hasn’t been confirmed yet either, nor how long it will last, although it is estimated to take a while due to the complex structure of the event, and the competition will only take place on weekends.

According to the announcement, there will be prizes, but what they are exactly will only be revealed once the competition is underway, a mystery which is stirring anxiety among participants.

Sadly, it’s pretty obvious that first prize won’t be a large cash sum. A lot less than the US $10 million that was given to the winning team at the International DotA Tournament.

However, having such an event available to us here in Cuba, and being able to participate, is a great step forward and a reason to nourish the hopes of Cuban DotA players.