Should I start playing a MOBA type game again?

No.

If you like the gameplay, do it! Some people will be dicks and you'll have a bad game here or there, but if you have the time and you like them, go for it! You'll find more good people than bad (in my experience)

I haven't played LoL so will just say go for Dota 2. There will always be nastiness in the moba community, whether you're a beginner or a pro (I've seen TI winners being called out as noobs, yes). The trick is, just hit that Find Game button and continue playing. The shit talkers will eventually become jokes themselves, and you wont care at all.

Sounds like you should stop playing with randoms and try and find some like minded people to play with. I know when Brad initially got into DOTA 2 there was a huge influx of users from the community who wanted to learn and get into it as well. You might be able to find some people under some of the DOTA 2 threads who are more patient and practical when it comes to the game (people who don't rage over spilled milk).

LoL is fun as hell, Smite is cool and totally different in terms of gameplay style and Super Monday Night Combat is a shooter MOBA if you want to shoot dudes in the face.

Whenever I find myself asking this sort of question, especially when the game is 'free,' I like to slap myself in the face.

Why shouldn't you? Unless there's a personal reason you shouldn't, which you wouldn't bring up the question if you did, there really is no good reason not to try something out again/for the first time and possibly enjoy yourself. There is literally zero loss.

Speaking from complete ignorance, no.

Also, how is the bandwagon trend going for all you MOBA fans out there? Is it super exciting that there's this huge influx of products that you're really into or is everyone just momentarily distracted before returning to LoL and DOTA2? It reminds me of WoW and all the clones that spawned. Just curious.

most free to play MOBAs use that pando media booster spyware, or did at one point... maybe if you can get it downloaded without infecting your computer.

If you like the gameplay and have friends who can play with you then definitely. If you don't have friends to play with, given what you said, probably not.

Really friends are the difference between having fun consistently and having to worry about getting trolled.

Don't bother with the DC one, it's garbage.

That's a very fair point. I think most of my hesitance in not just diving straight back in is a matter of time. I spent a good amount of time on both games just learning the items and heroes, and if I do go back I really just want to play one single MOBA and not waste time re-learning all the innerworkings of the ones I won't be playing. And, since I personally can't see a reason to pick any of these of the others, I thought it would be good to get a weight of opinions.

@wolfgame : thanks for reminding me of that! I remember LoL installing that garbage before. I can't recall if dota does, but I'm going to assume it just uses steam DRM instead.

@gunslingerpanda : As a big time fan of all things DC, this makes me sad, but it does makes sense. Everything I've seen around the interwebzones about it has looked not-so-great.

EDIT: @slag I only have one friend that likes moba type games, and his game of preference is/was HoN. I tried to get him to play both LoL and Dota with me, but he wouldn't come over. I even tried HoN myself, but it just seemed like a inferior product.

If you want to, a lot of people go in and out of playing moba's. If you feel like some competitive lane-based action, but don't want the pressures of Dota and Lol, Smite's actually pretty cool...

I'd say yes - although I feel the same way myself. I may be a bit too thin-skinned, but I can't stand raging in a game, even if it's not aimed at me. I can't see how people can get so verbally offensive while playing a game. Consequently, I have well over 2000 hours in Dota2 and only 50 matches played! My time is almost entirely spent playing bots...

Although it's not just MOBA's: I got into playing Spintires recently - a game about driving vehicles in the mud - and tried out the 4 player coop multiplayer. The game I created had another player start to rage at someone for not doing as they suggested (Within minutes, they were calling another player "retarded" and a "stupid idiot" while swearing at them in the chat). Honestly, this is the last place I thought I'd see that sort of rage - in a relaxing mud sim!

I hope it's something that I can get de-sensitised to (although I think it's getting worse) since my own Dota stats clearly show I have a problem. Games should be fun and I can't seem to have fun while someone else is displaying anger.

@nocall Go for dota 2, I've found the online play has become friendlier, not sure if it's because of the higher levels or the reporting system I assume you've missed in the last couple of years. There's still jerks out there like any online game but it does seem better, that & play with friends like other people have suggested.

@jazz_bcaz Dota takes up the majority of my multiplaying gaming so I have no interest in picking up another moba.

@nocall:

well then I hate to say it but probably not then for you. It bothered you enough to quit, chances are it will happen again. Eventhough I think both Lol and DOTA 2 are significantly friendlier than even a couple years ago, it's unavoidable to run into frustrated people at least occasionally.

I don't blame you for not enjoying bad sportsmanship on your team, that's a perfectly valid reason to not play these games. I've got friends I play with regularly so I don't encounter the nastiness very often myself, but I know it still happens.

I'm a DOTA 2 person myself, but I'd choose whatever game I could get the most people I knew to play with me because of that risk. I do think DOTA 2 and LoL are heads and shoulders quality wise above the rest. I haven't tried Smite though.

It's been...3 years since I played LoL? They had just introduced the new gamemode map thingy when I quit. I could be wrong on the date. And I was lucky enough to get a beta invite for dota, so I quit when there were ~1/3 of the available heroes that there is now. I think the last one that was added before I quit was "outworld devourer" (at least I think so, I only remember using his imprisonment ability and had to look up the name just now)

@slag Yeah, there's a good chance you're right. I like the gameplay, and it's not like I freak out every time someone criticizes me, but the instances that did make me stop playing in both cases were just obnoxiously, ridiculously aggressive rudeness that just made me left feeling frustrated at the entire human race as a whole.

@jazz_bcaz: It would be super exciting, but DotA2 was the first MOBA I sunk my teeth into and it has spoiled me immensely. I've played pretty much every MOBA and none of them are flat out bad, but, at the same time, none of them quite stack up for DotA in my opinion.

Not only do I not have to pay for shit (specifically heroes), it's the only MOBA that literally gives free stuff to it's players just because they played. I understand it's due to Valve's unique circumstances with having Steam printing money for them, but it still doesn't change the fact that their business model is leaps and bounds above the competition.

It also doesn't help that most of the other MOBAs feel somewhat...let's say...inflexible in terms of gameplay and homogeneous in terms of character design. It might be hard to explain without going into further detail, but suffice to say that DotA, thankfully, does not have those problems.

@babychoochoo: I would be very interested in hearing about the differences in design, if you feel like writing them out. If it's going to take too much of your time to do so, though, then don't worry about it. I don't want to be a burden.

DotA 2. Joint the Giantbomb channel and say you are looking for LL MM (low level matchmaking). If you don't have a microphone, get one. When you meet friendly people, add them to your friends list and, before long, you'll have a regular group to play with.

LoL has made specific efforts this past year to making supporting actually fun. If that's your preferred role, then LoL is the way to go.