Team Namibia’s Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games insider guide to DOTA 2

‘Meeting new people and learning constantly’ is what it is all about, according to the group of friends who have traveled thousands of kilometers to compete at GEF’s flagship tournament

The Namibia DOTA 2 team. Photo: Ben Queenborough/GEF.

The wildly popular DOTA 2 , in which teams of five work in synergy to find a winning strategy, is the perfect symbol of the diverse and inclusive nature of the community gathered for the second annual Global Esports Games. That is the message from Namibia’s Mauro Teles on the eve of the action in Türkiye’s vibrant capital, Istanbul.

Here, he and his teammates share just what it is they love about the title and why they believe, together with the Global Esports Federation, it can inspire a generation.

Social, challenging, competitive

“You grow attached to your teammates. You learn how they think, how they play and you synergize together,” Teles said of the game he has spent more than two years playing with four of his best friends.

“It becomes so competitive because you want to beat other people who have done the same thing.”

Teammate Jürgen Teichert knows just what he is talking about.

“If you have a very strong competitive nature then it’s one of the best games to play. It’s insanely challenging,” the Namibian said. “The learning curve is very, very high. It’s also constantly evolving, constantly changing.

“So, if you love a challenge and you love being competitive and you get a big thrill out of not only becoming better yourself but becoming better than others then DOTA is definitely for you.”

Key skills and strategy

In a similar vein to the entire #worldconnected event in Istanbul, there is limitless potential when it comes to tactics and DOTA 2.

“The meta is constantly changing. You can’t just get used to one strategy and hope that pays off for ever. You need to keep up to date,” Teles said.

“You need to work together to find out what combinations of different things work well. The best way to keep the synergy is to constantly play together and start learning how you play the key points.”

“Awareness” is vital too, according to Francois Rautenbach. A support player, he knows Team Namibia is relying on his ability to provide “the vision” even though it is “scary running round most of the time because you are so easy to be killed by opponents”.

Playing DOTA 2 at #GEG22

“This is the first time we have got involved with GEF and it’s been so positive,” Teles said from GEF_house inside the stunning Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center.

“It’s a pleasure to do something like this, to represent our country, to get the name of esports out. Also, maybe future generations will be like ‘Oh, look what these guys have achieved, where they have been’ and then they’ll do the same.

“We are in Istanbul, we came all the way from Namibia, thousands of kilometers. It’s not bad.”

Rautenbach is in firm agreement.

“The social part of it is there as well,” he said. “Meeting new people you can get into their minds as to how they think about the game. You realize everyone thinks differently. It’s so inclusive.”

He and his team kick-off their DOTA 2 campaign in the Open on Thursday, December 15. Do not miss it.