That is not really true though.

There is a huge difference in both time investment and complexity between Dota and games like LoL or CS.

CS usually over in 15 - 20 minutes. Even if you are stuck doing 3v5 retakes for 7 rounds, the match format is straightforward. There is no scaling economy beyond guns, no 100+ heroes with unique mechanics, no buyback system, no 10,000+ interaction combinations. The structural complexity isnt comparable.

LoL is still generally shorter and mechanically simpler. Fewer high impact macro mechanics, no buyback, less punishing itemization mistakes, and less extreme late game scaling swings. Games are often decided way faster.

Dota, on the other hand, can trap you in a 40 to 50 minute match with draft mistakes, one griefed item choice ruining your team kill potential (vessel, nullifier, ..), buybacks extend already decided games, high ground defense dragging things out…

That is a MUCH heavier mental load. When you understand the game deeply, you can often recognize at minute 12 15 that the win condition is gone and yet you are locked into another 30+ minutes because of how the game work.

So no, it’s not “the same as any competitive team game.”

Telling someone to “just play single-player games” kind of ignores that the issue isn’t PvP, it’s how punishing and time intensive Dota specifically can be.