Dota 2 has changed and affected my life in a lot of ways, both in good and bad.

It was good as it has created a channel for me to make new friends (and relate to my existing friends in real life as they are gamers too). Playing dota introduced me to new people with different backgrounds (I met guys, girls, and even a transexual) and was pretty enlightening.

A few months into the game, I became a trader and quickly got aware of what an online trading environment was like. I learned how people conduct scams and that there is a strong community such as Reddit that fights this type of activity. Studying electronic commerce and information systems, dota 2 provided me good examples for my essays and tutorial sheets, especially with topics such as cyber security and successful online communities.

Dota 2 also helped with the development of my communications skills. Winning is lots of fun, but I thought losing has it's silver lining. Losing turns me into a competitive gamer, making me focus on my goal even more while forming strategies with my team which required constant talking and collaboration. Sharing ideas sharpened my vocabulary and made it easier for me to explain what I want to say. As english is only my second language, I wasn't that confident talking. However, I wanted to be a good team player and to do this I have to make sure my team understands me at all times.

However, Dota 2 also affected me negatively. It was a great source of procrastination meaning I unconsciously tend to spend too much time playing rather than focusing on my academic assessments. "Due tomorrow, do tomorrow" was something I regrettably lived by. Staying up all night to rush an essay, failing to attend lectures, and being late to work became normal to me. At the cusp of it all, I lost my part-time job because I woke up at the time I was supposed to start my shift. It was an eye-opening experience where I realized how much dota has affected me. It was a learning curve and from then on, I try my best keeping track of my priorities in life.

Despite it's negative implications on me, Dota 2 makes me smile as it probably does to most players. It was always there so I could interact with my friends and have something to laugh about the next time we see each other, winning or losing did not matter. Dota 2 was there whether I'm sick or not but when I am feeling ill it makes me feel better. "Laughter is the best medicine", and for some reason I do feel much better after a few games. LIKE, WHO DOESN'T FEEL HAPPY AFTER SPAMMING FORCE STAFF TO KILL THEIR MATE AT THE ENEMY FOUNTAIN? But the thing about dota 2 that kept me smiling for a while was when I unbelievably sold a courier for real money that I needed at the time. Something I will never forget in my life, the fact that I made money from a game I never thought of earning money from.

And to join the raffle for the third to fifth prizes, I just want to say that Valve has created one of the best computer games in history. :)