Looking at the dota hero pool there is one this that is blatantly apparent. There are no cute heroes. Dont get me wrong, I love dota, but LoL has one advantage, girls actually play LoL and it helps that LoL has really adorable heroes that girls cosplay as, and make hats for and plushies out of. I mean just look at them, there is absolutely nothing visually appealing about most of the dota2 heroes and the ones taht even remotely aer aesthetically pleasing all have some horrendous flaw. Valve should make one equally adorable hero to all of the hideous ones to make up for it, then girls would be flockgin to dota. like snsd wouldn't be popular at all if they all had uni brows and shrek noses like lion.

Esports is a very male centric industry, there is a lot of attention that gets placed on casual games and competitive games, but that argument aside esports is neglecting have the consumer market.

discuss.

d3_crescentia

United States4054 Posts

September 02 2012 05:16 GMT

I actually agree 100%. One of the few things that I dislike about Dota2 is that I don't like how any of the heroes look. I like that Dota2 is pushing the competitive gaming scene with a game that actually demands skill, but it still doesn't change that it can be difficult to watch as a newcomer with no knowledge of the MOBA genre. But the depressing color scheme and the unappealing characters kind of make it hard for me to get invested in the game itself as opposed to just seeing Dota as just another competitive game that I'll have trouble following. There's nothing bad about it per se, but whenever I watch a game I don't think there's anything particularly memorable about it either. I guess I just have to try to follow the scene more?

Not sure if a supercute character belongs in Dota2, nor something slathered in sex appeal, but something easily identifiable and mascotable that people can really rally behind might be good for the game. I mean Morphling is kind fo cute but he's also kind of just an upsidedown tongue. As for getting girls involved in the game... good luck with that; I think LoL has Dota beat in that regard. I mean I'm sure Dota will attract plenty of fans of both genders but LoL may have the better self-contained business model by marketing cute skins/characters to people that are willing to buy them.

Tevinhead

United Kingdom470 Posts

September 02 2012 05:24 GMT

Sexy > Cute.

Most famous female singers who aren't amazing at singing are SEXY not cute. Unless we're talking about Asia and even then, the market is still bigger for sexy.

And if we're talking about how to attract female gamers? Dota 2 has this in the bag too. Customizing each body part, allowing you to actually create your own look and be unique. If I've learned anything from my years of gaming it's that chicks dig any game with high room for character customization. Which even leads to a final point, because customizations can be user-created, if someone creates some 'cute' customizations and enough people like it. It'll be available.

Dota 2 is definitely not as bright or colourful but it's also not trying to be. It's the differences between LoL and Dota 2 that make them both interesting. Myself and many others I know would prefer sexy and bad-ass over cute and cartoonish.

zeehar

Korea (South)3804 Posts

September 02 2012 05:31 GMT

errm

what you think of a characters' aesthetics is first of all subjective - what you think does not necessarily represent what others think nor does it give any truth

please tell me what horrendous flaw windrunner has? red hair?

girls aren't flocking to dota2 because they don't know it exists because it hasn't been released yet, not because there isn't a cutesy hero they can make dolls out of.

Yoshi Kirishima

United States10314 Posts

September 02 2012 05:32 GMT

I actually like the DotA 2 art style. And I hate the LoL art style (and even more so because the graphics are so inferior). I understand different opinions exist, but I'm a little disappointed at how people find LoL champions "cute". Maybe generally, yes they are cute, but more critically, I still think basically all the designs of the champions (and even the maps/spells) are not appealing. A few things are appealing, but it's not enough for me to find the game aesthetically pleasing. I find the game quite ugly. I would describe DotA 2 art design as cool.

I hadn't really thought about this before though, that LoL has a higher % of females playing than in DotA.

Edit: reading the above post, the fact that more people play LoL may be a significant reason why there seem to be more girls who play LoL than DotA. Also it may be that since it is more popular, girls are more exposed to it, and thus LoL has a higher % female playerbase.

So maybe the reason why LoL seems to have a higher % female playerbase is not mainly because the champions are cute.

Edit2: After reading d3's post, I think it would be no problem if they, instead of making new heroes look cute, simply make cute or even silly (sillier?) items. That way the "official" look of the characters is still "serious", and if people see a funny item, it'll be entertaining but not bothersome.

TubbyIsAwesome

United States161 Posts

September 02 2012 05:41 GMT

I find Tidehunter to be pretty cute. At TI2 I saw some girls dressed up as Windrunner and Crystal Maiden. I feel that there are plenty of heroes that could fill that role

How do the models look worse in dota 2 compared to LoL?

I personally love the colors and I think it actually attracts "casual" LoL players because of how amazing it looks, but that's just my opinion.

etherealfall

Australia476 Posts

September 02 2012 05:43 GMT

I hate trouble getting into Dota2 after being an avid fan of Dota and HoN due to its art.

It looks hideous.

SolidMoose

United States1240 Posts

September 02 2012 05:49 GMT

I wasn't even aware LoL characters were considered cute. I'm pretty sure the only champ girls think is cute is Teemo.

Emnjay808

United States10651 Posts

September 02 2012 05:51 GMT

What the fuck?

Edit:
I guess on a related note, there was a girl in TI2 that they showed on cam dressed as Crystal Maiden. So girls still do cosplay as Dota2 chars, even if they arent cute. Thus we do not need dat kawaii bullshit.

zeehar

Korea (South)3804 Posts

September 02 2012 05:52 GMT

#10

On September 02 2012 14:51 Emnjay808 wrote:
What the fuck?

the forum has turned to shit since yesterday

dartoo

India2889 Posts

September 02 2012 05:56 GMT

#11

I dont know about cute, but drow ranger and lina are pretty hot.Luna and windrunner arent too bad either.

Rikki would kinda fit in the cute category? Puck could've fit in, but I just find the voice really annoying.

I actually quite like the art style in dota 2.The art style in LoL just feels pretty bad to me, seems kinda ugly. I think the changes made to LoL make it a lot more acessible to people, and hence more female audiences.

Doomblaze

United States1292 Posts

September 02 2012 05:57 GMT

#12

LoL is played by more girls because it's a much easier game to play than dota. There are few girls who want to dedicate the time to learn how to play dota, just as there are fewer females who dedicate the time to learning starcraft.

Cute heros attract casual gamers, but dota is not a casual game. Valve does not need to attract girls to their games to be successful, and cute heros do not fit into the theme of dota. There are many more reasons to not have cute heros than there are to have them.

soulostar

United States46 Posts

September 02 2012 06:03 GMT

#13

Cute LoL-esque heroes have no place in Dota 2. Who cares if girls play LoL? That's not even because the heroes are cute in that game. If LoL had the same mechanics and map and everything else as Dota 2 but retained its "cuteness" girls would not play it. They play it because it's easy. Terrible topic.

Sickkiee

Japan607 Posts

September 02 2012 06:10 GMT

#14

On September 02 2012 14:57 13_Doomblaze_37 wrote:
LoL is played by more girls because it's a much easier game to play than dota. There are few girls who want to dedicate the time to learn how to play dota, just as there are fewer females who dedicate the time to learning starcraft.

Cute heros attract casual gamers, but dota is not a casual game. Valve does not need to attract girls to their games to be successful, and cute heros do not fit into the theme of dota. There are many more reasons to not have cute heros than there are to have them.

Exactly. It's not because the heroes or cute or something.

The reason they play it is because the skill curve is easier to get around than Dota/Dota 2. Many LoL/D2 pros have said it themselves. LoL is simply the easier game to learn. Hence, girls will play the game that is easier to learn.

Sure, 'cute characters' may play a factor but it's so small that it's negligible. People don't want to suck at the game they are playing.

Shikyo

Finland33997 Posts

September 02 2012 06:12 GMT

#15

Most of the girl gamers I know play FPS or adventure/platformer games actually o_O

I really wonder if cuteness has anything to do with anything...

Nilrem

United States3684 Posts

September 02 2012 06:18 GMT

#16

Puck...

Need I say more? in all honesty, I think they look fine. valve managed to give off very similar looks to that of the original, all the while giving them an "updated" and unique look. There are still many heroes needing to be added so will have to see. Excited to see how the revamped Phoenix will look.

sevia

United States954 Posts

September 02 2012 06:24 GMT

#17

On September 02 2012 14:24 Tevinhead wrote:
Sexy > Cute.

Most famous female singers who aren't amazing at singing are SEXY not cute. Unless we're talking about Asia and even then, the market is still bigger for sexy.

Have to agree with this guy.

'Sexy' champions like Sona or Miss Fortune probably attract more women to LoL than 'cute' ones like Annie and Teemo, although those cute ones probably help.

Stylized figures and exaggerated proportions lead to more creative costumes, which leads to more scantily-clad cosplayers, which leads to more exposure of girls in the scene, which leads to more acceptance and adoption as a 'general' game rather than the more 'hardcore' male-dominated games like DOTA and Starcraft.

Not to mention, having huge tits on the loading screens keeps the male audience interested in between games...

League's art direction is definitely one of its strong points, from a marketing and popularity perspective.