Why is League of Legends more popular than Dota 2 in Asia?

Anyone who’s played either League of Legends or Dota 2 knows that the two communities don’t agree on much. But one thing they kind of have to agree on (even if Dota fans don’t like it): League of Legends is more popular, both in the world in general and in Asia.

I’m a League of Legends player myself, so I get the appeal of the game, but I’ve often wondered: why? Especially in Asia where WC3 Dota was so popular, why is League now so far ahead of Dota 2?

Last week, I conducted a quick poll on this site to see if that could give me some answers. But although we got hundreds of responses from fans of both games, when I pored through the data, I found no answers. LoL and Dota fans said they played their preferred game for the graphics, for the gameplay, or because their friends played it at very similar rates.

But, with the caveat that I have no definitive answers, after poring over the responses and talking to a bunch of other players, I do have a few thoughts.

1. It’s brighter

Saying that Asians love brightly-colored, cute things is definitely a stereotype, and it doesn’t apply to everyone. But let’s be honest: this is one of those stereotypes that has a definite basis in reality, and when it comes to the visual styles in LoL and Dota, there’s no question as to which game has a “brighter”, “friendlier” look.

This is not to say that Dota 2‘s style is unappealing to Asians, and in fact many of the Asian gamers who took my survey said they preferred Dota‘s visual style. But if we assume that a greater number of gamers prefer the brighter, more cartoony look of League to the darker fantasy-realism of Dota, it does make sense that League would attract a large player base even if Dota fans are just as adamant as League fans are about their game being the one that looks best.

2. It came first

League of Legends has been around since 2009, but Dota 2 has only come to some Asian countries quite recently. Dota 2 officially came to China just over a year ago, and it has been in Korea for an even shorter period of time. That doesn’t necessarily make a big difference, as a popular enough game can go from zero to the top of the charts overnight sometimes. But with a game as complex and difficult to learn as Dota 2, it makes sense that local players would catch on more slowly. And it’s worth noting that the game has been gradually climbing the charts in Korea and China, among other countries, even if it’s not near LoL‘s level just yet.

3. It has an easier learning curve

Neither League of Legends nor Dota 2 is an easy game to pick up and play; they’re both quite complex and their communities can be ruthlessly unforgiving to new players. But there’s no denying that of the two, League has the shorter learning curve thanks to the removal of some of Dota’s more complex mechanics (like varying turn rates and creep denial). Especially if you didn’t grow up playing WC3 Dota, League’s MOBA gameplay feels a bit more visceral (because of things like instant turning) and perhaps a bit simpler, although it’s not simple by any stretch of the imagination.

4. It’ll run on a potato

In terms of hardware, League of Legends is less demanding than Dota 2. (For example, League will run on a 2 GHz processor, while Dota 2‘s minimum specs demand at least a 3 GHz processor). That matters a lot in Asia, where gamers are often playing on internet cafe PCs that, let’s face it, aren’t exactly top-of-the-line gaming rigs. Part of League‘s Asian popularity may just be because the game runs more smoothly on low-quality and underpowered hardware, so even if your local internet cafe hasn’t upgraded in years, their PCs still will be able to run it with no problems.

Beyond that, I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine, so you tell me: why is League of Legends more popular than Dota 2 in Asia?