Once again, Dota is the talk of the town among gaming fans with the Manila Majors happening this week. The event is so hyped that the tickets were sold out within a few hours of them being available for sale! Everyone who cares a little bit about Dota wants to be a part of it and every fan wants it to turn out great. Of course, how the event will turn out relies heavily on how its participants will act; players, organizers, media and of course, the audience is no exception. So, to greatly improve our chances of having more of these in the future, let’s do our part in making the experience a great one for not only ourselves, but for everyone.

Being Ready

Before heading out make sure you’ve packed what you need, don’t ruin your day by getting out there at the gates only to realize you have to head back home as you didn’t have one of the following:

• Ticket for the day – Remember that there’s a ticket for each day. So double check which one you’re giving to the one who checks it, or might as well just bring all of them with you if you’re going on several days.

• An Umbrella – Nobody likes sitting next to drenched person, so do bring one in case rain gets the drop on you. Also remember how cold it can get with MoA Arena’s air conditioning.

• Pocket Money – Have a bit handy, it’ll be quite a way to walk out to the next convenience store for cheap food and you can’t really  bring any of that into the venue.

Getting In

Arriving at the venue, you may be stopped by security because you didn’t realize that there’s a bunch of things you’re really not allowed to bring in. So as to save you, and everyone else behind you in line, the trouble. Don’t bring these to the the arena’s gates.

• Food from outside – Okay, we get that you don’t want to pay for food that has typically jacked up prices when sold in places like this. But the guard won’t let you through with it. Just eat out before queuing up, carry it in your stomach. They won’t check in there.

• Anything suspicious – Some people have done this by honest mistake. For example, one might have a fancy swiss-army knife for a keychain, which has bladed tools. Nope, security won’t let that fly. Leave it at home or have it confiscated by their office.

• Cutting the Line – Seriously, we do this all the time for whatever time there’s a line. Be it a buffet table or going through government offices. Sure, there can be times where a friend can save a spot for you or something but don’t cause a scene by saving a space for 10 people or so.

Being in the Audience

One thing that our crowds have made into a habit is live-recording big events like this with their phones, tablets, DSLRs and what-have-you. While some of us easily tolerate this or even accept it completely, try to exercise some restraint when you’re doing it. Don’t obstruct the view of other members of the audience and try not to record entire segments with it. There’s several media teams who are covering the event, and they’ll definitely do a better job of getting the moment than somebody with a shaky hand and a smartphone. They’ll even show it to you online for free.

The same idea goes for those who’ll bring enormous fan signs. Hey, we don’t think it’s a bad idea. We’ll actually praise it if it’s pretty good work. Just give your arms a rest if you’ve been raising it for a little while and keep in mind that somebody behind you can’t see what you’re obstructing.

Finally, for those who will be having snacks during the games, and there will be, do the right thing and throw them away properly once you’re done with them. It’s okay to put it away and just throw it later, you don’t want to get away from the action, we get that. Just don’t leave it behind when you leave.

Being a fan

If you’re attending the The Manila Major, chances are you’re a fan of at least one player or team in the entire roster. And as soon as they start walking to the stage, all the fans will go into ‘please-notice-me-senpai’-mode. Heck, it’s our big chance to meet, talk and thank to the biggest names in Dota right now. Of course we all want to make the most out of it, but guys, let’s be reasonable.

Players are here to win a tournament, and the production crew have a schedule to follow. While there are some who’ll be happy to hang out for a few minutes with their fans, we have to let them do their jobs too. If they’re obviously heading to somewhere else try not to ask too much of them, maybe a picture or an autograph is okay. Don’t ask them to sign several items which you plan to gift or sell (if you sell something they sign for you, that’s a definitive act of being a douchebag, kids) to other people later on.

Moreover, let’s touch on the subject of unwanted touching. Back in ESL One Manila, one of the popular players, Jacky ‘EternaLEnVy’ Mao, got some unwarranted personal experiences from the audience when they went through the audience to the stage for the first time. Okay, there was a laugh about it and in the end it was shrugged off, but let’s not let it happen again. Because having that happen to other high-profile personalities may lead to really big issues happening in the future. Let’s keep the eSports drama between player shuffles.

The Manila Major is the biggest eSport event we’ll be getting for 2016, and with the mishaps of The Shanghai Major still fresh in the minds of the scene’s most dedicated fans, players and organizers, let’s give the scene a good kick in the positive direction that it sorely needs right now. Let’s all have fun and let everybody have a good time, because in the end, that’s what gaming in the community is about. Be the good guy, not the douchebag.