For a moment, lets take ourselves into the mind of a new DotA 2 player. We will assume that they are new to the genre, and that they have heard great things about DotA 2, and are excited to be playing it.

They may recently have played games like Starcraft 2, TF2, or Guild Wars 2. If they have, they probably welcome the challenge, and are excited for the multiplayer, competetive environment. These players are most likely not expecting to be bad at the game.

When they start their first match, they may be overwhelmed by the hero selection. Many will simply random. The odds of getting a hero that they won't understand during the match are high. Furthermore, they have no concept whatsoever of team composition.

As the match starts, they can visually see the lanes and people going to them. But 2-1-2 is not necessarily clear to them. After all, they haven't seen 2-1-2 before. so when they see 2-1-1, they could just as easily assume that 2-2-1 is the best way to go. 3-1-1 can also be argued.

If they are support, they WILL NOT buy courier, nor wards. They don't know about them, or what they do. If they happen to buy wards, they won't know where to put them, and may place them in strange locations. Bad locations for wards are much more abundant than good ones.

You can probably come up with a long list of things that new players might do wrong.

At this point, someone on the team may have noticed their odd behavior and begun a volley of demands. The intention of these demands is to get the team on a good foot in the beginning. However, the commands come with baggage.


The player making these requests has probably played a few hundred games with new players. His or her patience may be waning due to losing games by noob teammates. The anonimoty of the internet makes it easier for the player to be extremely harsh. Commonly, people will be verbally abusive, or at least abbrasive.


This player sees no reason to be verbally abused, since they have only been playing for less than a minute. They assume there was little they could do wrong before the game even begins. They will become defensive and unresponsive to your criticism.



As the game progresses, they may feed, jungle, tower dive, 1v5, and perform various other ridiculous acts. Your team will likely lose because of this player. DotA 2 allows a long period of time for players to realize they've lost. This time may be entirely full of 1 to 4 people verbally abusing them. They do not know how to report players, or that the option exists.

Players will learn some things from this experience, including:

• Players have strong opinions about how their teammates should play.
  
• Abuse is an accepted part of the DotA 2 environment.

Will they learn to lane properly? Will they learn to play their hero's role? Will they learn not to autoattack? Will they learn to last hit, deny, control the creep waves? The answer is - maybe. They won't learn all of that however.

So, how would you say the teaching went? Is there something that can be improved?

This guide will demonstrate a much better way to teach noobs. It will increase your chances of winning when playing with a noob, and will increase the amount they learn. It will take the focus of their learning off of the negative experience.

The most effective steps for teaching other players are as follows:

1] Question their behavior gently.
2] Acknowledge their weaknesses compassionately.
3] Offer to help them.
4] Help them.
5] Praise them.

When you see a player doing something that doesn't make sense, it is not effective to get angry. Rather, tell the player what you notice, and ask if they know what they're doing. Players rarely take offense to this. Players that are good will reassure you, and tell you what they're doing. Players that are noobs will usually admit that they don't know what they are doing.

Some players, however, do take offense. This is inevitable, it is their choice, and you need not take it personally. They may not be teachable at this time.

The player will learn better if they feel you're on their side. To do this, say something like the following - "Yeah, when I was new to the game, I did that too." This response is very specifically planned. Let me break it down:

• "Yeah," - this simple word emphasizes your acceptance and the positive nature of what you are about to say.
  
• "When I was" - These words introduce the fact that you were once where they are. It says more than it seems. The player will recognize a bit of themself in you, and will expect that your help will aid them in becoming as good a player as you, eventually.
  
• "new to the game," This phrase removes the derogetory term "noob", which would otherwise potentially alienate the new player. Further more, you don't label them as a "new player" either. The game isn't divided into "new" and "pro" players. Everyone is learning constantly, and somewhere on a spectrum between noob, and Na'Vi Dendi. This phrase recognizes their status near the noob end of the spectrum, without implying that you know what strengths and weaknesses they bring to the game.
  
• "I did that too." - Start with "I", but then you can replace the "did that" with whatever they're doing. End with "too", again, to emphasize the similarity between yourself and the new player. This statement can be complete BS. If the player feeds constantly by tower diving whenever they spawn, say you used to do that even if you never did anything that stupid. The point is not to make the player think you're better than them. Rather, you want them to feel like you are both on the same level, but that you've learned something valuable that would benefit them. It will make them receptive to your suggestions, and even make them pay more attention to the details of what you will say afterward.

Most players are willing to accept constructive criticism, as long as it is mostly constructive. Say, "Want to know what helps players to (insert what they will do better)." For example, "Want to know what helps players to keep from feeding the other team?" This emphasizes that it is not an insult toward them, since it applies to all players. When they realize that what you are about to say applies to all players, they will be more receptive to the advice.

Don't say, "Want to know what you're doing wrong?" or "Want to know what you need to do?" Because that emphasizes the personal nature, rather than the universal nature, of playing well.

There is no need to wait for them to respond. Some players will feel strange or childish if they respond to that question. For some, it could be insulting that you are requiring them to admit that they want to play well. So don't wait for them to respond.

State succinctly and clearly what they need to do better. Try to keep from personalizing it too much. At the same time, do not avoid the fact that it is something they need to do. The whole point of making them receptive up to this point is so that they will be prepared to accept the advice you're about to give.
"Stay behind your creep wave."
"Don't go behind their towers."
"Don't chase enemy heroes behind their towers."
"Don't chase enemy heroes unless your team is with you."

It needs to be simple. The player will begin using it as a rule of thumb, so don't make it too specific to the situation that just happened. Try to help them become a better player in general.

They may succeed at getting several last hits, at taking a tower, at killing an enemy hero, or at surviving harrassment or ganks. No matter what they do well, confirm that its because of their improvement.
"Yeah, see. You're staying alive much longer, now. Good job."
"Yeah, see. You're able to dish out more damage than them if they come to you. Good job."
"Yeah, see. You get more money if you play a little more defensively. Good job."

If you continue to praise what they do well, it will become easier and easier to micro manage the new player. They will develop confidence that your advice is helping, and will become more and more responsive to your suggestions.

You will find many benefits of this method. Some benefits include:
1) You might actually win.
2) You will almost inevitably be commended by someone, if not multiple players on your team.
3) All players will become more open about what the team is doing, and teamwork will improve in general.
4) You won't have to be/feel like a jerk.
5) You won't get reported for abuse. A report for abuse that is valid, such as using harsh language, or name-calling ("You f-n noob", "You're an idiot") can make you wind up in low priority. So...
6) No low priority queuing.



Other benefits exist, some of which are really astounding if you think about them. For example, improved health. You may not think that playing video games affects your health much, but it does. Decreasing your blood pressure, reducing anxiety, and improving your self esteem by being a good mentor are all things that will improve your REAL life health.

In conlusion, using a planned and improved method for teaching new players is more effective than verbally abusing them. Its benefits make impatient, angry corrections seem really laughable in comparison. Can you do it?