First MOBA Games - Aeon of Strife from StarCraft
MOBA games harken all the way back to the days of the original StarCraft , when the custom map Aeon of Strife was created. This map streamlined the traditional real time strategy paradigm by placing the opposing bases under the control of the AI -- each base spawned minions to attack the other down predictable, preset paths called "lanes". Allied with each of these two AI-controlled bases were two opposing teams of players, with each player in command of a single, powerful hero unit (or "champion"). Without the intercession of the players, the two bases would fight to a standstill, neither making any headway towards the other. Aeon of Strife , however, was subject to the limitations of the StarCraft map editor, and as a result, didn't possess enough intricacy to hold the lasting attention of a hardcore playerbase. As a result, the MOBA genre didn't truly begin to blossom until the birth