Pursuing higher MMR in DotA 2 is worth it. It is not a waste of time or energy.

Gaining MMR is not an addiction, or a bad thing, in the slightest.

It’s the cure.

Failing to gain MMR, however, is the problem. Not having it, or having too little of it, is the problem. Not having high enough MMR, if you really care about DotA at all, is a problem. And it has nothing to do with the quality of your games. You get balanced high quality games in unranked, provided you have maximum behavior score and communication score.

The endless pursuit of it, however, without ever attaining any of it, is what could be considered a total waste of time and energy.

That is, if you’re gaining MMR, you’re on the right track. Keep going. Yes, it’s worth it.

But if you’re spending all your time and energy trying to gain MMR, and failing at it, that’s what’s a total waste of time, energy, and life. Like the pursuit of any goal that is unattainable, as in impossible to attain, ever.

That does not necessarily mean you should think small, settle for less, or lower your standards. That doesn’t mean give up on your dreams and goals, because they’re unattainable, and too hard to get.

But I just wanted to clarify, that if it were possible for you to gain MMR in DotA 2, and you went all in, and you gave it your all, and you gave it all your time and energy, even if for years, that it’ll still be totally and absolutely worth it, and it’s not because it is addictive. It’s because it is worthy of attaining. Worthy of having. It is simply, worth it. It means serotonin. More Serotonin and Dopamine all the time, regardless.

Your placement in the competence and dominance hierarchy affects your serotonin levels.

It is not like chasing pleasure that is fleeting. That is what you get from winning in unranked. It doesn’t last.

But gaining MMR, and staying high MMR, is permanent. Long-term positive effect on your mental health and well-being.

It is like getting promoted in your company, as opposed to getting a raise.

It does not ruin your life. It fixes it.

It has nothing to do with winning. It has nothing to do with addiction. It has nothing to do with empty meaningless pleasure that changes nothing. It means better mental health, and neurological functioning. Especially executive functioning. Psychological well-being, mental well-being, emotional well-being, everything gets fixed.

Simply because it means, you’re better.