What does MOBA really mean and what characterizes games that belong to that genre?
I've lately heard the term Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) used as a video game genre. The Wikipedia entry redirects to the "Defense of the Ancients" genre, hinting that this is used exclusively to describe DotA-like games (e.g. creeps, lanes, heroes, towers etc. etc.)
However, I've also seen this term used to describe games that deviate further away from DotA (in my opinion) such as Monday Night Combat or Bloodline Champions (here's one source, though I've seen other places where these games are mentioned as MOBAs).
So, what exactly does MOBA mean? What are the characteristics of MOBA games?
Solution 1:
There is not a clear definition of MOBA out there, so let's define it.
MOBA is a genre definition for multi-player games where not only two parties struggle for resources or attack/defend, but each party/person is against all others in a confined space, therefore the term arena.
Battle arenas in real terms had a pre-defined resource collection: Multiple entry points for opponents, and spread out in the arena, weapons and shields.
Loosely defined, one can see it as a mixture of RTS/RPG and Free-for-all deathmatch, the emphasis is in some games on the former part (DoTA-type games) and in others on the latter (Monday Night Combat).
Solution 2:
A MOBA will usually have the following:
Creeps: AI that you get "money" for killing
Heroes: Playable characters that have something that makes them different from other Heroes
Ancient: A "base" that each team has one of and the objective is to kill your opponents'
Resources: Upgrades and consumables bought from the "money" earned from killing creeps
Limited amount of Arenas: Games do not stress map knowledge, but instead resource usage
With that said, the term MOBA is a bit like saying MMO. The acronym is very general but has a specific connotation. Multiplayer Online Battle Arena could mean just about any online shooter, but it really doesn't. They are games that involve high amounts of strategy and team work over "thumb skill." There can be some deviation over where the strategy lies, like between DotA 2 and Monday Night Combat. DotA is all about resources, you have very little control over your Hero's movement. You tell him/her where to go and what creep to whack. You spend more time looking at your inventory, store, and cool downs. Monday Night Combat seems to be (never played it) more about character movement with power ups being second. Bloodline Champions (again never played it so I could be wrong) seems to a third person shooter with a MOBA feel, but not truly a MOBA.
Games like Quake and TF2 (since you mentioned them) is all about "thumb skill" and map knowledge. The faster reaction times you have, knowledge of "rat lanes" (paths everyone takes), and the skill of knowing where people's heads will be the better you would do at regular shooters.