Some players are using the ability to pause the game for the entire lobby.

Stop me if this is something you've heard before. You're about forty minutes into a Dota 2 ranking match. The enemy Techies wants to drag out the match as long as possible. Some comedy genius decides that the match should be paused to prolong the match just a bit. Bad manners? They'll laugh all the way down to low priority matchmaking.

This feature may be a novelty to those who have spent thousands of hours in Valve's previous MOBA. But its return in Deadlock is causing players to commit heinous psychological warfare just for fun. Take it from this streamer who took a break mid-match for some recreational gambling:

Fairly, limited pauses can be beneficial for a game played in good faith. They allow players to stop the timer if someone's internet goes down for a few seconds or to take a break and grab a drink if it gets especially long. It's a contingency that you want to have in a MOBA because matches can quickly spiral out of control when teams are not evenly matched. I remember my longest Dota 2 match was over an hour-and-a-half (I was playing for the Techies at the time, sorry). While the pause feature did not make things go faster, it allowed us to take breaks and not be glued to our keyboards.

Deadlock isn't a MOBA in the traditional sense, but it does share a competitive spirit based on teamwork. It's therefore no surprise to see pauses return. For those who are new to Valve’s competitive-friendly features, it's a brand new toy.

What I've learned through various streams is that anyone who gets excited about a pause mechanism has nothing but shenanigans in mind. Deadlock players are eager to test its limits and see how inconvenient it can be. Currently, the meta is to chain-pause right before a match begins (or just before the match ends) to maximize nuisance value.

Twitch streamer withoutPixel can be seen here bursting into laughter and declaring "mental war" against the opposing team as soon as the application of this feature becomes apparent.

If this all sounds annoying, fear not. Abuse of the feature can now be reported in-game, after a match. I don't remember ever having that option in Dota, unless you count the ability to report abuse in general. Reddit users pointed out that the feature is used as often as you would expect. This could lead to legitimate pauses not being taken seriously. Users continue to debate whether the mechanic is worth it and if its current implementation has a positive impact or not.

"Anyone can unpause, so I feel that you need to chain several together if someone crashes," wrote Reddit's psyfi66. "But I think you should only be able to pause one game per player." wrote Reddit user psyfi66. The game is a bit unstable (which you can expect in early access), so I think the pause feature is important.

It's still a tough pill to swallow for those who aren't familiar with Dota 2. However, there is a case to be made that toxic moments have a greater impact in a fast-paced game.

"Even if you friend crashes or disconnects, five seconds will not be enough time for him to return." Reddit user, marniconuke, said that if there were more seconds it would cause more abuse and be more frustrating. So at its current state, I don't understand the point. Imagine being able do this in games such as CS:GO and Valorant. Just when a team is pushing their base, you could totally throw them off. I was told that Dota players have a certain etiquette, but this game is so new that there's no respect.

If Dota's longevity is any indication, then pauses will likely be here to stay. It'll at least be funny (and not frustrating, I'm actually not frustrated by it at all).