Defense of the Ancients began as a fan-made mod for Warcraft III. Each team controls powerful heroes and tries to destroy the other side's Ancient, a heavily guarded structure at the far corner of the map. Heroes level up during a match, and players buy items with gold, borrowing from role-playing games. The design grew out of an earlier StarCraft custom map and was refined over many versions. The mod became a fixture at major tournaments and is widely credited as the main inspiration for the multiplayer online battle arena genre. Valve later acquired the rights and built Dota 2 from it.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.