Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a mobile [MOBA](/glossary/moba) (a genre of team games in which players control heroes and work together to destroy the opponent's base). The game was created for smartphones and tablets: the controls are built around the touchscreen, and matches are noticeably shorter than in classic PC games of the genre. The name is shortened in different ways: in the Russian-speaking community people say "Mobile Legends" (in Russian), "Mobile Legends" (transliterated), "ML," and in the abbreviation accepted worldwide, MLBB.
How a match works
The main mode is five players against five. Each team has a base, and lanes run between the bases, along which waves of bot minions march toward the enemy structures. The goal is to push along the lanes, destroy towers and, in the end, destroy the opponent's main structure. Besides the lanes, the map has a jungle area with neutral monsters: for killing them the team gets gold and buffs. Gold is spent on items that make a hero stronger.
Each hero has a set of abilities, and heroes have classic roles familiar from other games of the genre: tank, marksman, mage, fighter, assassin, support. The process in which teams take turns picking and banning heroes before the match starts is called the draft — in ranked games this is a separate stage where half of the outcome is often decided.
How people play
The controls are built around a virtual joystick on the left and ability buttons on the right. Aiming and casting skills require finger precision, so at a high level reaction speed and coordination matter no less than knowledge of the map. Experienced players watch the minimap (a small map in the corner of the screen showing the positions of allies and known enemies) in order to arrive in time to help or to avoid an ambush.
A typical situation: the team notices that the enemy jungler has gone to another part of the map, and takes the neutral boss. Such decisions about map control and timings are more important than flashy solo plays, although those are valued too.
Esports
The game has taken a prominent place in mobile esports: tournaments of various levels are held for it — from amateur to major international ones, with teams from different countries. Matches are played in series (Bo3, Bo5 — a series to two or three wins respectively), and viewers follow broadcasts with commentators and draft analysis. The game is especially popular in Southeast Asian countries, where mobile gaming is more widespread than PC gaming.
For a viewer, getting into the game is easy: it is enough to understand that the goal is the opponent's base, and that hero roles determine who is doing what on the map. For a player, it is a discipline in which mobile controls impose their own demands on speed and precision.