(IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO READ THE ABSTRACT THAT I WROTE ABOUT IT.)
Have you ever gone to a sporting event with really rude fans? You’re there to have fun, but that drunk guy three rows back is hell-bent on ruining the experience. This is League of Legend’s black-eye: their community of players. I want to make it clear that I love playing League of Legends (LoL) with my friends online. Unfortunately, some of the reasons why I love the game are also the inadvertent causes of its major flaw. There are no natural filters (i.e. low skilled people are not deterred from trying the game because it is free). And emotions are elevated because of the high level of competition. This often leads to teammates fighting over game chat, blaming others, and over all rude behavior. The developer, Riot Games, continues its campaign to improve its community (The Summoner's Code and The Tribunal), but it remains an often immature and hostile environment.
League of Legends debuted in 2009 and is based on a free-to-play model so that anyone can get on and try it out. If you really like LoL and want to support Riot Games, you can throw as much money into it as you want, and if not then no big deal. I love this because it’s a win-win for the developer and gamers. However, no cost barrier means there is nothing to deter casual gamers. Now, this is not a bad thing by any means, because people should be encouraged to try new things. But, casual gamers will have a hard time with the learning curve, unless he or she is naturally skilled or has friends that are willing to teach the ins and outs.
Learning the ins and outs is crucial in League of Legends as it is also a fiercely competitive game. It has a tutorial, as well as options for AI opponents, but sooner or later you’re going to want to play with other people. The only way to get good at playing real people is by teamwork and a willingness to learn. This is where the community starts to break down. When most players start losing, they just give up the fight and harass the weak player instead of trying to explain what that person did wrong.
I really like the game and I’m sure I’ll blog about it in the future. However, dealing with the community has a huge psychological toll. So if you feel like I do, make sure you try and teach others when they fail. Also make sure to report players with bad behavior as that is the only way to kill a troll.
BTW, if you'd like to join me and my friends my tag is rstrojan.
Have you ever gone to a sporting event with really rude fans? You’re there to have fun, but that drunk guy three rows back is hell-bent on ruining the experience. This is League of Legend’s black-eye: their community of players. I want to make it clear that I love playing League of Legends (LoL) with my friends online. Unfortunately, some of the reasons why I love the game are also the inadvertent causes of its major flaw. There are no natural filters (i.e. low skilled people are not deterred from trying the game because it is free). And emotions are elevated because of the high level of competition. This often leads to teammates fighting over game chat, blaming others, and over all rude behavior. The developer, Riot Games, continues its campaign to improve its community (The Summoner's Code and The Tribunal), but it remains an often immature and hostile environment.
League of Legends debuted in 2009 and is based on a free-to-play model so that anyone can get on and try it out. If you really like LoL and want to support Riot Games, you can throw as much money into it as you want, and if not then no big deal. I love this because it’s a win-win for the developer and gamers. However, no cost barrier means there is nothing to deter casual gamers. Now, this is not a bad thing by any means, because people should be encouraged to try new things. But, casual gamers will have a hard time with the learning curve, unless he or she is naturally skilled or has friends that are willing to teach the ins and outs.
Learning the ins and outs is crucial in League of Legends as it is also a fiercely competitive game. It has a tutorial, as well as options for AI opponents, but sooner or later you’re going to want to play with other people. The only way to get good at playing real people is by teamwork and a willingness to learn. This is where the community starts to break down. When most players start losing, they just give up the fight and harass the weak player instead of trying to explain what that person did wrong.
I really like the game and I’m sure I’ll blog about it in the future. However, dealing with the community has a huge psychological toll. So if you feel like I do, make sure you try and teach others when they fail. Also make sure to report players with bad behavior as that is the only way to kill a troll.
BTW, if you'd like to join me and my friends my tag is rstrojan.
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