I Fucking Hate League of Legends

(Trigger Warning: homophobic language)

I hate character designs that pander to an audience of straight teenage boys. I hate how complex and inaccessible the mechanics are, making it difficult for folks with less than perfect motor skills to become anything more than halfway decent. I hate the way the hugely unwelcoming game is actively antagonistic towards its players.

Most of all, I hate the hateful community surrounding League of Legends.

[redacted]: omg graves such noobs

[redacted]: fucking feeding faggots

[redacted]: fcucking uninstall

And yet, here I am, sitting in a hotel room in Shanghai, waiting to head over to a 10,000 seat stadium to watch the best players in the world play in an All-Star Tournament. I flew out from California because I love to play and watch League of Legends. Hell, I’m considering sneaking in a game right now before I hop on a bus over to the stadium.

The worst part is, I’ve felt strong disdain for the community from day one. I’ve gotten trolled, yelled at, and generally abused since I’ve started playing. And yet, I keep coming back.

[me]: hey guys, I’m sorry but i probably won’t be too good this game. i just started playing and haven’t really learned yet

[redacted]: omg gg

[all] [redacted]: we lose noob bot lane

This is not a rare occurrence.

Why the hell have I continued playing this game? How do I justify supporting, however incidentally, a game and community that treats everyone who isn’t within its target audience with disdain? Hell, how do I manage to deal with all of it personally, to mentally survive the experience of playing?

The truth is, it’s a struggle. Every time I run into a true shithead, I want to quit. I want to drop my keyboard and mouse, walk away from my computer, and never come back. The sheer amount of homophobia, sexism, and general abusive behavior is aggravating at best, and overwhelming at worst.

[redacted]: mid lane is a bitch can’t CS for shit

[all] [redacted]: gg

Here’s the thing. A few things, really.

I’ve got a strong desire to get better at League of Legends. It’s a game of immense depth, and that fascinates me. It’s not so much a desire to lord my skill over a sea of lesser skilled players, but a genuine want to understand the game’s intricacies. Perhaps it’s a bit of personal pride, but the very fact that I know there is room to improve drives a lot of my play.

That improvement also extends to the way that I’ve learned to deal with jerks on the internet. In the past, I’ve trolled. I’ve acted like a total jerk. I’ve used less than acceptable language. Being on a team where I’m dealing with folks that act like I used to reinforces just how affecting it can be. When people act like scumbags, it’s genuinely harmful. And I needed to learn to deal with them.

[redacted]: fuckign gay

[me]: Hey, could you please avoid using homophobic language? I’d greatly appreciate it, and I’m sure our teammates would as well!

[redacted]: ok

It’s amazing how well being totally reasonable and – imagine this – kind will defuse situations. There’s a sort of celebratory grim satisfaction when a troll stays silent for the rest of the match, or, even better, apologizes. It’s almost as if I’m able to improve the community one player at a time.

And I’m seeing more and more of this. The self-regulation of fans has increased greatly since I started playing, and that was only about 8 or 9 months ago. Where previously I’d get abuse on a daily basis about my skills – or lack thereof – now, players are offering advice on how to improve. Sure, advice in chat text is most often read with a certain tone of contempt, but it’s the thought that counts. Players are trying to improve their compatriots rather than simply abusing them and moving on.

[redacted]: you should try taking blue buff before red next time, it’ll help with early invades

[me]: i prefer taking red, but thanks for the tip!

Part of that is Riot’s doing. They’ve learned that there will always be shitheads, but how they’ve taken to dealing with them is fairly impressive. They now take punishments for reported players much more seriously than I’ve seen in other games. I feel comfortable clicking the “report” button knowing that I’ve done something to better the community as a whole. I know, if I run into someone who chooses to be aggressive, I can anonymously mute them, and report them, and something will be done.

Asking the opposing team to also report them is surprisingly effective. It’s almost as if players are looking for an excuse to improve their community. They don’t want to be seen as report-happy, but they’re more than willing to follow another’s lead. As for now, I’m happy to start it.

But it’s starting to spread. I’m seeing more and more League players ask more and more from their community. They’re dealing with problems with kindness, and utilizing the tools they have to encourage others to do the same.

[redacted]: fuck u

[redacted] has been muted.

[all] [teammate]: hey guys, could you report [redacted]? he’s been abusive and antagonistic all game.

[all] [me]: He really has, could you please?

[all] [opposing player]: sure

For me, though, one of the biggest changes is within the competitive scene. League of Legends is immensely fun to watch. Several of my cohorts here in Shanghai have never played the game before, but they’re picking it up, even if they’re not entirely sure what’s going on. They’re riding on the excitement that comes from a 5-on-5 brawl in the middle of the map. Even though we can’t understand the commentator’s Chinese, the reaction of the crowd is enough for them to know when a great play has happened. These are people expressing love for a great game, despite its problems.

It’s hard to not get caught up in the positivity of these moments. It swept over us, leaving us giddy when leaving the games in that special way only competitive games can.

Even since I began watching with regularity earlier this year, the commentators have put on more friendly, welcoming faces. They’ve concentrated on working with fans who don’t know much about the game without alienating those who do. These commentators are the first faces that come into mind when I think of competitive League, and their improved accessibility and friendliness sets a precedent for the community that surrounds them.

Suddenly, we’ve begun to turn one of the most notoriously awful communities into something that’s passable. Eventually, there’s a shot we can make it into what it needs to be: A welcoming, wonderful game for everyone. And, because the evolution is happening in the most popular eSport of the modern era, I’m hoping that it starts sweeping changes throughout the gaming community as a whole

[redacted]: nice job graves

[redacted]: really nice shot

[me]: thanks bud!

Things are getting better. Those who want to play without having to deal with hatred are taking over. The tolerant are taking over. They’re revealing the seedy underbelly, and the rest of the world is responding, marking a distinct shift. We won’t need to put up with the hate for long. It’s only a matter of time until I don’t totally fucking hate League of Legends.

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