The League of Legends community has reputation for being pretty “toxic.” Riot, the creators of the game, pretty much branded the term “toxic” to refer to players who leave games midway, yell at their teammates and are generally a pain to play with. People lower on the ranked ladder, like Bronze and Silvers, tend to be treated the worst. I’m Silver 1: if I don’t get called a racial epithet at least once during my day, I consider it a small victory.
Riot has tried to go to the source and remove some of the negativity in its game. Players can report teammates through an end game screen with options like “verbal abuse” and “intentionally feeding.” Punishments vary, from getting chat-restricted, which only allows you to type a few lines of dialogue per game, to permanent bans. Players with punishments can’t get honorable icons or use the new Hextech Crafting system.
Even with all these measures, League can still be a pretty hard place to be sometimes. Players bring bad days and life troubles with them onto the Rift. You have a few bad games in a row and your mindset just shifts to the negative, you tilt. The only way to avoid it is to not play and take a break, but it’s so hard not to just to try and get “one more game in.”
There are some beacons of light working hard to reform the community. One group is called the “League of Bronze Series” a group of low ELO players who created an LCS-style tournament for players in Bronze or Silver. There are 32 teams with seven to eight players apiece and around 15 staff members totaling about 250 people. Currently they are on their seventh week; keeping a tournament going that long is no easy feat.
Masu Shinagi is in charge of the whole shebang and shout casts as well. He says, “originally the concept was to host and showcase low ELO players. But after really thinking about the current low ELO problems, we decided this would be better to also help those low ELO players. Why show the problem and not attempt to fix it was our train of thought.”
They try to fix these problems by assigning each team a Platinum or Diamond coach to help players learn from their mistakes.
To deal with toxicity, the “League of Bronze Series” has set up a system that punishes BM, or bad manners, in and outside the game. Shinagi says there were a few problems at first, but now the teams police themselves pretty well. Organizers have told the teams what they expect and any issues that arise are handled swiftly and efficiently.
The players, shout casters and people watching in love having their own versions of LCS to take part in.
“Everyone has loved the idea, all the players involved and the people watching in,” Shinagi said. “On a reddit post we actually had a professional league coach comment on how he thought this was a noble and worthwhile experience.”
“League of Bronze Series” wants to grow, eventually moving to other regions, if they can find people to pick up the mantle.
Riot has no affiliation with the “League of Bronze Series;” these players do it just for the love of the game. A spokesman for Riot told IDigitalTimes the “LBS” is making players “resistant to being toxic by developing their in-game skills (getting better) and by playing in organized leagues, getting coached and learning about the mental toughness it takes to compete. This comes from an aspiration to get better and emulate their favorite eSports athletes. Riot's influence on the community through in-game systems is actually just one half of the equation.”
Toxicity in League of Legends may never be abolished; players will always have bad days. If more programs like the “League of Bronze Series” emerge, League may be able to reach a new community standard, one where players are known for helping others and working together. It may be a lofty goal, but it’s something we should aspire to. Wouldn’t you enjoy League more if Disco Nunu or Toxic Teemo were never in one of your games?
If you would like to learn more about the “League of Bronze” you can check it out here.
