I might just be getting old and unable to keep up with current trends, but I believe skins in high-level esports should be banned. Trying to figure out what’s happening in a competitive esports game can be difficult. If you aren’t acquainted with extremely high level play, everything might just look like a giant clusterfuck of pixels and colors.
Following each League of Legends champion or Overwatch hero in a teamfight can be daunting, even for the most seasoned of pros. I’ve been following the growth of esports since basement dwellers were physically connecting their massive desktops together to play Quake, so I’ve seen it all.
Here’s an idea to improve every esports viewer’s experience; from the dauntless pro all the way to the greenhorn newbie, get rid of skins.
Stop Using Skins- Last night, I was watching week two of League Of Legends’ North American LCS. I haven’t been able to keep up with all of the changes Riot Games has been throwing into their MOBA, but I still love to watch. Over the past couple of years, I’ve gone from playing four to five games of League a day to a couple a week, so my understanding of what’s meta or popular mostly comes from reddit. I’ve never had problems following what’s happening, until now.
Lee Sin, a champion that’s pretty much stayed the same since I first started, received a new Ultimate skin earlier in the summer that personified all blind monk mains. God Fist Lee Sin ascends the humble kung fu hustler to a new plain of enlightenment, one that terms him into a glowing beast of pure magic. When watching fights with Lee Sin using this skin, I had no idea what was happening. During a bot lane gank, I confused Lee’s Sonic Wave for Karma’s Inner Flame and had to rewind the fight to see what actually happened.
I understand Riot Games makes their money off selling cosmetics and that the LCS is just a glorified marketing tool, but some skins can give an unfair advantage. Take Oktoberfest Gragas as an example; the champion’s model looks slightly smaller than his regular skin, but is actually the same size for determining abilities. You could think you got away from an Explosive Keg or Body Slam only to get caught in the fat man’s blubber. Riot gets through some of these problems by banning some skins from competitive play, like iBlitzcrank, but that might still not be enough.
How does Riot expect players who can’t keep up with every release or newbies to understand what’s happening on screen? In regular sports, players can’t switch jerseys in the middle of a match. It would confuse not only the fans, but the players as well. I refuse to believe that there isn’t a single League of Legends pro who hasn’t confused a champion for something else.
Competitive Overwatch does away with skins, forcing players to use sprays or emotes to show off their individuality. When watching the APEX series or the newly minted Overwatch Contenders series from Blizzard, you know exactly what’s happening on screen. Each D.Va is bright pink and each Roadhog shirtless — there’s no way to confuse who’s who. I can show someone who’s never played the game and they’ll be able to figure out what’s happening fairly quickly. If D.Va could use her police officer skin, the different colors and sound effects might confuse, and maybe even push away, a new player.
Do you think skins are a necessity to enjoying a game or should viewer visibility trump fancy outfits? Tell us in the comments.
