Riot, will there be sound proof booths in future LCS seasons?

Nah...That's just part of the game. Sure its not part of it when WE play, but its the same in any sport. Maybe you hear the crowd roar before you see the baseball player stealing the base. I'm sure there are other examples (like Seattle Seahawk's 'twelfth man'). You just gotta deal with it.

I don't think 100% sound proof booths would be ideal, the fan interaction is imho necessary when trying to make a game into a spectator sport which is how LoL has to be to be a successful (profitable) staple e-sport.

That's not to say that it isn't a problem. While I don't know if this is already the case or not but there are sound deflection screens (you can see them around drummers in a lot of bands for sound balance) that could be easily implemented to reduce the overall oppressiveness of the crowd's cheering.

Well do the players like the atmosphere? To be honest I'd be a little sad if I came to perform in front of a live audience and had to sit in a sound proof box and not hear their chants at all. Both teams hear it so it can't really be seen as a disadvantage to either of them and I really don't think the better team will suddenly loose cause a team has heard a cheer from the audience. Plus you can't quite take the audience cheering as a guaranteed dragon, I mean how awkward would it be if the crowed cheers for a fail flash(which does happen) and then TheOddOne times Dragon. haha

I read that as "soundproof boobs" and thought to myself "Those are going to be some seriously mountainous tatas."

Make glass slide up the stage when they begin playing. Could totally be done and it would mark the official start and end of the game.

It should only act like a "4th wall" for the stage, though, and still allow them to get on/off-stage for personnel and such.

On multiple occasions the players have said that they can hear the crowd whenever they start to yell/chant something (Curse vs. Col game the crowd yelled "fight!" and the players couldn't hear each other). Is it really worth it to sacrifice the competitive integrity of the LCS just so Riot can have "more fan interaction,"

This is a poor example. When the crowd is loud, **both **teams cannot hear anything. Neither team gains an advantage. Competitive integrity however can be lost during surprise plays, particularly during early games.

Ultimately though, when it comes to sound booth it needs to be a decision made by pro players. The 16 teams going to the World should vote on this and other controversial matters. It is not the say of fans, nor Riot.

Really simple, do you want this to be a spectator sport or not? If you don't, which will decrease income as spectator sports have much higher revenue on average then non-spectator sports, then you put up the glass, give them a booth, whatever. If you do want the increased enjoyment and higher revenues of an enjoyable spectator sport, then like other professional sports, you deal with the problems inherent to having a live audience.

This does not mean you allow cheating, like fans yelling specific information to the players. That should get the fan banned from all future events and perhaps even penalize the benefiting team. You also do not allow rowdiness to cause the game to be delayed or directly impaired. Indirect distractions, and even false or perhaps good information gained from a perceptive player are all apart of the live spectator experience.

Now that being the case, it may be time for fans to start to mitigate their actions if they are ruining the play of their favorite sport. Like the way chess and poker fans do not interrupt the play of their sport by being respectful of the attention and hidden nature of information required to play those sports. But that is up to the fans and the players to start a trend in that fashion, not posters on a bulletin board.

To those who seem to think this new variety of sport could perhaps improve on the way sports are held, that is faulty logic. The point of trying to make video games a sport is to make them LIKE sports. An attempt to "improve" the experience merely returns the game to it's roots, a hobby for amateurs in their quiet rooms, alone, to enjoy. Sports, have been held like they are currently, just with more technology and convenience, for thousands of years. It's pretty safe to say that they are doing it right to include an audience in many of the sports and it adds to the pressure of professional athletes to earn their pay for what is, truthfully, the playing of games by adults for money.

You want the sport to earn that money, and therefore allow professionals, you have to bring the people to watch it.

Personally i see negative to having fully soundproof booths. The players would still pumping up the crowd if they made a big play weather they heard the crowd or not.

Meh

I think sound proofing in any way would be a detriment to the sport and the experience as a whole. Thinking about my own experiences attending traditional sporting events(non esport) I have found that crowd interaction only enhances the experience. Growing up in Minnesota I grew accustomed to attending professional events in the Metrodome, a venue famous for its pretty ridiculous ambiance and found the player/spectator relationship is what makes the experience entertaining and special. The game is made for the players, while the sport is made for the fans. Fans dictate the popularity of the sport, and for the interest of the sport and Riot as a company, making fans feel like they are a part of the action should be top priority.