Pro League would be better and resemble traditional sports more if there weren't separate comms

i cant move wtf·Dec 18, 2018·1 votes·1,503 views

This is going to come off extremely unintuitive for long-time League players but imagine if the standard in pro play was joint comms between opposing teams. Think about any traditional sport and you see why this would be a potentially valuable addition to the game. Sports players aren't running around with microphones and earbuds in their ears to hide their strategies. Instead they use the age-old human tradition of a codified language.

So what benefits would this realistically have for the pro scene? For one it makes it so comms can actually be shared with spectators, just like in real sports. if players are worried about the privacy of their strategies they can simply put more resources into codifying their communications more rigorously. The game would then have the added dimension of the real time intimacy of each team's dynamic.

And I think the hypest addition of all would be the dynamic between both teams. Imagine friendly banter and trash talk in real time. This would not be trivial content. Real player and team rivalries would come alive and take on a new significance.

I don't think Riot would ever add this because I honestly don't think they have the vision, but more importantly the balls, to take the game to that level. I think a good portion of the current pro scene would drop out due to the added pressure this change would apply, but I think it would incentivize players like Doublelift, Uzi and Dardoch who enjoy banter and flexing on opponents to excel and really shine as personalities as much as players.

I think it's safe to say Pro League would almost never be boring after a change like this. There would be significantly less snooze-fests. It kind of adds the best parts of the pro scene (top gameplay) with the best parts of streaming (good banter). Player personality could become a more significant asset with real consequences in-game rather than just a nice addition that makes you like a player more in interviews.

7 Comments

GeminiRuneDec 18, 20181 votes

That's a ridiculous idea; I'm just going to outright state that. You said it already, traditional sports use body language to depict their plays. But do you yourself even know what every manner of body language stands for when calling for a play? Does anyone know aside from the team at hand and a few sports analysts that catch the tendencies know what everyone gestures? If you can say that then my god you're a wizard of sorts...but what you're pitching is only going to saturate the scene with drama and controversy than what already happens and that's not fun. Hell I could just get with 4 of my friends and play focused to win a game in League and boom that's more than likely how it sounds on a competitive stage.
PLEASE explain to me why League eSports specifically should be treated like traditional sports and literally....no other eSport? I might be exaggerating here. It's just tilting.

i cant move wtfDec 19, 20181 votes

Don't get tilted over a forum post. League doesn't have to be treated like anything, ultimately Riot will do what they want with it. But I think besides adding a new dimension to the game confrontation is inherently entertaining. That's why pro wrestling exists. The pro league scene tends to be a bit sterile and I think a change like this would significantly liven it up, for the benefit of spectators.

GeminiRuneDec 19, 20181 votes

If that's the case, why propose something that would devalue the novelty of the brand? Many posters of the past would pitch their belief to liven up the scene because they as a spectator don't like it how it is. But get real for a moment.

The idea of having everything spoken by the pros loud and clear to the audience is ludicrous. Just thinking one variable: what good would it be to listen to silent coms when losing? Are you expecting backlash and attitude to come out? And in League's case, imitation is quite relevant. What would you as the spectator absorb from it aside from satisfaction?

Better yet, let's go with a favorite I ask myself. Would you like to be in that position; where everything you say at any point is out there on blast for the public?

Just saying. In no way would I enjoy having to hear comms full time. I rather leave it to Mic Checks and Showmatches tyvm

i cant move wtfDec 19, 20181 votes

It would be easy to make it optional for spectators to listen to the comms or not. Just cast the comm stream to a different channel. So that's not a significant critique.

Better yet, let's go with a favorite I ask myself. Would you like to be in that position; where everything you say at any point is out there on blast for the public?

This isn't an accurate way to look at it. Both of our preferences have little to do with the spectator's perspective. I personally wouldn't want to fight in the UFC octagon but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good fight. I wouldn't want to pick up people's garbage every week but I enjoy that others are willing to. That's not to say there isn't a line anywhere. Most spectators, myself included, wouldn't want rules that promote an excessive risk of bodily harm to the participants. A change like the one I'm suggesting has no physical consequences at all. It only adds more mental/social pressure and an extra dimension to the game. Would some of the current pro players not be able to withstand this added pressure? Of course. Not everyone can be a construction worker or a pro baseball player either. A different kind of player would be selected for, namely ones that both play the game well and handle these pressures optimally.

GeminiRuneDec 21, 20181 votes

You're not speaking for a mass. That's where I can put this discussion to a close.

i cant move wtfDec 23, 20181 votes

Unfortunately for this last argument of yours, an idea's popularity isn't an accurate estimate of its merit.

GeminiRuneDec 23, 20181 votes

It's not intended to be an argument. If you're not willing to see the transparency and variables in your own idea, then how can anyone jump on board with it? Yes people can have opinions. But if the reasoning behind changes is warranted by the matter of boredom, then to me that's an idea that will draw disapproval to the media in which you express.

I thought about your idea and I gave you my reasoning as to why it is a bad one or just outright unnecessary. Everyone, you and myself included, want to be successful at some craft. If I were an esports player I would rather not have everything I say and inevitably do put on blast all for some "pressure" game. It's pressure enough for League pros to play on the stage and prove they are deserving to be up there. Or do the tears and agony of defeat on their faces not show enough of this "pressure" you want players to feel?

Remove Worlds from the equation and rewind back to LPL Spring at the least when IG Rookie shed tears in total meltdown mode on stage for the failure of IG advancing after the kickass split the team had. While you could also feel out Summer too despite the focus being all on RNG's win, it's only as much of a wonder. Take the process you pitched and add it there. Do you seriously think Rookie would have wanted his in-game talk to stack on top of the weight and criticism that accrued anyway through the Weibo and other media boards? Defeat already sucks enough for competitive players. Why make it worse for a culture you want to match with another widely different cultural universe?

Or more importantly, why encourage community disconnection if the pro can't handle it? This is a whole different discussion though...

But hey...since you never answered to how you would interpret it if you were in that situation of your incorporated idea; that just makes the entire concept pretty moot.