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When is @Riot going to start encouraging players to graduate college BEFORE entering the LCS?

Makneto·10/22/2015, 4:41:05 PM·3 votes·1,892 views

I have seen several videos promoted by Riot(I'm on my phone but I'll get links later) which feature players saying things like "I'm gonna play in the LCS as long as I can, college can wait for me".

WTF?

Why does Riot advocate that players join the LCS before achieving critical milestones in their life? One of the biggest stars in the game, Bjergson, is frequently quoted talking about how he dropped out of high school.

What is Riot's opinion on an ideal career path for an LCS player? Do they want the kid right out of high school? Are college graduates considered too old? Or maybe an LCS player doesn't have the income to afford the debt assumed after higher education? I understand that player selection may fall on the individual organizations. But what guidance does Riot give?

It really pains me to see LCS players barely able to string a coherent sentence together in an interview because they have spent every waking moment playing this video game since the left high school, and possibly even before then.

Like honestly, just thinking about Dyrus. After leaving the LCS he's back to square 1. He can try to find a place in the Riot machine(but I bet Riot requires a degree for most positions), or he can stream, or he can try his hand in the regular employment market(with al the valuable skills and a sweet reference letter from Reginald).

Not trying to hate on Dyrus I love the guy. But I feel like these players end up in a bad spot after completion of their LCS career.

I would love to hear from someone at Riot! Is there anybody inside the company that is focused on career development for the players?

31 Comments

DrCyanide10/22/2015, 4:49:15 PM1 votes

See, every video I've run into basically says "I'm taking classes now while also being in the LCS". Granted, I haven't seen many videos, but those are two very opposite things.

ThePartyLeader10/22/2015, 4:56:36 PM1 votes

Yah stop letting adults make choices riot.

Live2LetDie10/22/2015, 5:00:26 PM1 votes

I know its hard to understand, especially people like us striving for a higher education(graduating next quarter), but a lot of people still don't think college is necessary. As sad as that is, especially with how easy it is to go to college now, people still don't.

I get being a pro is a one in a life time job and I agree it should be taken if offered but these pros aren't being paid millions like other sports that pick players up out of high school. Once there done if there not as successful as Q then they need to get a job.

Lugg10/22/2015, 5:01:30 PM1 votes

The money you make as a pro player will pay for your college. I would much rather put off college and be debt free on graduating.

Makneto10/22/2015, 5:14:27 PM1 votes

Streamers make far more money than LCS players, that's a known. I'm not sure how much LCS players make TBH, but almost any top streamer says they wouldn't play LCS because they make way more streaming.

Kal Vas Flam10/22/2015, 9:16:42 PM1 votes

Well I get he idea of making money while you can (most players will get slower as they age; too slow for the pro scene anyway). And it's possible some of them just don't care about college. I regret going to college turned out to be a waste of money for me. Of course they can still go after their career is over. It is possible some of them are just dumb and think they'll be pro players for the rest of their life.

I do agree with one thing though watching these guys try to build a sentence in real time is hard to watch. Maybe tune that 100 hours of gaming a week down to 90 and read a book time to time.

Mat7itan10/22/2015, 11:22:17 PM1 votes

College is optional, and it is something you can do at any point in your life. However, playing video games professionally is not something you can just decide to do later.

prozak8210/23/2015, 2:44:41 PM1 votes

you can go to college whenever the hell you want. I actually think its better to put it off a few years so you get more of a feel for what you wanna do with your life

Makneto11/29/2015, 5:33:39 PM1 votes

Wow I didn't even necro this. But the timing is perfect with everything that's going on with Quas.

I'm going to leave this here, a lot of people think it was Quas: https://web.archive.org/web/20150819020112/https://reddit.com/r/offmychest/comments/3hgkvc/lcs_player_really_frustrated_with_my_life/

Honestly, when all is said and done, these LCS players dedicate their lives to a game that they barely make a living off. What is the next step for all of these 'Riot employees' after League dies? I hope Riot is going to help them with this considering how much they have done for Riot as a company.

EDIT: and don't come at me with the 'players are contracted with individual organizations not Riot'...the environment league has created requires players to dedicate every waking moment to practice and soloq to 'be the best', and they get ridiculously low pay when compared to anything else. How many hours do you think an LCS player works per week?

Riot has a moral and ethical obligation to take care of these players after they dedicated so much to LoL.

Guyy Fieri11/29/2015, 7:56:08 PM1 votes

Many players, at least in the major organizations, have positions on teams upon retirement. Hai was named Cheif Gaming Officer I believe at Cloud9. TheOddOne and Dyrus I believe have both stayed on to be streamers and content creators for TSM. I'm not saying it's a perfect system but it helps.