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I'm the 1% / Let's Talk

Razey··14 votes·5,482 views

Straight to the point. In my eyes, it is perfectly acceptable to be mean or rude on League of Legends.

"MEAN TO OTHERS.. ON THE INTERNET? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Maybe I am, but let's walk through this together.

I'm an 18 year old living on the East coast of the U.S. I have a long history of PC gaming, mostly rooting out from RTS games. In April of 2011, I made the transition to LoL after my brother had told me about it. The hardest thing for myself to learn in LoL was that you can literally be reported for anything. As a former RTS player, I've never had to follow any sort of rules when it comes to gaming. If you play the game without hacking, you're a worthy player. Never the case in LoL.

As of right now, there are currently 10 report options all in which someone can get in trouble for in League of Legends. The most popular, of course, would be verbal abuse and negative attitude. Now whenever I see a player who is raging in chat, I do one thing and one thing only. Mute them. Not hard, yet very efficient. Assuming that player who I just muted is still actively playing the game, there should be no reason to report. If he's AFK or intentionally refusing to work with the team, that's another deal. But if not, what makes him any different than your other teammates? The most popular argument I've heard for this theory is, "If I have to mute a player, it will reduce communication for the team and makes it harder to win."

Does it really? Last August, I wrote a thread on why I couldn't stand playing with chat-restriction. In almost every comment replying to me, the summoner said one of the two things.

  • "Playing with chat-restriction has really helped me in the long run."

      or

  • "You don't need chat to win games. All you need to signify what to do are pings."

Both are valid points. But they only further push my theory.

These players claimed that even if you can't message your teammates, you can still communicate and you can still win games. So why is it that we (the community) report these players with the intention of getting them in trouble?

It's my understanding that no one can take a blow to their ego. If someone says something mean to you, you remember them and report them at the end of the game. Sound familiar? Of course it does. It's what every League player lives by. Don't get me wrong, I would be right there with you assuming the punishments were humane.

This is my problem with Riot's outlook on "toxicity". Riot is trying to create a "rainbows and butterflies" style of community in an otherwise entirely reversed scenario. There is nothing wrong with wanting players to demonstrate an appropriate manner in games.. but there is everything wrong with **enforcing ** them to carry out that behavior.

The MOBA scene has been around for over a decade now. The first DotA maps were released in 2003. And before that, there was Aeon of Strife. During the past 15 years, not once has the MOBA scene ever gotten less "toxic".

So, allow me to provide the blunt reality of this situation. Here we have a competitive game with competitive players. Players work their asses off to improve at various aspects in the game. When mistakes happen, it is not unnatural to become angry at the game. What is unnatural is to hold in that anger and act like nothing ever happened.

^ and I cannot stress that point enough. But this is where the controversy lies. Is it right to hold in that anger?

The answer is yes, it will make others around you more joyful, only it will make you fucking miserable. The only thing worse than being angry at a game, is being mad at the real world because of a game.

Holding in anger is NOT healthy.

"When we hold in anger, through our marvelous and complex nervous and hormone systems, we can experience harmful effects, both physically and mentally and this can lead to compromised personal and professional relationships."

I have friends who I've met in League who I regularly talk on Skype with. In game and out of game, I've always perceived them as very respectable individuals. The other day, I had a long chat with my buddy Matt. He told me about how he smashed his keyboard into bits and even punched a hole in his wall from the built-up anger he had after one of his games. As nice as a guy that Matt is, that comment didn't surprise me as much as it should have.

To be completely honest, I feel like that is the type of environment we are getting set up for every time we log on to this game. You broke all your shit? That's cool. As long as your nice to others in game, nothing else matters.

And I'm sorry to break it to you guys, but there's no punishment for being rude to strangers in the real world. I could walk by you on the street and tell you you're terrible at everything. The cops aren't going to arrest me for it. Now if I start making death threats on your family.. sure the police will take action. Except I'm not, I'm telling you you're bad at a video game. Big difference. No one cares if you didn't mean to go 0/10, you still made the game severely less enjoyable for the other 4 players on your team. I could very well argue you're breaking rule #4 of the Summoner's Code. Where's your ban?

This is why I think its ridiculous that Riot tries to step in. In the real world, there's never going to be a grand system to defend you from this kind of behavior, so why would Riot intervene? Get out of your fantasy world.

In my opinion, no player should ever be banned for their attitude, negative or verbal abuse. There is nothing to justify that kind of punishment.

And no, this isn't a humane punishment ether. http://i.imgur.com/ssQjyDzh.png

This game will bring out the worst in players. I know that because I've experienced it first-hand. I've played thousands upon thousands games of LoL and I've seen just about everything there is to see. If I had to guess, I'd argue that about 60% of the community is "toxic". That's 6 out of the 10 players in every single game. You may not see it come out every game ("Toxic" players on the winning team are most likely content and the players on the losing team may not always care for whatever reason) but it's still there.

Bottom line, I don't prefer the community to be bad-mannered, but I believe it is necessary. A great deal of the players in this game are 18+, we need to stop acting like children. To those who aren't, if verbal abuse/negative attitude in a video game is your biggest worry, you are going to be in a world of hurt when you get older.

These are my thoughts on this topic. I did my best to write this post without offending anyone, yet still expressing my opinion. I will try to respond to all of the genuine comments on this topic, whether they agree or disagree. Any negative comments will be ignored. I had to write this post twice because I accidentally X'd out the first time. That being said, I might have left something out. Either way, thanks for reading and let me know what you dudes think.

49 Comments

ModKnightsKemplar8 votes

That's an intelligent and mature way to look at things. However, I still disagree with you. Here's why.

Riot isn't attempting to create an environment that is like other online games. They are decidedly trying to do something different. Something more akin to how people are expected to act face to face, according to the social code. You can't get away with raging and flaming in real life, so why should online game give you the ability to do it just because you have anonymity?

I think it's okay if Riot holds its players to a higher standard. There's nothing psychotic about that. It actually expects human beings to treat each other decently. That's totally fine. I'm somewhat aghast that people think it's okay to talk to each other that way. It isn't. And if you think it doesn't have real-world consequences, you are the psychotic one, my friend. There are kids on here learning that this is how to appropriately treat other people. And I agree that it isn't Riot's responsibility to teach them, but it's okay if they take that on.

I know this wasn't your point, and I'm not saying it is, but I would say to anyone who made a major stink about this, "Just don't play. That's how Riot wants it, and most of us like it." Being online isn't an excuse to be a jerk. And if that sounds childish to you, I'm sorry about whatever hellish environment you live in... Most places I've been, we're expected to be civil to each other.

Razey1 votes

Insightful answer, definitely not the type of response I was expecting. Hats off to you for that.

I have no problem with treating others decently. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing more love in game. The only problem is, it's not a realistic approach. As a said before, it's a competitive game and people are going to rage. Players will get angry over losses, teammates, champions picked, style of play, etc.

We've all been stuck in that 32-2 game where the only 2 members of your team declining the surrender vote are the duo. You're held captive in a game you don't want to be in and its frustrating.

Holding in anger like that causes terrible physiological effects. It's way better to let it out in game rather than real life. We have a simple answer to that too, one-click of a button and he's muted.

ModKnightsKemplar2 votes

Those are fair points. It is frustrating to be held captive in a game, and holding in anger is generally bad. And I will say, I agree that there are other ways to deal with offenders other than perma-bans.

My problem is when people use the game to vent their anger, perhaps about real life issues. If you get angry, your teammates aren't the people to take it out on, and learning how to deal with anger correctly and efficiently is just part of being human. Yes, we'll screw up sometimes, all of us (to different degrees), but that doesn't mean it isn't still screwing up.

Like I said, I respect your opinion. You posted a good conversation starter. Glad I could meaningfully contribute from the other side. :)

Razey1 votes

No problem. I respect your opinion equally. Thanks for the comment :)

ProfDrDeath5 votes

Here's a special cookie just for you:

F*ck off. We, the majority, don't want trash like you in the game. You just ruin the mood for everyone.

Because you can't seem to understand any other language except rudeness.

Razey1 votes

Careful with that language bud, you don't wanna get permabanned now, do you? :-)

Torm1 votes

Like you? :^)

Razey1 votes

I'm not permabanned. ^_^

AetherKingdom3 votes

"I would agree if the punishment was humane" its a fucking ban not the government waterboarding ISIS terrorists

Razey2 votes

I think you're missing the point.

An account getting permabanned is loss of all the time and money you invested into your account.

For someone like me, that's a few hundred dollars and countless hours of playing trying to try to rack up ip.

When you're 18, it's pretty hard to find a job that pays a decent amount. That's a huge setback and it's pretty extreme considering how small the issue is.

Definition of humane: having or showing compassion or benevolence.

AetherKingdom3 votes

**I think you're missing the point.

An account getting permabanned is loss of all the time and money you invested into your account.

For someone like me, that's a few hundred dollars and countless hours of playing trying to try to rack up ip.

When you're 18, it's pretty hard to find a job that pays a decent amount. That's a huge setback and it's pretty extreme considering how small the issue is.

Definition of humane: having or showing compassion or benevolence.

If you have a job and you're a cunt to everyone, you'll prob get fired. Big setback? Yes. Inhumane? no

Razey1 votes

I understand where your coming from, it just seems a little distorted to me.

I don't join League games with the intention of dragging others down. I have never joined a game with the sole purpose of ruining it for others, whether that be verbal abuse, negative attitude, or intentionally feeding.

There are things that happen in game that mentally-destroy people, ultimately leading them to saying something that don't necessarily mean.

Allow me to give you an example. Imagine you're 8 minutes into the game and your jungle runs into the top lane and gives the enemy first blood and double buffs. Happens all the time. Majority of players are going to get angry over that, right? Not only does it directly affect you by giving him a 400g lead but you're gonna have a hard lane after you factor in the level advantage and double buffs. If you call your jungle an idiot, you're going to have a report on your hands.

And I already know your argument for this, "Don't call your jungler an idiot then." The same exact argument can be composed for him feeding the enemy top laner FB + doubles.

Both players did something they didn't mean to do. Only difference is, you're punishing the player who's fault does not have a direct impact on the game.

AetherKingdom2 votes

I understand where your coming from, it just seems a little distorted to me.

I don't join League games with the intention of dragging others down. I have never joined a game with the sole purpose of ruining it for others, whether that be verbal abuse, negative attitude, or intentionally feeding.

There are things that happen in game that mentally-destroy people, ultimately leading them to saying something that don't necessarily mean.

Allow me to give you an example. Imagine you're 8 minutes into the game and your jungle runs into the top lane and gives the enemy first blood and double buffs. Happens all the time. Majority of players are going to get angry over that, right? Not only does it directly affect you by giving him a 400g lead but you're gonna have a hard lane after you factor in the level advantage and double buffs. If you call your jungle an idiot, you're going to have a report on your hands.

And I already know your argument for this, "Don't call your jungler an idiot then." The same exact argument can be composed for him feeding the enemy top laner FB + doubles.

Both players did something they didn't mean to do. Only difference is, you're punishing the player who's fault does not have a direct impact on the game.

If you get mentally destroyed in a video game you shouldn't play video games.

Razey1 votes

Maybe not the best choice in words?

  • "There are things that happen in game that kill your mood .."

Does that float your boat?

Torm2 votes

Lol you are a toxic rager and got punished, and you somehow reach the conclusion that raging does not matter at all.

Razey2 votes

It never mattered in Starcraft. Oddly enough, their community is infinitely better. Crazy right?!

MPendragon2 votes

The meta consists of having a positive attitude.

Although with that being said, having a positive attitude has absolutely zero impact on the outcome of a match.

The outcome of a match predominantly comes down to the individual skill, and ability to participate as a team - of the player's involved. Not impacted whatsoever, by the attitude or behavior of the people playing it.

People will intentionally grief and throw games, because people are being toxic towards them. Granted, they won't provide physical evidence to prove it, but they won't try as hard, and will refuse to participate as a team. They're griefing because someone used words they didn't like, and they're completely innocent for doing so, because the community justifies verbal abuse as a greater threat to the community than actual game throwing.

I've used this analogy before in the past, and I'm going to actually point out the one thing I believe is incorrect in your post. The majority of the players are not above the age of 18. The game is designed for younger audience, and I personally believe the age category is primarily 13-18.

In the working world (real life), you're going to be scolded by your supervisors or your bosses (unless you're a rich kid that doesn't need to work in the real world), and your bosses are going to tell you things that you don't enjoy hearing. If you 'report' your boss for verbal abuse, you're going to lose your job. As a matter of fact, if you don't listen or adhere to what your boss is telling you, you are going to lose your job.

In my opinion, when an individual is not playing to the best of their ability - they are being toxic. I could care less what language people are using, why? Because the vast majority of the shit that comes out of peoples' mouths is garbled English.

Riot has yet to address the issue around this point, and has the belief system that individuals must reform their behavior to fit with the meta of the game. Well the concept of the game is to achieve the goals of the organization (I.E. victory for your team). Yet the entire reason people are being 'toxic' is because other people are NOT trying to achieve the goals of the organization.

This is simply;

Game-Throwing versus Verbal Abuse.

It's extremely difficult for the average person to judge whether or not a person is intentionally throwing the game, unless they verbally announce it. That is, the only solid evidence that anyone can acquire to judge that action. The alternative is, the person is not intentionally throwing the game, and they are just unskilled, so they cannot be punished for it, unless they verbally announce that they are game-throwing.

Yet, any time an individual uses offensive language, they are susceptible to a report, because there is sufficient evidence to prove it. It's honestly the craziest one-sided argument in existence, which has more evidence to prove one side over the other, and I refuse to acknowledge it, because I know damn well that the people who are throwing the game, cannot all be doing it unintentionally, and if they are all doing it unintentionally, by the grace of God himself, should be taught how to play the game at a competitive level. You can't just go through the motions and expect to be able to teach yourself how to play a moba game. Good grief, moba gaming has the highest learning curve of any genre of game in the entire world. You need a minimum game-play time of about 5,000 hours played, to have a faint clue of what is going on. Faint clue. You aren't even mediocre yet with that much experience.

Basically until Riot acknowledges that the competitive spirit is directly linked to offensive language and verbal abuse, the issue will ONLY be resolved in the punishment of the individual that writes the 'toxic' language. The thing is, the 'toxic' language must be provoked from 'something', or an individual who is toxic for no apparent reason and has severe mental disabilities - should be removed from an online environment.

Razey2 votes

"Basically until Riot acknowledges that the competitive spirit is directly linked to offensive language and verbal abuse, the issue will ONLY be resolved in the punishment of the individual that writes the 'toxic' language. The thing is, the 'toxic' language must be provoked from 'something'..."

I couldn't have said it better myself. That comment essentially wrapped up everything I've been saying over the past 3 years. You're actually a very bright individual, MPendragon. Thank you.

Lord Dusteon2 votes

Basically until Riot acknowledges that the competitive spirit is directly linked to offensive language and verbal abuse, the issue will ONLY be resolved in the punishment of the individual that writes the 'toxic' language. The thing is, the 'toxic' language must be provoked from 'something'..."

I couldn't have said it better myself. That comment essentially wrapped up everything I've been saying over the past 3 years. You're actually a very bright individual, MPendragon. Thank you.

....What? No. The competitiveness of League comes from teamwork, personal skill, and decision making. At no point is the "competitive spirit" linked to being a douche. While yes, the game is competitive and thus (since winning is based on 5 people, not 1) somewhat frustrating for anyone matched with bad players, being toxic to those players is NOT part of the game.

Razey1 votes

Competitive spirit** IS** directly linked to offensive language and verbal abuse. I can vouch for that because it's the prime reason why my friends or myself would ever rage in the first place.

As he said in his previous comment, ".. the entire reason people are being 'toxic' is because other people are NOT trying to achieve the goals of the organization."

You may not have ever had this issue. I personally, know a great bunch of people that definitely have to manage dealing with this.

Alljoy2 votes

The responses you've gathered here is amusing, but you can have my upvote.

Honestly, I don't really care if someone's being 'toxic', verbally at the very least, so long as they play the game and get it done with.

Razey1 votes

Appreciate it, Ginnjii. I feel the same.

Thanks for the comment :)

Alljoy2 votes

I mean, naturally everyone would prefer it if people were nicer but realistically speaking we know that's never going to happen so it's much easier to keep your expectations low and abuse the mute button.

bad manner kid2 votes

Here's an analogy for you:

People who drive too fast, weave in traffic, and tail gate often cause accidents, which make the highway really painful to commute on. I'm a daily commuter and it pisses me off that I don't drive like a douche bag and yet I spend hours getting home sometimes because other people wanted to have their way.

In other words, people that abuse an unfiltered chat system to abuse teammates on an online video game ruin the environment for people playing for fun. I've been a online gamer for over 15 years, I'm all for silly trash talk and calling my teammates potatoes on occasion, but I check myself to not look like a total asshole.

I log on and que for a 5v5 team game, and I expect my teammates to try to win and have fun. What do I get?

"Why the fuck did you pick X" "God you're so fucking awful just uninstall" "Trash support I'm afk" (Or even worse they keep playing and intentionally refuse to help you in combat.)

My feelings aren't hurt, my ego isn't damaged, I just lose motivation and find it quite arduous just to finish that game, knowing my teammate(s) are all furious over something stupid.

I've played many team oriented games, and this is the first game I've seen people be so abusive and competitive to their teammates. It's a video game, people play video games to relax and have fun, if your teammates aren't good enough for your standards then climb the ladder to play with more competitive players.

Razey1 votes

A valid point. In all honesty though, I don't agree with the analogy.

"In other words, people that abuse an unfiltered chat system to abuse teammates on an online video game ruin the environment for people playing for fun."

Majority of people I know don't log on to League for the sake of making others feel bad or enjoy the game less. In the same sense, those people don't speed in traffic for the reason for pissing people off or wanting to get in a car accident.

I'm not real fond of the idea of comparing real-life to the cyber world. Just because something works in the real-world does not mean it will work online, and vice versa.

In ranked queue in Platinum, I think it's safe to say everyone wants to win. The level of competition is too high for people to be playing casually. I know this because I've tried picking champs I'm not great with, I get stomped.

In my opinion, when you have a player who is blatantly raging, you can mute and enjoy the game as usual. But when someone feeds or trolls, the numbers begin to speak. You soon start to realize you can't move out of your base without getting obliterated by the enemy 14-0 Jax. And to me, THATS when the game becomes unenjoyable.

Dreddeth2 votes

Please excuse me while I laugh uproariously at the absurd notion that walking stereotypes of the gamer subculture such as yourself be allowed to play, simply by the merit of there being a mute button.

Razey1 votes

Woah man, big words. You must be smart.

Kappa.

I'm not gonna argue with someone who has no argument. Lol.

Dreddeth2 votes

And how's the upvote to downvote ratio? Still in the negatives, I see. Plainly, it's not the minority that finds your excuses and posturing laughable.

There's really no excuse for not being polite, even in the face of the most steadfastly self-righteous G.I.F.T. proofs. In fact, it's rather cathartic to be insufferably so, particularly when confronted by people who's only recourse is apparently little more than yet another ad hominem fallacy.

Plainly, if one cannot bear the thought of being banned, then one has ample incentive to be at least civil, if they for some reason don't want to shoot for the 'Friendly' honor. If instead, one chooses to self-righteously justify their poor form, then one has no choice but to learn to enjoy being banned, because quite frankly, whether one plays to win or plays for fun, there is little point to subjecting other players to verbal abuse.

Unless, of course, one is the kind of player that needs to use such psychological manipulation as a crutch to one's confidence or skill. But even in that case, one's time would be better spent building their confidence and skill naturally, rather than preying on other players.

Furthermore, if verbal abuse is so tied to one's enjoyment of the game, then one is in violation of the Summoner's Code, and thus eligible for banning.

In fact, the only reason one can get away with it is because the laws haven't adapted to the internet yet. When one mercilessly tears someone down in the real world for roughly half an hour, that's a punishable offense, so one should really count oneself lucky that one is getting off so easily.

http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?p=29123780#29123780

MPendragon2 votes

Do not confuse casual gaming with competitive gaming. The two do not go hand-in-hand, and they are not related in any way, shape, or form.

As I mentioned in my own thread, casual gamers shouldn't be allowed to play ranked, primarily for the reason that they are playing recreationally, and they aren't playing competitively.

If you aren't trying to win, and you're playing ranked, according to the summoner's code of conduct. Rule #4: Enjoy Yourself, but not at Anyone Else's Expense

By playing casually in a ranked environment, you are enjoying yourself AT someone elses' expense. A person whom is trying to play the game competitively. A casual gamer is a detriment to this sort of match-up.

You know, I don't even want to get into the discussion of HOW people who are casual gamers end up in the same MMR / division as me. I struggle enough as it is to advance while playing to the best of my ability. Only Lord knows how people get carried to divisions they don't belong at, because I sure as hell don't know.

I shouldn't be stumped, I shouldn't be at a stalemate if I am playing the game along side people who are less skilled than I am. I should theoretically be able to get to a division alongside individuals who are equally as skilled as I am.

Razey1 votes

Another comment I agree with 100%. I'll have to check out your thread.

Thanks for the insight. =)

DrakoUnRama2 votes

Consciously or subconsciously, a bad attitude will have an effect on your playing whether you notice it or not. It's a fact, not always enough to be noticeable but it is there which gives you less, no matter how little of one of a chance that you will win which I don't understand why you would do this to yourself even and the point isn't whether it has a lasting effect on the person because I could care less what others think of my playing. I know when I fk up and when I make the right choice however to bash someone on the mistake has 0 helping effect on their gameplay other than to possibly make it worse and besides, there's no reason whatsoever to treat someone in game like they're less of a human being just because you're not face to face with them there is still a person sitting behind that keyboard regardless, unless it's a bot you're bitching at lol. I for one commend riot for allowing you to report for and taking action against a terrible and childish attitude. If you want to tell people what they did wrong and try to explain what they should have done fine, but there are ways to do so without being a douche and many times if you're calm and try to help they improve crazy right?

MPendragon2 votes

Primarily the more skilled individuals in the community do not feel the need to visit the forums. It's generally the lesser skilled individuals who are viewing the forums. Feel free to challenge this statistic. If it interests you, go around checking the ranks of the people who take the time to voice their opinion. http://www.lolsummoners.com/stats/na There it is, basically. So the original poster and myself have clearly demonstrated that we can physically play the game at a level which exceeds 85% of the player base.

So you are actually right, I do technically have to agree with you, even though I don't agree with what you are saying. The minority doesn't agree with the discussion. It's the majority of the people reading it who disagree with it. Although you probably didn't see that one coming. The entire point is the problem is primarily caused DUE to the majority of the individuals who disagree with it, BECAUSE they are unskilled.

I mean damn, did we really expect to receive any less negativity from the individuals who we were bitching about in the first place in the forums, than we did in the actual game? That's a no-brainer. Because the majority of the individuals viewing the discussion disagree with it, doesn't make it any less legitimate.

I could use the analogy that a guy has played 15 ranked matches to his account, and he is placed in Gold 4. Does that individual actually have the experience required to play the game at the Gold 4 level? When you're in the same match as him, and you're honestly wondering just how in the world this guy is even in the same division as you. He doesn't have the skill, nor the strategy, or techniques to play the game competitively at the Gold 4 level, yet he's there. Random shit happens. Shit you can't explain. So it IS possible for it to happen. As I said it isn't probable, but nothing is impossible. With that being said, the person may or may not have validity in their argument, opposed to 'just because he has a majority downvote, doesn't mean it's any less legitimate.'

You can use your big, fancy words to your hearts content. You can't argue with logic. It's actually quite hilarious that the post you quote from a Riot staff has the same 'toxicity' in it as the community is actually offended by. Yet he's praised for the matter, because his name appears in red. Riot staff has to adhere to the majority of their community, which happen to be unskilled individuals. On the other hand they also adhere to their competitive community, the highest skilled individuals. Yet they do not adhere to the middle bracket. That is; the population of people who could very well play the game at a competitive level, and compete in tournaments for cash prizes. And you honestly wonder why it is, that people become frustrated to the point where they begin raging and flaming each other.

Excluding moral ethics and moral code, and creating a video game requires an investment of time, money, and energy. Assume 90% of the community doesn't enjoy being flamed at. Well that's 90% of the community-driven revenue. If I was in charge of the development of this particular game (which I am not), I would pay more attention to where I am receiving the majority of my revenue, because i'm not an idiot.

If i'm dealing drugs (theoretically), and most of my profit comes from crack cocaine. Am I going to utilize more of my time dealing marijuana or xtc than I do with crack cocaine? No, i'm not an idiot. Neither is Riot. They're simply paying more attention to the community which drives their revenue up the highest.

Dreddeth1 votes

I'm disappointed that you'd not only persist in the ad hominem fallacies regarding my "big, fancy words," but that you would try and sneak your post by me by way of not posting it as a reply, as if vomiting tangentially relevant statistics and reiterating invalidated points would somehow become a legitimate argument so long as one has the last word. Disappointed, but not entirely surprised.

Being a good player doesn't make you a good person, the same way might doesn't make right in the real world. By extension, being a bad player doesn't make you a bad person, so I'll have none of that victim-blaming, apologist nonsense. Furthermore, it's not as if there's some choice to make, between being sporting and being good at the game. There's no incentive for verbal abuse in this game, so please, pardon me if you find my empathy lacking.

DrakoUnRama2 votes

I love how people who want to act like assholes use things completely irrelevant to their point to try and validate it. The point is there is no good reason ever to talk to someone the way most people do that get reported ever. Talking to them in that manner doesn't help them to improve thereby eventually making it better for you should you have them on your team again, it doesn't make you look good nor does it help with your own frustration much at all trust me I've done it myself before it didn't help. In the long run 1 of 2 things happen if not both you lose the match anyways to him ignoring what could be useful information you could give him and/or you get yourself closer to a ban with another report so why do it? Not to mention the whole thing of actually being a decent human being but who cares about that part eh?

MPendragon2 votes

We all live in a real world, although we play in a fantasy strategy game. If my boss was to act like an asshole towards me, be verbally abusive, and use offensive language - it damn well better make me improve at my job or else I am going to lose my job. That is REALITY. There is not a single fucking job you will ever have, where the 'toxicity' of your employer isn't going to make you improve at your position, unless you truly are retarded.

How is this similar to the match in which we are playing? Well if you do not adhere to what people are trying to tell you when they are giving you criticism and advice, you are going to lose the match. This is a contradiction to the concept of the way the game was intended to be played.

Again, I agree with you. There is no need to be verbally abusive. The fact of the matter is, the majority of the people who are reported for being verbally abusive, aren't even being verbally abusive.

"What the fuck are you doing?" = "What are you doing, Lucian?" This has the exact same meaning and the same power of words in the minds of those who use the RAP function for verbal abuse. I would know. I've seen people reported for being verbally abusive, when they hadn't even said anything. And I mean, ANYTHING. Well, before you get your panties in a bunch, answer the question. What the fuck are you doing? Because if you think your teammates are going to win the match without your participation in the team fights, you're sadly mistaken. Thus adhere to the criticism and the advice from your teammates, QUICKLY, before they result to becoming agitated and using even more offensive language.

But no, the player makes the decision that they are not going to adhere to the criticism and continue on playing the way that they are playing, which is against the organization's goals and objectives. (As I mentioned previously, against the summoner's code of conduct) They are now intentionally griefing, because they don't want to listen to the words of another individual, who seems like they are bossing them around.

We all know, two wrongs don't make a right. So it is not the verbally abusive person who is only at fault, but it will only be the verbally abusive who is reprimanded.

If your boss were to say "I need you get your work boots on, get in the truck, go to the store, and get my springs."

And you reply with "But It's not even 8:00 yet."

And your boss says "Get your fucking boots on, get in the fucking truck, and get my fucking springs."

Are you really going to test his patience at this point in time? Is the bosses attitude right? Does it really fucking matter? You are going to lose your job if you don't do what he says, so you listen the fuck up and obey. If you were to grief him because he was being a douche bag about it, well you're going to lose your job. I realize that real world logic and video game logic have differences, but you're setting yourself up for disaster if you make others believe that you don't have to be treated in that way. Or you can choose to accept to be treated like that and succeed. That's really what it boils down to.

The community will ALWAYS be verbally abusive. The moba gaming scene has been out for a decade now, and i'm telling you - hasn't got any less 'toxic'. In fact the population of the community has increased, thus so has the 'toxicity'. When you decide that you are not going to adhere to criticism or 'toxic demands', you are setting yourself up for failure. Does that honestly make you feel any better about yourself? Shit, if I took the time to learn how to play this game at a competitive level, and chose to get anal over comments that are honestly miniscule, I would never advance and I would never get anywhere.

Choice. Be a bitch about language and lose, or man the fuck up, accept it, and win.

Dreddeth2 votes

Ah, but we're not speaking of laconic disapproval of a mistake or two. We are speaking of verbal abuse, which is a punishable offense in the real world, and thus less common there than you would like us to believe. Do people swear in the real world? Certainly, and particularly if it's in reference to someone they know, from whom they expected better. Do people go off for half an hour at a time on strangers on the street? No.

You're not my boss. You're not even someone I know. You're a stranger on the street, so please pardon me for exercising my right to call the cops if you start following me around for half an hour, ranting in such a baleful, self-righteous, threatening manner as to dishonor yourself, your family, and your cow.

Furthermore, the pretense that such abuse will positively affect performance is absurd. If anything, it will simply decrease morale, and thus performance. In the real world, there's this thing called "professionalism," which is basically a series of hoops that both employer and employee have to jump through if they don't want to get sued or fired. What you've chosen to complain about, is in essence Riot's decision to enforce some semblance of professionalism.

So go ahead and try to do that in the real world. Go ahead, and try to protest against the laws which punish workplace harassment. See how far that gets you in your job.

This isn't about some conspiracy theory of political correctness gone mad, this is about people who would rather make excuses for their own unbecoming behavior than give up the petty catharsis of anonymous bullying over the internet. This is not exactly about purging every swearword from the game, having more to do with making it less likely that someone will spend the entirety of a thirty-minute game enduring threats, insults, bigotry, and lewd assertions regarding themselves and their relatives.

Udderly Adorable2 votes

I can't say that I agree with this point of thinking mainly on the point that.... It is kinda against my whole shtick to go and be mean to people. I understand if people have bad games and take it out on people but generally speaking the system is there for people who ((Quite literally)) Rage every single game, have to point someone out to target them for all points of blame and generally make the game not fun to play. I have played since season 1 and played a total over 6k games. Taken brakes here and there just to kinda come back with a breath of fresh air as I myself have got pretty angry at the game. However, it is EXTREMELY rare that I take it out on other people and I do not like to have that done to me either.

It is not hard, the rules simply are "Treat others how you would like to be treated", whenever you boil down things that is what they are. I follow this general "Rule" every day and I have never once been banned in all of the years that I have played league. You will not be punished for one or two games of bad mouthing people, it is the next 8-10 games you carry on doing it. It is unnecessary and just causes people stress and ruins the game for them. Yes, you -could- mute... the option is there. However, why should they have to sever that point of communication just because this person wants to be a flat out jerk?

As for punishment... there are warnings. Two day bans, week bans then you are hit with the perma bans. If you get banned, you should take a step back and take a long look at -why- you got banned. That is why that system is there, to make you go "Oh... wow I messed up" but generally speaking the people who are getting banned are the people who rage and they instantly go "MY ACCOUNT IS BANNED THIS IS SO STUPID WOW THIS IS DUMB OOOMMMGGG". They don't care that -they- did wrong or that -they- were the cause of their own banning.

In the end though, I guess your post just plain rubbed me the wrong way. I read through it and just kinda found myself thinking "Well, it is a valid perspective but honestly not very align with my own morals" in a much more condensed fashion of me rolling my eyes mid way through reading it. It came off to me more-so that you are a well educated person who just plain is aggravated about rules and banning whenever they are there for a reason.

"I can't stand to see players being permanently banned for their attitude. There is nothing to justify that kind of punishment. Swiped of all of the hard work and money you put into your account because of the slurs you typed online? Give me a break, that's insane. When did being mean to others online ever turn into a first world problem? And to think anyone that agrees with that punishment, you are a psychopath."

That part of your rant actually is the point of where I rolled my eyes. I am going to assume that this is your form of humor ((The psychopath part)) ... But no, with people generally now spending hours upon hours online and making friends through games/communities on the web, there must be laws/regulations put there to make sure that nothing stupid happens. What you may think is something small is something big to someone else, if people care about their hard work they wouldn't be rude to someone because they actually care about the thing they have and know they can lose it because of their own actions. Words -are- just words online. Though, words portray emotions and express feelings. It is the same as talking to someone to their face, if someone walked up to you and started screaming in your face.. how would you feel? If a police officer were standing right next to you watching not doing anything while this person is literally screaming at you, calling you racial slurs, telling you to die.. cursing your mother or family... threatening you... you wouldn't expect said police officer to step in and go, "Whoa... whoa no, you are going to spend a few hours away.." You can't just ignore something like that and ignoring it online is not easy either

Not to mention.... Read the T.O.S you agreed to them being able to do what they

Udderly Adorable2 votes

want to THEIR account since it is on THEIR servers. YOU agreed to follow the rules, so you can't really have the right to complain or say "THIS IS WRONG" whenever you agreed to it in the first place.

MPendragon2 votes

The value of anything though is what someone is willing to pay for it.

If Riot wants to sell their game as a toxic free environment, it doesn't necessarily mean that people will buy it.

And if they don't address the issue, somebody else will. Take DotA 2 for example. The 2014 International tournament received a whopping 9.9 million dollars from contributions from the community alone. Steam will NEVER ban you for toxicity. Just compare the prize pool between the two games to get an understanding of what the world outside of this community of children believe in. The 'Vast Majority' does not give a fuck, and we wonder why the skill cap is higher in the community of DotA 2 than it is in LoL?

Ali G1 votes

I 100% agree. I have never reported someone in my life for being mean, i would rather match with all good assholes then terrible nice people. But you have 2000 ranked games and are plat 5 so you prob shouldnt be talking shit.

Razey1 votes

".. so you prob shouldn't be talking shit."

Not exactly sure where I was "talking shit" but I'll let it slide.

Not ashamed of being plat 5 ether, I did drop a few divisions but I definitely wouldn't consider it a bad spot to be in.

Ali G2 votes

".. so you prob shouldn't be talking shit."

Not exactly sure where I was "talking shit" but I'll let it slide.

to get a 700 game chat ban you must have talked a little shit

Razey1 votes

That's not me. Found it on google images. LOL.

Featherztorm1 votes

Jesus 722 games?

Razey1 votes

Not me, but yes. Those are the kind of punishments I'm highly against.

There is no need for someone to be punished that heavily.

Featherztorm1 votes

Well, I'd rather take a chat restriction than a ban. I can play 722 games within 2 months, lol. I just don't ever EVER want to see 722 game chat restriction.

Razey1 votes

Well, I'd rather take a chat restriction than a ban. I can play 722 games within 2 months, lol. I just don't ever EVER want to see 722 game chat restriction.

That's like 12 games a day for 2 months.

If you have that kind of free time, that's awesome. Enjoy it. xD

Featherztorm1 votes

Can easily be done with ARAM :)

Cindikle1 votes

I can agree the punishments don't make sense. But lets not make it about expecting people to be able to take someones negative attitude.

It's not just that I have to read it. I can ignore negative people easily. I rarely have to mute someone. And I will if I really get sick of them. People who do this also clutter up the chat box. Making communicating difficult for the whole team. It also makes us less likely to listen to them when they do have something of value to say. If these people know what they're doing so well, they should be giving advice.

You put the phrase "If he's already angry, who am I to make it worse?" near the end of your post. This already is a problem. If they joining a ranked game angry then it is their own fault. Ranked is for people looking for a competitive game. If you're not bringing your best and instead are bringing your emotions into the game, you shouldn't be in a ranked match. If you can't handle a bad game, don't join. Take a break. Play another mode. Go watch Steins;Gate. Same thing if you're too tired to play properly.

If you want SR, play a normal. If you want some action go play Dom(once you get high enough MMR to not have to deal with bots it becomes a very enjoyable mode) ARAM is good once in a while too. (And very good at practicing teamfighting and understanding champions) Also note this doesn't mean go play something dumb like ADC Vel'Koz

Overall the main problem with the report system is that people don't take Ranked seriously enough. And the report system doesn't punish this. People who are overly reported in ranked matches should be suspended from ranked matches. This doesn't directly help other modes. But most of the anger is during ranked.

The rest of the problem is that there is no reward for being good. Honor system is a hollow joke. Even if you get a ribbon it doesn't mean anything. There is no reward system. Even if getting honor gave you bonus IP it would be enough.

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