Why I Am Giving Up League (Mostly.)

I don't expect most of the player base to care, so tl;dr at the end.

Let me start by saying that I've been playing League of Legends since almost the beginning. I started playing some time in early 2010, just before Caitlyn was released.

I've played this game for going on six years and it's been fun, frustrating, head-ache inducing and more. But I've lost quite a lot of respect for Riot as a company over all. I know some Reds may read this, and I hope it rings something to them. Back when the Forums were much more simple and more community-orientated, back when Rioters would frequently talk to their players about various aspects of the game and/or changes they may make to it, it was a much more fun and friendly place.

Then, eSports happened. Riot drifted away from their casual player base and focused solely on the games played by Pros and what their Sponsors had to say about game length, plays and etc. - ever since this, League of Legends has - some how - become an even more toxic place. I almost can't go a single game without seeing rage, blaming, abusing, hate speech, or feeding in a game. And this is in Plat+, where I thought it would honestly get better.

But it never does. Riot claims and provides "sheet data" that their Player Correctional Program works, but I don't think it actually does. Sure people get banned, but that doesn't stop them. They'll make more new accounts, level them up and continue to be toxic. It's a vicious cycle and there's nothing Riot can do to stop it.

Do I believe this? Yes. I've had an account permanently banned, my original account, for toxicity. I'm still a little bit on the toxic side here and there, but the sad truth to it is... it's all stemmed from League of Legends. I honestly find that I barely have fun anymore when playing League. It's not the players that I play with, it's not the games I play or the champions that get picked - it's literally League itself. It's a game that promotes toxicity more than it does sportsmanship, and that's just a fact. There is no kind of ELO/MMR/Tier punishment for being a consistently toxic player, and there is no ELO/MMR/Tier bonus for being a sportsmanlike and kind player. The ranking system is incredibly flawed which just ingrains the toxicity even further.

I honestly don't understand, how, six years later - Riot - you are still using the ELO System that was meant solely for RTS style games, because it reflects more accurately in those types of games. A MOBA that has billions of players can't rely on an ELO system that doesn't factor in things like performance, reports, bans, restrictions and etc. to really get a feel for how a player is and how they play.

For now, I'm going to take a nice, long break from League of Legends. I really do enjoy the game, I just wish I could have fun playing it without being influenced by others and their behaviour.

Sincerely, a long time and devoted League player.

tl;dr - I'm mostly quitting league, taking a long break - deciding if I really want to continue playing this game due to Riot's more recent decisions and the community's behaviour.