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The Problem of Smurf accounts and banned players

LefishWhatSwims·7/5/2019, 1:29:30 AM·2 votes·3,662 views

So I think that there's an issue we all need to just stop avoiding and actually address.

Smurf accounts.

I get why they exist, I do. Riot is never going to prevent people from creating accounts and logging on. But the thing is that Smurf accounts start from the bottom of the rankings, along with actual new players. A large number of smurf accounts are created by players who have received bans or suspensions.

What this means is that new players are being metaphorically drowned in toxicity from these smurf accounts, which drives most of them away. I don't know about anyone else, but my first few weeks playing this game I legit could not stand playing in public games because of how terrible everyone I met was. I only ever played with friends until I got used to just muting everyone at the start of the game.

And that's not a solution, by the way, that's only creating another problem in order to try and nullify the first. Rendering all players incapable of sending messages, the way that some Moba's do, doesn't help anything, because it then removes the opportunity to communicate important things in game, like maybe explaining to a player who's struggling that his item build isn't going to help him, and that he'd be better off selling and rebuying the right gear.

Now I also understand how some smurf accounts are people just making new accounts for no reason other than because they can, and that's also a problem, albeit not as bad as the banned or otherwise toxic players being sent down to hurt the newbies.

With smurf accounts, new players have to fight against players who know exactly what they're doing, and the smurfs have to play with players who have no inkling of how to play. The mismatch that results always ends in one side having a very bad game.

I don't mind losing, but I hate when I don't even get a chance to play, and sometimes that's exactly what happens to you when your playing with someone who's obviously skilled at the game, playing in a match with a those who don't, You feel useless and very little of what you do has an impact on the match.

We wouldn't let a 40 year old play dodgeball against kindergarteners, we shouldn't let smurf accounts play against or with new players.

I don't know what the actual solution to the problem is, and I get that some of you are going to trash me for even thinking of this as a problem. Well it is a problem, it needs addressed, and frankly it's been sitting too damn long not to get the attention it requires. So shame on you for ignoring the elephant.

31 Comments

sentosa7/5/2019, 4:10:25 AM1 votes

IMO every account should have a general MMR, not just a ranked one. So if you're level 6 and going 100/0 because you're an ex-challenger smurf, you'll be playing with higher level people than just level 4-10s (in normals too).

The Kombinator7/5/2019, 10:29:26 AM1 votes

There are multiple reasons to play smurfs, and only two of them could be solved easily from RIOT side. Hard solutions would be difficult to be done.

  1. Account banned, or got a punishment, that you simply aren't willing to play. My old toxic friend got a 700. Yep that's right. 700 match chat ban. Guess what. He made new account. It took him like a month to get up into plat, and 2 to reach diamond. I'm pretty damn sure, that it wasn't 700 match.

  2. He wants to play ranked with low level friend. Maybe just friendly help. Or maybe boosting for money. Yes some players actually willing to PAY so that their account gets higher rank.

  3. They are sadists.

  4. Moving to another server, and refusing to pay for account transfer. Either, because don't have money, or not sure, if they permanently move. Or might even play with both account frequently.

Solutions:

  1. This is gona be unpopular, but it's a solution. Remove all punishment, and erase punishments for being toxic. If someone toxic, then you can mute him in like 2 seconds. This would reduce the number of banned accounts, and the smurfs with them.

  2. Erase rank dependent rewards. This isn't a full solution, but at least part of the boosters would abandon it. After all. What's the point of having a rank higher than i deserve?

  3. Can't help on this one without person check. Probably the easiest would be making the account creation payed, and you can't have multiple accounts for the same bank account, or credit card. The cost of a new account would be minimal. Like 0,1$+transaction cost. It would only exist to check, that your bank account/credit card is real. It wouldn't erase smurfs, but GREATLY reduce their numbers.

  4. Ability to link account. The good news is, that less smurfs, because one more reason erased. The bad news, that no one would transfer which is profit loss to RIOT.

Wamboen2/12/2020, 7:06:15 PM1 votes

So this is one of the bigger threads i found about smurfing and i need to have a take on it cause im just sad about how it goes and i need to cry somewhere. I can remember back in the days when people said "only 3% are daimond or higher so chances are small u get a smurf in your game" ok but if you are a platin+ player these are also just 7%, so acutally out of this 7% are only 4% in your elo and we all know how it is with this matchmaking, if u are just winning a few games in a row in your placements on a new account, you will be placed silver maybe with a platinum mmr. The last 2 days playing some league there where like 3-4 games with a smurf on it (one was acutally a bad smurf). Even if the smurf is in your team and shaft the whole enemy team you feel like you dont deserved this at all and that this win is just pure luck cause he also could be with the enemys, so actually i dont get the point with the ranked system anymore and how riot doesnt care at all about this. If riot is able to make toxic people get handled by computer systems, why arent they on making something like a smurf detecter? I feel like enjoying the game less day by day i need to play against or with higher elos...

ModPeriscope2/13/2020, 4:26:28 AM1 votes

What is dead may never die...is something no one ever said about old threads. Since this thread's been White Walker'd, I'm locking it (due to it's old age).

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