Can champion design cause player toxicity?

SaltyToplaneGoat··1 votes·747 views

This questions keeps popping up in my mind more and more now that I stumbled about it while writing something else.

And I'm not just talking about players that already have a toxic mindset. Those usually gather around the current "free ELO/FotM" champions, thinking they get easy wins, get stomped hard because an OP champ is actually not OP when you can't play him mostly and get super rage-y. No, I'm talking about a champion design that actually MAKES people toxic.

In more than four years of league now, I have seen many champions be strong, or weak, be dominant, or outclassed. Usually the toxic FotM crow moves along with the champs that are currently strong, but some champions seem to have a permanent playerbase of toxic players. And since the only thing they have in common is that they are playing the same champ, so it might have to do something with that after all.

And if it does, shouldn't Riot try to rework those champions first? After all, they seemingly do EVERYTHING to battle toxic behavior, even it that means totally ruining Solo-Ranked. Because nothing prevents toxicity more than being flamed down by a group of four premades, AMIRITE?

Vayne Fiora MasterYi Tryndamere Rengar Fizz

Those are the five from my personal, subjective experience, when I try to look back at the last years and not just at the recent months.

But what's even more interesting... couldn't there also be champion design that could encourage positive behavior? I mean, I have yet to meet a toxic Nami player- or rather, meet a constant flow of toxic nami players. They're usually so nice (But so, so, so scary when they snap. They share that with the Raka-Players. I guess when you literally kill yourself to keep your team alive and they still blame you, that's not good for one's nerves...). But is that even possible beyond support-champions?

So many questions... and so little brain capacity to answer them because it is 5:30 AM here. Boards, take over please, maybe your deprived hive mind can find answers to these questions...

EDIT: Fizz added to list.

17 Comments

JafarThePanda2 votes

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EndlessSorcerer2 votes

I'd say that it is more along the lines of certain champions attracting toxic players.

Generally, these players are the ones who think the ability to 1v1 is the only indication of a champion's strength and who think KDA is the only measure of performance.

Erockandroll1 votes

I know someone like Draven needs kills to cash in his Adoration stacks. So they get more pissy than usual about KSing, (even accidentally.)

Then there's anyone who is feast or famine.

SaltyToplaneGoat1 votes

Well, strangely most Draven players I met are rather chill tho. Not sure if it's the high skillcap, but many of them are like "well, let's just gather MORE stacks then and make even more cash with the next kill" and barely bother with an accidental KS.

Erockandroll1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kyoki Shinkuro,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=KVp5AwGB,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2016-04-25T03:32:51.307+0000)

Well, strangely most Draven players I met are rather chill tho. Not sure if it's the high skillcap, but many of them are like "well, let's just gather MORE stacks then and make even more cash with the next kill" and barely bother with an accidental KS.

Must be my ELO. Seems like no one can CS in my games, so the ADC's get super anxious about kills to compensate. And unfortunately, this usually means my teamates are always chasing for kills, leaving me to provide lane control. (As the support.)

KVbqbFsC8e1 votes

I would imagine so, just because certain champions are inherently frustrating to play against.

SaltyToplaneGoat1 votes

That would be taking it one step further actually.

The thread is about the players playing with the champ, not against it. Usually Champions that cause frustration to such high levels are known as "unhealthy to the game", Yorick is a fine example. If he wasn't so extremly nerfed, there would be tons of complaint threads on the boards every day...

HEAljvLykd1 votes

No. Players being assholes cause player toxicity.

SaltyToplaneGoat1 votes

That is usually just triggering an initial feedback reaction.

If I punch a random dude in the face and he punches me back, that's not because I made him toxic, it was just an intermediate reaction. If he would go aroudn punching random people too, then I mad ehim toxic.

But usually it's more like this: Player A is toxic to an obscene degree. Player B decides that player A deserves no win and goes afk or even leaves, even if B is almost never toxic in any way. That's not causing toxicity, that's usually just a logical reaction.

The Deckowner1 votes

Every fizz main are troll and toxic, they think they are very good at this game but they are playing a champ with no mechanic.

same for master yi, tryn, etc.

SaltyToplaneGoat1 votes

Ah Fizz... yeah, I added him to the list.

It's facinatingly always the point&click champions that are barely mechanic intensive, right? Maybe these champions are just too easy for how strong they are? That'd be my first thought from that...

The Deckowner1 votes

A yi kills me

YI:/all get rekt outplayed I:/all wow you pressed r, flashed, and then right clicked on me! HOLY SHIT such intense mechanic what a outplay how did you even do that! Yi:/all fuck u

Verxint1 votes

My guess has always been that deep down, they know they're on a champion that could have played it out if they were better at the game.

But they're impatient and want to get fed easily.

DarkLarvitar1 votes

yea for people who play fed or starve champs have big egos its part of the kit either you play like a God or just god aweful

SaltyToplaneGoat1 votes

Shouldn't it make more sense to tune that aspect down a little for an overall less toxic game?

Personally I wouldn't miss a single of those hardcore-snowball champs.

NuclearSmoothie1 votes

Everytime there is a Nasus who ends up getting really farmed you can always expect hearing comments like this: "GG TOP" "Thanks for losing us the game top" "wow, you let Nasus farm, idiot top"

I don't know. I still think it's players that cause toxicity mostly, but some champions kits frustrate players and make it worse I guess.

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