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Why do I feel like Riot's punishment system is like a dictatorship?

Sr0·1/3/2018, 12:41:26 PM·6 votes·1,404 views

One of my buddies got permabanned today and to be honest I was really surprised he did. The worst part of this is the fact that this ban was automated which I find absolutely ridiculous given the fact that he has spent at least 500$ on this game. I've played dozens of competitive online video games which all have punishment systems but oh man Leauge of Legends has by far the most harsh one of all. It kind of makes me second guess everything I say now in chat because I could be it's next victim. It's not a comforting feeling to say the least.

I just don't understand why this is the case. Like is it working? Is harshness good? Well from what I see it's not working. League's overall game play toxicity is just as bad if not worse than any other online game I have encountered. So basically what can be drawn from this (from my experience) is that League is permanently banning accounts left and right via some sort of cold, flawed algorithm in the hopes of 'cleansing the toxicity from League' which I find rather silly and childish. Riot you are only chasing a pipe dream.

Let me explain. The online gaming community as a whole, especially competitive ones like League all undoubtedly share one thing in common. All of these games have trash talk and verbal abuse. I dare you to name me one online competitive video game that does not have these kinds of negative traits. It is the fundamental nature of online games to include trash talk. So any radical attempt such as Riot's punishment system will never work in stopping this. It will only make the issue ever so slightly better. But honestly it's just not worth it.

Riot your game has a thing called a mute button. Why don't talk about this function more? You realize that if everyone was aware and knew how to use this button it would solve the vast majority of cases involving 'toxicity'? In other words, if you get offended by words on a screen of a video game that's your problem. Just mute them then the problem will be solved. Now for the cases of INTing and afking/leaving these are entirely separate problems which cannot be fixed by the player. These, which aren't even comparable to toxicity, are worthy of bans because this directly affects gameplay in which the player cannot fix.

But harsh punishments for a little trash talk? Comon Riot, you are falling into the trap of trying to censor everything negative, and 'offensive' just like what YouTube is doing, and if we the players don't perfectly follow your rules of not causing the subjective definition of toxicity laid out in the summoners code then we will be banned with little to no hope of ever getting our account back. Does this sound right? Does this not sound like some sort of dictatorship?

Just as a reminder, people don't log into online competitive video games for counseling, instead they log into this game for fun. And a little trash talk here and there is part of this and every other video game like this one. Who cares though, we have a mute button for a reason if you can't handle it then use it. Riot if you want to help out this issue how about you issue long term chat bans instead of account wide permabans? I think this would directly resolve the issue of toxicity at a much more fair and humane manner than what you are currently doing.

42 Comments

Salron1/3/2018, 3:17:28 PM7 votes

{quoted}

I find absolutely ridiculous given the fact that he has spent at least 500$ on this game.

Stopped reading here

Money spent means shit

Timethief491/3/2018, 12:50:44 PM4 votes

Little trash talk is ok, you also dont get banned for trashtalk. You get multiple chances to reform. If you dont take them thats your problem.

Mr Zeroxs1/3/2018, 12:49:03 PM4 votes

Honestly I think Riot's ban system is reasonable to some extent - I believe that a player should be given a warning first however and even then let the ban be able to be appealed. I know of a few people (including myself) that got perma-banned for no reason at all. My old account was Level 24 and I was really excited to play ranked, but then after a streak of 3 or 4 decent games, Riot perma-banned me for scripting (which I will say I never have done before and I'll stand by that.), so my decision was to contact the player support about the issue. They told me that they could tell I was scripting (which I wasn't) and told me that all bans are final. They wouldn't even tell me what they thought I was using... So yes, while it can be harsh as of now. If Riot's bans were able to be appealed and reviewed, this would all be justifiable. But to go as far as comparing Riot to a dictatorship is (in my opinion) a bad use of the word.

NotSid1/3/2018, 3:08:56 PM4 votes

Real answer: Because you have no fucking idea what an actual dictatorship is. If you really knew what it was, chances are you wouldn't even be able to play video games.

This generation is getting so entitled..

Sr01/4/2018, 12:51:29 AM2 votes

And I'm not even talking about being racist or a homophobe, don't insert these terms into the post it wasn't even part of it.

Chican01/4/2018, 12:03:40 AM2 votes

so basically. everyone that comments that this post is not rational is an idiot.

there has been games played and created before we were all born. in every game/sport trash talk exists. The fact that lebron talks shit to every player almost every game and it is recorded for a LIVE AUDIENCE to view doesnt affect me what so ever. And league games arent even broadcasted widely.

There fore trash talk only affects weak minded people.

If you can not handle what someone says to you you are not mature. If you get offended by someone talking shit to you, you are not mature. If you cry and complain for reports because someone says something you dont like you are not mature.

I DARE ANY RIOT EMPLOYEE TO RESPOND

Riot is basically the FCC trying to regulate real life. The word cancer was never used like it is now before league was invented. Toxic was never used before league was invented as a mainstream word.

Trying to counsel players that are offended by nuances of other players is a horrendous way to create a gaming community.

The biggest point i can make to any rioter that dares come onto this thread to be blasted, If there are so many people banned to relieve "toxicity" why is it in fact worse in the current state of the game?" please spare me bullshit

Nut on my Butt1/3/2018, 12:53:37 PM1 votes

Yeah, one of my friends got hit with an instant 2 week ban for saying f*g once in a game jokingly to a friend. Someone on the team reported him for it, and boom he lost all his ranked rewards he worked hard for his first season hitting gold :c

There was no warning, no chat restrictions, just instant suspension

Enselus1/3/2018, 10:02:23 PM1 votes

It's because there were/are so many pussies who refuse/d to use the mute button and cried so much that riot had to make a safe space for them. "Trigger words" and all that shit.

Literally the only times I have ever been annoyed/triggered by "tock sick" chat are when I'm chat restricted and can't talk shit back.

Bael the Riser1/6/2018, 3:09:43 AM1 votes

You have a point. I agree with your point. This is why I agree with your point:

People CAN be assholes.

From an engineering perspective, Riot's method of designing something to tackle toxic player behavior is like a simple system without feedback:

https://imgur.com/9pcZtFG

On one hand, I'm glad that Riot has taken a stricter approach towards toxic behavior in LoL because they recognize its gotten worst. On the other hand, this system was made by someone really lazy and is flawed. What's worst is probably because player toxicity has been reduced if we just look at statistics alone, they're thinking this system is doing well when its not.

Here's the thing. Its ok that its flawed. In fact, everything in life is flawed even myself. A year from now, I'd like to look back and say that "damn, I could have done better in this relationship" or "I could have made better investments" and its ok cause that's what growth is. The problem is that despite the system being imperfect, they're not trying to work on improving it nor are they even showing that they really are in any meaningful way. While no engineering systems are perfect, there are ones better than others because they have this thing called feedback:

https://imgur.com/FKoGPFQ

This system isn't perfect either, but at least it'll actively try to improve itself with each iteration through feedback.

Was it right to fire Lyte? Yes, by all account it was cause looking back he didn't do anything other than make up an excuse for not doing anything while acting like he was doing a lot when he really wasn't. People called him out on it before, but was ignored cause of his "Ph.D."

So here we are. Season VIII and we're still talking about the issue of player toxicity in LoL and the flawed system(s) placed to simply reduce it. The tribunal was a horrible excuse to run away from tackling the problem by "letting the player's judge eachother" cause if players didn't care about how other players ingame judged them, what makes you think they care about how other players outside the game judge them? Heck you think I care if people judge me for liking anime, music, and FFXIV? Now there's this auto punish system. Great that you're utilizing big data and AI, but like I referenced before:

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/general-discussion/tkeHEiOp-how-does-riot-handle-account-bans?comment=0009

https://imgur.com/8nlG1DC

The current system is really just straight punishment with each iteration getting harsher and harsher from chat restrictions to suspensions to ban. It doesn't help players deal with ingame frustrations caused by other players and it never will. As you've written, OP, your friend was wrongfully punished by someone else. Chances are that person who reported your friend did so with the intent to hurt your friend. Believe it or not, this game, like in society, has people who feel like entitled special privileged pricks who feel justified in whatever actions they do either caused by their stupid superiority complex or their victim complex. That's one of the flaws of this system cause it doesn't care if people were incited to rage or whatever. Can it be taken care of if you improved communications among players? I've tried when playing Support and I'm forced to justify every action I take 12907319834534979 times over and over again. You know what response I got from other people in low ELO? "STFU NOOB!" People don't actually give a fuck about learning to improve so that they can rank up. That's why we have jokes about Bronze thinking they're Diamond ELO players when they really aren't. They don't give a fuck about being a good person, but they like to believe that they are.

I don't expect Riot to improve their flawed system anytime soon to allow players to reform even if it means forcing them to pay. I don't expect Riot's management to man up and start firing people responsible who didn't really do their job and allowed player toxicity to get to the shitfest that it is. But, I do expect myself to realize this system is no different than any other stupid system in society and the best I can do is adapt when interacting with it to get what I want out of it even if it means putting up with A LOT OF SHIT!

Good luck.

Deathbypie1/6/2018, 3:15:49 AM1 votes

For one, it mostly is a dictatorship. Riot can choose who they allow to play on their servers, obviously.

Not sure why you mentioned money - it definitely shouldn't matter whether or not someone has spent money on the game.

And your argument that all online games have trash talk and therefore they all MUST have it, and thus it is fine is silly. For one, trash talk does not equal toxicity. Generally people are banned for going beyond simple trash talk.

"It is the fundamental nature of online games to include trash talk." It's pretty much the fundamental nature of humanity to go to war, but that doesn't mean war is good and shouldn't be avoided.

Busty Demoness1/3/2018, 3:08:17 PM1 votes

Short answer is that yes, that along with everything else in the game is under Riot's dictatorship.

Lauchmelder1/3/2018, 1:54:24 PM1 votes

{quoted} Riot your game has a thing called a mute button. Why don't talk about this function more? You realize that if everyone was aware and knew how to use this button it would solve the vast majority of cases involving "toxicity"?

No, it wouldn't. "If I ignore anything POTUS Trump says then it never happened."

Latitoast1/6/2018, 3:18:53 AM1 votes

you think it's a dictatorship because you're actually 13 and don't know what a dictatorship is