The Current State of Prestige Points - Possible Solution?
TL;DR - After addressing the main points behind the Prestige system, I propose to add a new way to become eligible to use Prestige Points based on reaching Mastery 7 with target champions.
I know it's a topic that's been debated for a long while, and I have personally been a bit on and off for some time now, so feel free to call me out on something I might have missed or gotten wrong. All right, let's get down to it. First off...
What is a Prestige Edition Skin?
[sg-lux-2]
"Prestige Edition skins are a variation of a skin that includes a unique border, splash, and VFX. Redeem K/DA Kai’Sa (Prestige Edition) with Worlds Tokens from missions and use your Worlds Pass to earn unlimited tokens!"
Source (Last part of 'Event Shop and Loot')
That's it. A variation skin kit with the works. If there is any earlier record of explanation behind the Prestige Skins and what they were initially meant to be, please let me know. This is the earliest official description I could find of them by Riot that is written typed by Riot.
So that definition seems pretty straightforward, which is a good thing. However, the execution and resulting divide is far, far from ideal.
What is Prestige?
[zombie-brand-mindblown]
Initially, these skins were meant to be EVENT ONLY skins, introduced one year ago with the KDA event. With the abundant responses to the new niche, Riot added onto newfound event currency system for prestige skins obtainable all year long.
"TL;DR: Starting in 9.1, we’re introducing a different type of prestige skin that stays in the store until the end of the year and is unlockable with new Prestige Points.
"The skins team has a bunch of ideas for future prestige versions of skins, so we are experimenting with another way for us to release these skins throughout the year without limiting them to events. So we’re keeping event-specific prestige skins, but adding yearly prestige edition skins, which are craftable for 100 Prestige Points each. These 2019 yearly prestige skins will release throughout the year until they all expire on January 31, 2020, at 11:59 PM PT."
Okay, so let's think about this. It started out as a special event thing, and then got extended outward to another brand of itself. This causes a rift within itself, and in LoL's market itself. The main recurring theme here will be time and money as the main factors, since both play an equally important role in this.
Personally, I've never been fond of the whole "battle pass" system, as I believe events in games should be fully enjoyable to all players, free-to-play and pay-to-play. However, I can't say it's the worst of systems to have, and I know video game companies need to turn a profit. That being said, it still combines two precious resources that not everyone stands together on equal ground. $15-20 may not be all too much to some, and yet it could be a splurge for others. Yet, it's a paywall nonetheless to partake in spending the time to earn the rewards associated with that event. In essence, a person is spending money to be able to to make their time spent more worthwhile. No one is getting extra playable content as they play during the event--they are just getting rewarded for their time. I mean, it sounds fair on the surface, but I would argue that the value the pass has to each player is NOT the same.
Paying to play an event-exclusive gametype or just buying an even skin outright has the same purchase value amongst all players, but the same simply cannot be said for a battlepass system dangling shiny exclusives that are not even purchasable at a later time with the very currency that it bore and carries its very name. Not everyone has the same amount of time they are able to dedicate to the game, and not everyone that does right now will be able to say the same a year from now.
Life happens, and we should not be punished by a game we love to make us feel bad about it.
So, pulling the information we know of Prestige skins, let's answer the question of "What is Prestige?" in terms of these skins.
Simply put, it is a mark obtained by some major dedication (and money, more than some in other cases), in the form of an awesome skin. Dedication...in the form of time and/or money. Let's keep that in mind.
THE GREAT DIVIDE
I'm going to combine the subject of time and money with that of the playerbase. Basically, the in-game shop and the community.
The Prestige line of skins, both event and yearly, are meant to be only obtainable with specific currency. Okay, that's fine, but why did we start with Event currency and end up with a secondary Prestige Point currency for skins bearing the same name? Why is the split between choices of which skin to go for at what time so unnecessarily imbalanced??
[sg-ahri-1]
Let's talk about how things are going in order, shall we? Not necessarily how this year itself has gone, but how the going direction appears to be pushed, and will be more established next year:
- Receive a list by Riot of the upcoming Prestige skins in order of appearance split by Prestige Point and Prestige Event.
- Determine for ourselves which skins to prioritize.
- Spend time/money in obtaining said skins. (Profit).
That's the basic idea in a nutshell, correct? Okay, so we will have a list of what to expect...good. That's something that became absolutely necessary the moment events with exclusive and limited currency (that expires!) was created. I don't regard the list as a gift of any kind, but honestly, an obligation.
Prioritizing the skins can be easier for some, harder for others, and will vary as the years go by when one year, only 2 champions a player might care about will appear on the list, and the next year, maybe 5. It does not help when Prestige Points also vanish shortly after the next year begins. This variable is the first thing to appear in the equation, and consequently, makes an immediate level of difficulty on players. To keep it short and in a way most readers will understand--It's like placing a control ward in a bush with the whole enemy team there. Sure, now you know they are there, but you don't have nearly enough HP or Summoner Spells to make it out alive. You might be strong enough to take one or two down with you, but by the time you're done, the rest got away and you're still out what you spent for the ward they just destroyed. Not only that, but instead of respawning, you get kicked out of the game.
That brings me to the last thing on that list...time and money. Now, my remark at the end of the last section was not sarcastic. Dedication most certainly does take the form of time and money for a lot of things. It's not any different with games, really; Prestige skins being no exception. However, making them so very limited is taking things a step a little too far.
[sg-zephyr]
Limitations...
This is the kindle to all the fire I see regarding the Prestige line. So far, and please let me know if I forgot any, this is the list of limitations that are a factor (no particular order):
- Prestige Points
- Event Points
- Playtime
- Money
- Event Time Window
- Expiration Time
Note that time shows in multiple and validly different ways. As I've stated before, not everyone gets to spend all that much time on LoL. Those that did, may not any longer. Those that do, may yet not, still. Things change, and I'm right there with everyone on missing events on games from time to time. It sucks, but usually games re-release them the following year. However, this is much different.
You're talking about currency fighting currency within the same game. Why must a player be forced to choose to spend event tokens on an exclusive skin OR perform a currency exchange to obtain another skin from (technically) the same line? If a player really wants a year-round Prestige skin, but gets WOW'd by an event skin, why must they have to fight with themselves and possibly delay getting the year-round skin for the sake of the pressure caused by an event? Granted, you can earn Prestige Points and event tokens at the same time, but let's be real. Not everyone is going to have enough Prestige Points during every event to be able to get both the current event AND their favored year-round Prestige skin.
Then, there's the opposite side of that! What if, someone saw the list of that year's Prestige skin and saw their all-time favorite main champ there? Naturally, they are going to do all they can to prepare in advance. In doing so, it's likely that person may have to sacrifice an event-limited skin in favor of a year-round, using their event tokens for Prestige Points to ensure their main's skin. Now, let's not forget that this game's skins can be pretty amazing, and hard to resist...I mean, that's why you're reading this, right? Resisting other skins in favor of saving for a future one is difficult, and while not everyone knows that struggle as well as others, I'd imagine some games have forced us to all know it to one degree or another. Now, consider this... What if that person did NOT like the skin they were saving all that while for? All the tempting sacrifices for other Prestige skins they could have obtained would be in vain. Granted, the factors in these types of scenarios involve mainly time and how many passes are needed to achieve the end goal, but they exist nonetheless, and therefore become a potential risk factor. Save the risks for the gatchas and loot boxes...
Before you blow off risk as a melodramatic tangent, this is a naturally occurring thing when there is an expiration date on any form of currency, especially one that's so limited and tied in to making choices between events. We know this, Riot knows this, and it's apparent in the word on Prestige Updates.
"Not all players will end the year with 100 Prestige Points and we want to make sure that everyone can get as much value as possible regardless of their Prestige Point totals. We're working on new Prestige Point content for lower point costs, similar to the stuff you see in event shops."
Not everyone is going to get that last skin before their points get taken away. Not everyone is going to feel they got their time and money's worth.
Missing events in a game with event-exclusive items sucks... I know. We've all been there at some point. But missing out on your time and money's worth on TOP of missing events? That's just not a feeling I want to associate with any game I've invested myself into.
And thus, we arrive at the rift regarding the community. I see mixed responses regarding the fairness and "merit badges" of having not missed an event. When it all comes down to it, we all just want to enjoy the game, and we all want to play our favorite champions in amazing skins. "But those of us present during an event should maintain our unique notability in-game!"
I agree. But NOT when you're dancing between mixed currencies and time that can easily be lost. Whether it's military service, health issues, school, work, tragedy, whatever it is, we should not be punished by a game we love and turn to as the very means to get away from those things. Let's also not forget that, especially this time of year now, our time is divided between OTHER GAMES that have time-sensitive events with exclusives of their own! That's right, I know you all play other games, too! The secret it out!
[sg-shisa]
But seriously, ever since the introduction of the Prestige event and point system, there has been major vocal displeasure and struggle with each Prestige skin release. Is that really a tradition we want in League? I mean, I know there are those that read that and think that there's always some major displeasure in any skin release, for one reason or another, but I mean in something that involves our own effort to earn? It's a little different when talking about exclusives we can buy outright versus the ones we have to invest a whole lot of time for (in addition to buying a pass). It's not the same comparison.
A PROPOSED SOLUTION
[sg-kiko]
Okay, so the event Prestige skins are the ones notably effected by all of the above. Extremely limited and more difficult to get for some more than others, even when the price of a battle price is the same for everyone. So how do we maintain the "Prestige" part of Prestige skins?
Remember, buying Prestige skins with Prestige/Event points is buying a full KIT, with border and icon. Let's not pretend emotes and the like are not factors for many people in the struggles listed above... Especially when they have to spend event tokens to buy those and chromas that might make things extra challenging for those with split-favorites, aiming for any Prestige skins.
Most will, however, be happy with just the skin alone. So, perhaps that can be a point in compromise here. Ready?
WHAT IF...players can EARN the right to purchase any Prestige skin (only the skin), event or otherwise, if they reach level 7 mastery with said champion, with Prestige Points at a reduced cost?
The icon and border can still remain event-locked, or, if Riot really wants to go for the gold (ha-ha), have them included for the FULL 100 Prestige Points after reaching Mastery 7. This way, players will still have to spend the time and money that goes into Prestige skins, but don't get royally screwed by life's dauntless circumstances.
In an interest to keeping the business aspect still in play (yes, I'm looking out for you, too, Riot), the ability to unlock Mastery 7 Prestige purchases will only activate for champions after a certain time passes when their Prestige event ends. Could be a month, could be two or more, but it's better than any uncertainly we're currently faced with. Prestige points being required for Mastery purchases means battle passes are still very much relevant.
The time it takes to score any champion to Mastery 7 has to be prestigious enough to maintain the skinline's name, not to mention it still requires the currency tied to it. Missing an event can still hurt, but not nearly as bad as things currently stand.
Events and skins should not cause the in-game economy to fight itself between spending event points on a limited skin or Prestige points for another, especially when there's an expiration tag in the mix. Exclusives should not be exclusives if they cause such a rift within the community, turning some burning fervor for the game over on itself with outrage. We can go into a better direction.
Please...let's not make lootboxes the solution to this.
What say you?