Remember the old ELO rating system from back in the day? Season 1 silver was like today's high platinum. Having a rank actually meant something. It was possible to be denied a rank because you weren't good enough. Meanwhile, every league that isn't Bronze and Silver actually has a purpose. Today's gold is effectively season 1 bronze. Because contrary to popular belief, and despite those "rewards" you don't start becoming relevant until AT LEAST high platinum. In which case the struggle begins to reach Diamond, and so on. Platinum is where high ELO truly starts. Master tier is a good place for scouting purposes, and Challenger is exclusive for the absolute best players, as only those who can consistently be seen in Challenger are worthy of the competitive scene. Because they ARE competitive players. Bronze, Silver and Gold to an extent are effectively the same proving grounds. It takes someone with enough skill and willpower to reach a competitive level, to get out of the so-called "ELO Hell" as some people call it. And yes, while I understand that rank is a sign of progress, and not skill (as said by riot, a few pros and some famous high ELO youtubers/streamers) it takes a strong desire to reach a competitive level. Most people in low ELO don't necessarily have that urge to be competitive. Most people just want to hit Gold for the season rewards, which is why reaching Platinum can be such a hurdle to conquer. Because many players just stop caring about advancing at that point, and give up easily because they got their rewards and see no point in going further. It's even possible to say that they lack confidence in maintaining their rank, so they avoid ranked as much as possible to keep what they've earned. I believe that bringing back the ELO rating system, or perhaps even an improved, refined version would be healthy for this game. Being in bronze shouldn't be the bottom of the barrel, it should be square one. The start of your career. A place where you can truly earn your rank amongst the thousands of people that play this game, while fighting to improve and maintain what you've earned. In addition, I also believe that there should be more strict requirements on playing ranked, so that it's taken to a more serious level. Quite frankly, I think the requirements are ineffective in stopping every fresh level 30 from taking a shot at the big leagues. Truthfully, it's always been a bad idea to hop straight into ranked at 30. Implementing more prerequisites and even systems to help players prepare for ranked can not only show us it's meant for the competitive audience, but help every greenhorn out there aspire to get their very own rank amongst everyone around them. A rank that truly means something. A rank that shows how far you've gotten. A rank that's there for a better reason than a pitiful border or skin. A rank that has to be EARNED. League of Legends is a competitive game, and I strongly believe that we need to enforce this aspect while still finding ways to cater to those...dare I say it, "casuals." I don't want Riot to split their audience in half, as there are plenty of players on both sides. I'd rather have everyone realize that we're all playing a competitive game here. There will always be ways to reward and pander to those who choose to not be involved in the competitive aspects of League, but I think it's high time we tell all those "scrubs" to go big or go home. Don't take that word as an insult, as there aren't many ways to point out someone isn't among the best or skilled without it being seen as an insult. We all have to start somewhere, and if the lowest rank was the start of our career and not "ELO Hell" then I'm sure we can all respect each other and do our best to climb those ladders and...be victorious. You might not like it, but I think if rank was something you truly had to earn, we would all try our hardest to improve. Maybe one day, you can be in "Bronze" and not be seen as...well, I'm sure you know what I mean.
