An Open Letter To League of Legends Players

I want to preface this by saying that if you are easily upset you should be wary of reading this post.

I sat down today to play a normal draft pick at the end of the day, like I always do. Halfway through my game, a most horrible and unthinkable tragedy befell my family. For 10 years, my grandfather with Alzheimer's has lived with us and we have cared for him and his every need in order to make what would be his last days his most comfortable. About 5 minutes into the game, I heard pained cries from my mother downstairs. I instantly knew what had happened. We have been fearing this day for awhile now, but never did I imagine it would happen in the midst of one of my most favorite games.

I did the only thing a reasonable person would do and explain to everyone in the game why I was performing so poorly. I wanted to go console the rest of my family and be with them, but my mother vehemently denied that I should go downstairs and see the dead body of my own grandfather. I did my best in the game, in spite of the circumstances, and all I wanted to do was quit, but the game was the only thing keeping me from tearing my way downstairs in spite of my mother.

The reaction my teammates had was absolutely disgusting. My team started joking that they had been the ones to kill my grandfather, and even going so far as to make sexual remarks about one of the most important people in the world to me, who was lying dead in a bed downstairs.

Reporting them was completely forgotten, however, as I ran downstairs immediately following the game to be with my family.

The purpose of this story is to bring to attention that though you are not fully accountable for everything you may say or do online, the repercussions can do far more than just put someone on tilt. I encourage anyone who reads this post to remember that the people on the other side of your connection aren't bots or soulless league playing machines, they are real people with active emotions.

I would also request that Riot, if possible, help me with an attempt to report these people whose words were so poisonous, so abominable, that it made me never want to play League with the community again.

The names of the players in question are not posted here as name shaming them would be immoral and against ToS.