Why is toxicity not punished in Korea?

Dakkimchi·5/14/2018, 1:53:02 AM·36 votes·16,894 views

I don't intend to insult Riot, as I agree with their policies in NA for toxicity (better for player mental health). I've recently watched Cowsep's video, and I was surprised that the system in Korean servers don't punish other players at all. Can the community (players, Riot, admins, etc.) tell me why this is the case? I assumed that Riot was a single company with a universal policy across regions.

Also, I'm not going to cite this as the reason why Korean server is so competitive, etc. I think that is a rash assumption.

92 Comments

koochario5/14/2018, 4:01:14 AM27 votes

the stronger the region, the more toxic it is in most cases and it's no coincidence

"toxicity" is really just people being competitive and actually caring about the game. if no one cared, there would be no emotional involvement and thus no toxicity. would you get mad if you lost in candy crush or something like that? most couldn't care less and in fact these rather extreme definitions of toxicity are turning people into casuals who no longer care about the game because they've been conditioned not to by Riot's own system.

on this server, you can't even talk about builds or strategy without being considered a "flamer" or "negative"

it's way beyond what used to be considered verbal abuse (personally attacking someone... not just gameplay related comments) or negative attitude (giving up on the game @ 5 min etc.)

you can stay bad in your little "toxicity free" bubble or you can learn and let a competitive game thrive. the cuts and bruises to your ego will heal soon enough and you'll have grown from it both as a player and as a human being with a thicker skin. the more you try to censor and control people, the less people will want to play (especially serious games) or even to use chat at all. there is a mute button and only serious harassment/inting/afking etc. should be punishable.

stupid shit like "ggez" or "your build is awful because it lacks void and they're stacking MR" does not qualify. the worst part is that the true ragers who instigate and harass for no reason can't even be called "pathetic losers" because that gets you into ban territory yourself. it verges on absurdity and it hurts the game more than Riot can possibly comprehend. the system is completely off the rails at this point and getting $ from new accounts won't save it from the damage inflicted long-term. right now it's actually punishing victims and serious players who CARE.

Chermorg5/14/2018, 2:04:54 AM20 votes

Each region has its own slightly different rules and regulations as to what is considered bad behavior. Negativity is punishable everywhere - but local culture determines what is considered negative and not.

Razzle N Dazzlé5/14/2018, 9:54:20 AM9 votes

Probably because they're not social justice warrior snowflakes who get offended by every little thing .

Why have a mute button and also be able to get banned for flaming

FOR JUSTICE5/14/2018, 1:54:27 AM8 votes

theyre probably more lenient in korea because they have to link their SSN when signing up for an account.

Shroom Merchant5/14/2018, 2:47:49 AM4 votes

inting is not punishable in korea 80% of the players play on $per hour places like internet cafes so runnin down mid to make game end quicker is so that they don't waste money and riot would lose money banning them for that because then they lose money and it is an acceptable behavior for them since when one starts the rest does it too hence the term open mid

JRobin315/14/2018, 3:00:19 PM3 votes

{quoted}

I assumed that Riot was a single company with a universal policy across regions.

Well, the assumption that RIOT measures player behavior across all regions by a universal standard would be the source of your confusion. RIOT does not do that. RIOT allows the different regions to set their own standards for player behavior and this has always been the case.

If it seems that Korea doesn't punish players as much as they do in other regions, then it's worth considering that people in other regions are overly sensitive to 'toxic' behavior. As a matter of fact, pro players have come forward in the past to say that the word 'toxic' was overly used in their region when referencing player behavior. So it is possible to be overly sensitive and place a label of toxicity on behaviors that aren't deserving of the title. Casters have gone on screen saying that we ought to be allowed to engage in a certain amount of 'trash talk' without being punished for it, because it helps to hype games and maybe there a degree of that goes with gamer culture ('1v1 me bro').

But who will decide such things? Daddy RIOT?

I think that RIOT is fine to set minimum standards and leave the regions to figure out in more detail what they regard as acceptable or unacceptable behavior. Maybe Korea needs to be more vigilant about their player's behavior, but isn't it on them as a region to collectively decide to so? Where is the line between what RIOT decides is acceptable and regional socially acceptable behavior?

Thegreatxiu5/14/2018, 6:57:56 AM2 votes

I think there is an important thing to note. Different cultures have different standards for what is considered "bad." In China, I use this example because I have personaly lived in China and can attest to it, people genuinely don't care if something will hurt your feelings as long as what they say is true, and this is acceptable behavior. Calling someone out for being obese isn't considered rude, just honest. Now I can't say that I know how Korea is and that all the "toxicity" in Korea is just different cultures having different levels of sensitivity, but I feel like it's not a bad guess.

Emerald Fang5/14/2018, 6:25:38 AM1 votes

Because Koreans can take toxicity.

And it might have to do with upbringing (I’m not joking here): I don’t know how kids are raised in Korea but jesus some of the parenting styles of “0 tolerance” and “as soon as conflict happens, don’t try to resolve it yourself, go get an adult” in the US may be contributing to it. Who knows.