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I wish people weren't so toxic online

Gayron·12/29/2019, 10:54:44 PM·5 votes·6,458 views

TL;DR: Why do people in the League/gaming community act in such pitiful ways online?

I'm not in many gaming communities but I've been playing League since 2012. Something I've noticed is that people in-game can get really toxic and say some real mean shit. Many people I've met IRL that play League aren't toxic or bad people but can be mean/toxic in-game as well. I'm a very confrontational person IRL and don't hesitate to call people out on their bullshit. The people that aren't toxic IRL but are in-game have been called out by me both in voice chats and while playing in the same room and it typically makes them look real stupid in front of everyone else. (I'll say things such as "that's not very nice" or "that was really mean, why'd you say that?")

I get that everyone has their bad games and that the concept of anonymity and "safety behind the screen" are a majority of why people can be so toxic in-game -- but where exactly does that go in their day-to-day lives? If you wouldn't say it IRL then don't say it in-game. Just because it's in a text message and not in voice format doesn't make it any less of an offense.

I once read a piece of wisdom somewhere: "Before arguing with someone, ask yourself if they are mature enough to see your point of view. If not, then walk away." I once thought long ago that people would be wiser, better. However, in my experience, people in the gaming community are especially (for lack of words) immature in this way.

What I'm getting at is: why do people in the League/gaming community act in such pitiful ways online?

15 Comments

xHeimtechZX12/30/2019, 1:37:47 AM3 votes

Online? People are worse offline. LoL is actually incredibly nice in comparison to stuff I deal with irl. People are just horrible. You're minding your own business, not even saying anything, and someone can just walk up to you and just be an arse just because they're having a bad day. People are emotional and some let their emotions control them. If they're not toxic irl but toxic in-game, they're probably holding in their emotions irl so they can blow it off later in-game. I do that for single player games. I rather get mad at a game than other people. Either that or they've become numb to irl stuff and they care about LoL far more.

Naymliss12/29/2019, 11:18:24 PM2 votes

A lot of people are emotionally immature. They've never learned how to control their emotions. As a result, they tend to get angry quickly and lose control over their actions. This isn't a league exclusive thing or a gaming exclusive thing, just think of things like driving or customer service- people can tend to forget to understand someone's point of view if they get angry. The added layer of anonymity doesn't help either.

AwImToxic12/30/2019, 1:49:11 AM2 votes

Because when your results in a game are reliant on another's performance, you can get angry for them sucking. It happens at work too or any sport, maybe more passive aggressively irl but it happens.

Famous Gay Actor12/30/2019, 10:07:45 AM1 votes

Honestly, a big reason for toxicity in the community comes from the anonymity the internet provides. Online, I'm not [Marty McFly - obviously I'm not going to put my real name XD], I'm Famous Gay Actor. You don't know who I am. I don't know who you are. Anonymity at it's finest. I can say whatever I damned well please knowing that (unless you did some sketchy IP tracing), you'll never find me. You'll never see me again. Why should I care what I say to you outside of the possibility of a chat restriction. There's no real-world consequences for doing things in League like calling you trash, talking about how I had intercourse with your mother/grandmother, (insert other female relatives), etc. That's why there's toxicity in League. Because I can do or say pretty much anything and there's no way to hold me accountable to what I said to you.

ProphetOfDraven12/30/2019, 3:08:47 PM1 votes

Being a passive aggressive loser is worse than being a toxic loser. One you are actually indulging your normal human instincts, the other you're just being a B.

Nightsky Pirate12/29/2019, 11:01:26 PM1 votes

Part of it is confusion/miscommunication, part of it is anonymity, some of it is tilt, some of it is rage... which you pretty much already said.

Since you already know that, what are you actually asking...? Why are they getting away with it? How is it encouraged? What do they get out of such behavior? All the above, whoever is willing to exhaustively answer such a broad question?

Time2 eJACK uL8 1/3/2020, 6:04:49 PM1 votes

{quoted}

TL;DR: Why do people in the League/gaming community act in such pitiful ways online?

I'm not in many gaming communities but I've been playing League since 2012. Something I've noticed is that people in-game can get really toxic and say some real mean shit. Many people I've met IRL that play League aren't toxic or bad people but can be mean/toxic in-game as well. I'm a very confrontational person IRL and don't hesitate to call people out on their bullshit. The people that aren't toxic IRL but are in-game have been called out by me both in voice chats and while playing in the same room and it typically makes them look real stupid in front of everyone else. (I'll say things such as "that's not very nice" or "that was really mean, why'd you say that?")

I get that everyone has their bad games and that the concept of anonymity and "safety behind the screen" are a majority of why people can be so toxic in-game -- but where exactly does that go in their day-to-day lives? If you wouldn't say it IRL then don't say it in-game. Just because it's in a text message and not in voice format doesn't make it any less of an offense.

I once read a piece of wisdom somewhere: "Before arguing with someone, ask yourself if they are mature enough to see your point of view. If not, then walk away." I once thought long ago that people would be wiser, better. However, in my experience, people in the gaming community are especially (for lack of words) immature in this way.

What I'm getting at is: why do people in the League/gaming community act in such pitiful ways online?

WTF do you expect have you seen the matchmaking and quality of games? lmao

Clockwork Mouse12/29/2019, 11:29:47 PM1 votes

I get that everyone has their bad games and that the concept of anonymity and "safety behind the screen" are a majority of why people can be so toxic in-game

This is false. The reason people are toxic is because LoL is a competitive game that is poorly balanced. When you are trying your hardest to win, but the meta doesn't favor your playstyle or champ and you feel that you had no way to counter something or at a disadvantage it puts you in a mindset. And worse yet is that Riot restricts you from letting out your frustration in health ways by way of the report function. So you have to balance being mad and frustrated along with how you can express it so most people will just say passive aggressive or ironic shit to try and avoid a ban. And frankly i find that worse than just shout a few naughty words out at someone.

"Before arguing with someone, ask yourself if they are mature enough to see your point of view. If not, then walk away."

That is horrible advice. People need to speak up about things even if someone else might not get it or want to listen. If everyone just walks away from others then only bad ideas will spread. And this also assumes that you are in the right, and you don't challenge your own ideas against others.

e46 Fanatic12/30/2019, 1:01:48 AM1 votes

It has nothing to do with League alone. I don't know what happened but it just seems like everyone these days are complete morons... Half the time they are toxic, they do so without actually caring to prove anything, it's just blind toxicity. Like you could get flamed and called bad, ask that person "what makes me bad exactly, and how are you better" and then they just continue to ask for reports on you as if they aren't flaming you. These people Do Not Care to make sense of anything, for some reason they still feel empowered by being delusional, thinking that everything they say about someone is true no matter how dumb it sounds or how many times they were proved wrong.

It's mind boggling and very depressing at times because there is no winning with them and these days being a friendly smart person who can make sense of absolutely everything the toxic people can't makes the Smart person the idiot who should be reported, why? Because the toxic people simply don't care to be right and are possibly just dumb, I think it all ties back to bad parenting, just reminds me of my mom saying "i dont care i dont have to be right im the parent" and now I think kids are using that shit when flaming people, idk... I've tried pretty hard to figure out how so many people could be so toxic and stupid it's nearly impossible