Disclaimer: I do not work for Riot in any way, shape or form, nor am I being paid by them either.
First off, unless he said that he was going to report you you don't know that he did. Second of all, if you got a chat restriction (not a chat ban, a chat restriction, there's a difference), it means that you have a history of being reported for acting up in and/or out of game. You aren't punished just for one or two games (unless they're REALLY bad of course), you're punished for acting up in multiple games. Third off, Yes CnC is fine when given at the appropriate times, but understand that there's a difference between constructive criticism and just plain being a jerk. If you post your Chat Logs (the ENTIRE chat logs, not just one or two lines) then we can see exactly what your so-called "constructive criticism" was. Also, the mute button is not a "get out of jail free" card, meaning that you can't use it to try to act however you want to act, it doesn't work like that and it never will.
From Understanding the Tribunal:
1) What's the point of having a language filter if I can get banned for 'adult' language?
a) We aren't out to punish players who use adult language; in fact, very few players are ever banned for saying stuff like "f***, I missed that skill shot" or "damn, fing close game!" However, the language filter is not an excuse to verbally abuse someone in the game. When you verbally abuse or harass someone by calling them "fing *****" or "ngger noob", that's when you've crossed the line and will be punished by the Tribunal. I've said this before and I'll say it again, we aren't trying to clean online games of adult language; we're trying to reform or get rid of jerks who like to verbally abuse and harass other players.
4) That player in my game was far worse than me. Why am I banned???
a) I'll keep this one simple: retaliation isn't OK. Reacting to a toxic player by being toxic just incites that player to be even worse--it also ruins the game for up to 8 other players. It is far, far worse to watch two people yelling at each other all game than it is to watch 1 player ranting into blank space. Almost everyone in the game can find someone out there that behaves worse than they do--but so what? Finding someone worse doesn't justify your behavior or justify retaliation. We expect more out of our players. What players often don't realize is... those other players in your game that you thought were worse? Nearly 100% of the time, those players were banned even before you were. If someone is being toxic, just report them and move on. If you retaliate, both of you will be banned. It's really that simple.
From Ulanopo's Knowledge Base:
I want to complain about my ban, but I didnt link my Reform Card.
We get a lot of that here and, sadly, youre not likely to get much in the way of sympathy or help until you post the Card. We need the context and we need to know that were getting the whole story. Dont take it personally, just post the Card.
People who report are simply being oversensitive. The mute button exists for a reason.
Lets start with the Riot quote on this (link (http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?p=30696571#post30696571)):
Why is verbal abuse punishable if there is a mute button/language filter?
Players shouldnt need to rely on features like the mute button or language filter to engage with other players in positive ways. When a player verbally abuses another player and forces him to use the mute button, they have already created a negative experience for that player.
Simply put, Riot says no. You can scream and cry all you want, but it is their house and their rules.
With that out of the way, I think the topic deserves some further discussion. The theory is that, if people resolved to care less, then they would be happier. I often refer to this as Argument from Stoicism and I think it is a fairly weak philosophy because it places the burden on the person being expected to endure the behavior rather than the person exhibiting the behavior. You should be able to handle it is just a flimsy excuse for being a bully or a jerk. I have to be the bigger man so that you can do whatever you want? That hardly seems fair.
There is also the issue of how I spend my limited free time. Like most people, I am constantly required to make value judgments between the different forms of entertainment that are available to me and, let's be honest, we live in an age of nearly limitless entertainment options. If I'm having a bad day in League, I can just fire up Steam and play a whole bunch of games that don't require me to put up with someone's BS.
This is not an issue of weakness or thin-skin; it's a question of choosing activities that don't leave me feeling frustrated and angry. Too many of those experiences and I'll just find something else to do. Riot knows this.
EDITED 18 JULY 2014
If you kids report and punish things like this, youre going to be in trouble when you get out in the real world.
This is a subset of the oversensitivity argument, but I feel it warrants separate treatment.
You're making the highly unwarranted assumption that the people who punish for "noob" lack real-world experiences. If you were to ask the TBI regulars, you would find that almost all of us are at least in their late 20's, if not significantly older. Most of us have at least undergraduate degrees. So, this idea that we're all naive little children is more than a little silly.
Also, we know that professional players dislike people who spend their time typing because math. Not only are the report rates for the highest tiers not significantly lower than anywhere else (this from Lyte), but the pros know how that kind of behavior affects play. Someone who is on tilt is throwing the game just as much as the person who is playing poorly.
The truth of the matter is that the loose cannons end up having their misbehavior overshadow their skill. Look at Dennis Rodman. There has never been a better rebounder. Ever. But his legacy is not that he was basically a human vacuum. No, it's that he was out of control, both on and off the court.
In short, this is a stupid argument if you know anything about the people who are reporting and punishing you.
"I don't think I should be reported or punished for simply trying to provide some constructive criticism."
[1] It has been our experience that the majority of people who claim to be providing "constructive criticism" are doing exactly the opposite. The best help comes in short, focused, neutral packets or in the form of support and encouragement. Some examples:
"Vel'Koz deals true damage with his passive. You might want to build more health."
"I'll be on my way to help just as soon as I finish blue."
"Tristana went AP, she's going to be bursty."
"I'm on my way." (Also effective as a ping.)
"You ward tri-bush. I'll ward river."
[2] The nature of matchmaking means that the people you meet are going to be roughly as skilled and experienced as you are. This means that telling them how to play is both unwanted and insulting. There are many ways to play League. Just because someone is doing something different doesn't automatically make them wrong.
You suck and uninstall do not constitute advice. If you really are the more experienced player, then you should be trying to find ways to lift people up so they can win rather than putting them down. When you make comments like this, all you are doing is wasting your time typing and distracting your team.
[3] Most people know when they made a mistake or when they are being outplayed. Pointing this out to them is unnecessary and counterproductive.
[4] In the heat of battle, few people are going to be in a proper emotional state to receive criticism.
EDITED - 19 JULY 2014
