Boards›Player Behavior

It's okay to be bad at the game.

Valor Bot·7/16/2016, 1:50:03 AM·105 votes·10,997 views

These days, the League culture seems to be about valuing good, skillful play above all else. While I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this, I've noticed that other players often blow this ideal way out of proportion, to the point where if you do not live up to their Needlessly Large expectations, you are met with a flurry of giant, yellow "?" pings furiously barraging your character model.

It is okay to be bad at League of Legends. I do not have enough fingers on my hands to count how many times I, or others on my team, have been called "bad," "trash," or "garbage" at the game -- all for making simple mistakes. Yes, the Internet is a harsh place. Yes, I know not to let these insults affect me overmuch. That does not mean expecting EVERYONE in League to play perfectly every single time, and then kicking them down when they fail, is okay.

I'm proud to say I'm not always good at this game. I am only human. Sometimes I'm decent enough to carry; other times, I singlehandedly lose a match for my team. My play is inconsistent, but not intentionally, and it can have to do with any number of factors: emotional state, Champion mastery, level of awareness; even body temperature at times (those who have played with cold hands before know what I mean). There are so many small and subtle things we don't think about that can affect our performance in game, it's astonishing. Not to mention League is, fundamentally, a trial-and-error experience. We are constantly learning. Think about that the next time you decide to whack someone over the head with a "Missing" ping, or threaten to report them for playing poorly despite their best efforts.

92 Comments

Mistress Madoka7/16/2016, 11:26:49 AM23 votes

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/fd/fd3d970c53aa6ae1dfdda0c2aa7c344c883bf5455bf924fdb6e3d8b1f4983385.jpg

Xidphel7/16/2016, 4:25:23 AM21 votes

Yeah. Had a bad Trist game a while back. They told me to get a refund on the Dragon tamer skin and never play Trist. Didn't do much beyond reporting at the end of the game.

Zarvanis7/16/2016, 9:36:14 AM11 votes

I can't remember who said it, but I remember hearing someone say that every player in League is considered shit except for Faker. When an LCS Challenger player makes a mistake, everyone is like, "This guy sucks. How is this dumbass Challenger?". But if Faker makes a mistake it's just, "Oh, Faker made a mistake."

So remember, kids. No matter what division you are, you're shit at League of Legends. Unless you're Faker.

Icy Hot Shoto7/17/2016, 1:31:32 AM7 votes

Amen fellow summoner. We're human, let us raise our baguettes spears to our own silly mistakes while we laugh at those who think hurt us! [slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

On a more serious note... yeah, most of us are human beings. We make mistakes. Hell, the people who yell at us for making silly mistakes make those SAME MISTAKES themselves at one point or another. No one is perfect at this game, and no one ever will be.

rtbf2256182417/16/2016, 5:45:06 PM5 votes

I am only human.

Or are you a dancer?

Angry Monster7/16/2016, 11:57:43 AM5 votes

There is a difference between being bad and not being aware. Most people get upset when their team is alseep at the keyboard or not caring about anything but their lane/cs count. When a laner leaves the lane and you fail to ping and or follow, it is not being bad it is the lack of caring.

In my experience the yellow ping comes out for players that are not trying or are viewed as not trying.

Xeruon7/16/2016, 5:38:03 PM5 votes

It's just the fact that it's hard to realize that there is an actual human being behind those characters and screen names. Honestly, I do think most of us are great people outside the game, but League has a way of bringing out the worst in us. Not because it's some evil, mind-controlling scheme by the government, but because it's that we percieve everyone else to be just virtual entities, who all are expected to be always carrying, always getting fed, never missing a CS, never missing a skillshot, never mispositioning, and always being the best. People aspire to be constantly better, and some even dream of becoming an E-Sport star. When you feed, if instead of saying "HAHA FEEDER YOU SUCK!", said "It's okay, we all have bad games", wouldn't that make it ten times more bearable? It's just this delusion that everyone has to be on their absolute 100% at all times that makes this community so toxic at times.

Anyway, sorry this got a bit ramble-y and rant-y, but I guess it'll convey my thoughts and opinions.

Telephone Booth7/16/2016, 11:23:52 PM5 votes

People seem to forget that you're playing against players of varying skill levels. Just because you lost your lane or are getting beat generally, doesn't mean you're trash. Your lane opponent is probably just a little better than you. Or maybe if you played them with a different matchup, you would've won. Everyone knows the matchmaking isn't perfect, so you might be playing against someone of a higher skill level.. had it been someone else maybe you would've stomped em and people would think you're good. It's silly how people judge based on one play they happened to watch you make while they were coming back to lane or whatever.

General Esdeath 7/16/2016, 8:54:32 PM5 votes

It's OK to be bad. It's not OK to blame others for your being bad. It's also not OK to get mad if someone gives you advice.

FrankerX7/16/2016, 3:00:18 AM4 votes

that was beautiful!

Schàdenfreude7/16/2016, 4:39:29 AM4 votes

IT'S NEVER OKAY TO HAVE A FEEDER ON MY TEAM! IT'S NOT OKAY TO BE BAD kappa

Komatose7/16/2016, 5:12:03 PM4 votes

I agree with this, but I also think that it's okay to give constructive criticism. I've had people tell me what I've done wrong at the end of game stats screen in a very non-hostile, helpful way and I've friended those people and played a few games with them. I also like to try and help others in game who make mistakes without coming off as a jerk.

I actually think a lot of the time, the way you react to criticism is what makes the situation toxic. There have been times someone has grilled me in game, but then I realized they weren't actually trying to be a jerk about it because when I started improving during the game they began to praise me or say something like "much better". I love those who can criticize without being jerks. It helps everyone improve.

CrazFight 7/16/2016, 8:55:23 AM3 votes

Its ok as long as you stay in bronze and don't get boosted by your high elo friends. [slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

Lord Galvatron7/16/2016, 1:57:54 PM3 votes

It's ok for people to be bad at the game. You can't get lv 6 and 7 champion masteries by just farming.

TyrekGoldenspear7/16/2016, 12:41:28 PM2 votes

Exactly dude, there is a difference between learning and trolling.

Unfortunately trolling happens enough that we also lash out at new players.

A Liberal7/16/2016, 8:08:34 PM2 votes

I agree, but also I would like to add that if you are in a normal, please don't ask to surrender by 10 minutes. Last game I tried out quinn for the first time, and fed a couple of early kills (I kept trying to hit R in the middle of a fight because I kept forgetting it wasn't an instant MS buff >_<). Katarina (who is also feeding to shit, something like 2/7 while im 0/3) afk's in base and dances for 5 minutes saying how i'm shit and we need to ff because the game is lost. I kept trying to tell her that I am learning quinn and that I am enjoying losing because i'm still getting playtime on the character and I am learning but she didn't want to hear any of it. People don't understand to understand the concepts that 1. This is just a game and 2. Winning isn't everything, ESPECIALLY in a normal.

ReDesign7/16/2016, 8:11:22 PM2 votes

Yea Ive been finding myself inconsistently being able to think and focus as much as I could at my best before the summer heat came, but maybe I get tired more easily now gaming anyways

Totalwanabe7/16/2016, 7:12:24 AM2 votes

it's almost ok has long you don't join ranked that's where mistake must be evaded like the black plague, unless you love getting immolated by your teammates.

Kadrin5107/17/2016, 12:33:11 AM2 votes

Also, people should really really understand you cannot report someone for being bad, but just for being intentionally which is VERY different!

noob report I don't think you can report me for being noob, sorry

Very commond dialogue for me :P

Laqutis Bot7/17/2016, 1:31:27 AM2 votes

A lot of the problem comes from calling anyone who is even slightly worse than yourself, bad. When I first started LoL, I was bad, but I had tons of experience from playing RTS like Warcraft 3 where positioning, hotkeys, and clicking fast is very important, so even though I was bad I was probably a lot better than the other new players, but I never considered them 'bad' just new or less experienced.

The only times I considered people bad was when they were not much better than me and at the same time flaming/criticizing everyone else as if they're doing perfectly. The attitude that anyone below Gold is 'bad' is part of the reasoning, that and a lot of immature people or actual children (age 12 or below) playing this game.

Also the match making for non-ranked is pretty terrible. When a brand new level 10 (not smurf) is matched against gold players, it does not create a very positive environment for them to learn. Whoever the smurf is killing the most will either get flamed to hell by his teammates, or become a flamer himself, as if its his fault a brand new player can't beat someone who's been playing this for years.

Kishiyami7/16/2016, 6:15:52 AM2 votes

Today when I was playing the new game mode, I got called a "sissy" and was told to stop complaining when all I did was to ask for help since I couldn't handle the enemy on my own....

Kyubi Aedan7/17/2016, 3:26:34 AM2 votes

I know this feeling a lot. I play Ahri the most, and it's really hard to carry a game with her since she has a ton of counters, and she doesn't do quite as much damage as a good majority of the other mids. However, I still make the most of playing her. I have pretty average games (even kills and deaths that break even with at least 10+ assists), I have really good games (record is 24/0/??), and I have abysmal games (0/5/12). You're not always going to carry a game even if you're pretty good with that champion. And we all have bad games. It's important to try to keep everyone's spirits high. That way they're able to keep going. And if you lose? So, what? It's one match.

Mylon Requiem7/17/2016, 7:07:26 AM2 votes

It's not okay to think you can keep being bad and not put any effort forward to improve.

Which arguably constitutes the mentality of about 65% of the playerbase in NA.

It's a multiplayer game wherein your decisions (or lack thereof) have a direct influence on the 9 other players you play with in any given game, and can and will make their experience a pleasant or an unpleasant experience (that they have no control over in those cases).

Epitome of Noob7/16/2016, 5:40:13 PM2 votes

I only spam the "?" ping when my opponent is MIA.

Left Hook Larry7/16/2016, 4:44:18 PM1 votes

It is okay to be bad at League of Legends

Yes, but when you go on these boards and complain about champions like Lee Sin expect to be called garbage