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I want to have a real discussion about player harassment

Kikirino·2/14/2016, 3:08:30 AM·8 votes·1,468 views

My friend created an account because I showed him the game and it looked fun. He has been trying to play but is running into a lot of self proclaimed smurfs (most of them just happen to be diamond smurfs if you believe them. I don't.). These smurfs are some of the biggest assholes I have ever met. I created a smurf to level with him so that he would have one less asshole to play with and because I didn't quite believe him about the massive number of toxic players he is running into and wanted to see it myself. I have played League since preseason 1. I have experienced my fair share of harassment but I can handle it because I have 'thick skin' and am invested into my account. These new players however... If this smurf account was my first league account I would not continue playing.

Take my last match for example. I had a Fizz and Ryze that were clearly new to the game. Ryze built all ap with no mana and Fizz didn't know what a trinket was. Several players from both sides harassed them all game for being 'trash' and telling them to uninstall because they were so bad. I stood up for them and told every to stop talking shit on new players. I told them there is no reason to do it and that it is just pathetic. They then turn on me calling me Bronze trash and saying I was so bad I must have aids... because that makes any sense.

Fizz added me after and thanked me for standing up for him and then told me that one of the players added him after the game and was continuing to harass him. What the fuck?! How fucking pathetic is that? How shitty must your life be to attack new players and go so far as to add them just so you can keep being a fucking asshole?

Here is where I want to discussion to start

Why do people do this? What good comes from being so mean to a complete stranger? I am no saint. I have snapped at more people than I care to admit but I am always retaliating (not a justifiable action but I am never attacking someone just to attack them) after they harass me or a teammate. Why do you feel the need to tell someone that they must have/should get cancer/aids because they are bad at the game? When you see this level of unwarranted harassment what do you do? Do you stand up for the other players? Why? Why not? I want to learn why this shit happens and how people feel about it.

12 Comments

JacobusSimon2/14/2016, 4:50:04 AM3 votes

I wouldn't consider myself innocent of the ways of internet flaming, but the sort of continued harassment you're describing (continuing even after the game) doesn't make any sense to me. On the occasions that I have snapped at people, it's been followed by a desire to never hear from or see them again. Best guess, it's a power trip. The aggressor is in a dominant position belittling another. (Disclaimer: I am neither a psychologist nor sociologist. Any views here are in no way professional opinions.)

I probably don't stand up for players that are being harassed as often as I should, but I try to intervene before it gets to the point of cancer, AIDS, and/or suicide. I find it's most difficult to step in when the target of harassment starts firing back at the aggressor, since both sides now have a way to rationalize continued hostility. To extend from the above theory, the one who initiated the conflict now needs to reassert their dominant position, necessitating further abuse.

As for the connection between life-threatening illnesses like cancer and poor game skills, I guess there is some correlation. Chemotherapy is not nice to the human body. Regarding AIDS, however... actually, I got nothing. Maybe it's just matching up "bad" things? Person A is bad at games, so everything else about person A must be bad as well? I dunno.

In short: people can be very cruel. I don't know why. I don't think they should be.

Awkward Couch2/14/2016, 3:52:13 AM3 votes

This has been a problem for a long time. My now fiance tried to play the game, and she quit her level 3 account because of how toxic these "diamond smurfs" are. I don't know why everyone thinks their diamond. But that's beside the point, toxicisity at low levels is a problem.

I don't know what it is about this game that seems to bring up anger in me, but it's more prevalent for me in LOL than in other games. For example I could play Rocket League for 3 hours and be just fine, I could play LOL for 30 minutes and just be pissed off for the rest of the day. I think it may have to do with the length of the game and the fact that we are stuck with this team until the game is done. If I play COD, if I don't like my team, I can leave the lobby and join a new host. With League I have to play with these players for the next half hour to hour.

The second problem, I think with toxicity, is the fact that people on the internet, are anonymous. Because of this anonymity, people will think that they can say whatever they want without consequence. Personally I think there is a fine line between having thin skin and harassing someone online. But that's just my opinion, take it as you will.

Now I want to make the point that I have seen a lot of toxicity in other games as well. I started playing Dota 2 for a while, and while I was learning I played bot matches. The same problem happened to me with my low level Dota 2 account that your friend had. The first game of CS:GO that I ever played, I was told in voice chat, to kill myself 5 times, I hope your family dies 2 times, the world would be better off without me 3 times. This was all in the first half hour of me playing. This problem isn't League exclusive, its video games.

Personally if I see someone getting harassed, I'll say something like, "just shut up and play the game" but that's just what I do.

Impiety2/14/2016, 7:18:59 PM2 votes

I think we could fix myabe... 70% of toxicity if the game required you be 18 to play.

5N34K3RP1MP2/14/2016, 11:36:49 PM1 votes

Toxicity runs rampant like rabies in this game, doesn't make it right.. just grow a pair and move forward with your life, these are people you will probably... rarely see again. With that being said.. do they reeeeally have any effect on your life, I mean really? Somewhere, sometime in life people are going to say things and act in ways you don't agree with, once again, doesn't make what they do or say right, but you just have to suck it up and move forward. Take responcibility for yourself, most are looking for a reaction and if you lose control of yourself and feed into it.. you're no better than they are. If you truly are a victim of circumstance and have been on the receiving end of an unwarranted spout of assault, then I feel for you. All in all, these individuals have absolutely zero impact on your real life. Why let it phase you ? Crying about it isn't going to solve it, reporting seldom will either. Your other option is to grow thicker skin, remember these are pixels and this is just a game, you can block, mute.. do all sorts of things to end the onslaught of abuse.

It's your choice, your time in game, be you, take action to preserve your time in game and make it as fun as you can. I say this because I have been on the receiving end and on the aggressors end of it.

Trundle til next time kids... keep it real, trundle on.

Troll for Trump2/15/2016, 12:58:16 AM1 votes

I think you can actually be banned for what you did. Cuz what you said was "passiveaggressive" and you calling them pathetic was "toxic"

In all seriousness gj for standing up to them. I would stand up if I weren't afraid of the automated system.

Don't play this game too many times in a row; Don't binge play it. The more games you play, the more it tends to get you tilted. You NEED breaks.

JRobin312/18/2016, 1:27:46 AM1 votes

I think the main reason players add other players just to harass them is that they are seeking a (slightly) more private setting to do their harassment. I think one reason they harass to begin with is because they are seeking an outlet that they can't find elsewhere in their lives.

Obviously, they aren't playing LoL to achieve a higher ranking, because if they were, then they would do better to encourage those who play poorly to play more games. If they actually convince players that aren't playing well to stop playing, then they end up having fewer players they can actually beat. So you have to assume that they have some other motivation in mind when they harass other players.

This sort of harassment isn't necessarily motivated by any sort of rational thinking even though it takes on methodical and calculated means. It is usually based in irrational emotions and feelings. A common theme is: I feel bad, so I'm going to try and make you feel bad. It doesn't make sense in terms of their own best interests.

KrugLyfe2/14/2016, 3:43:31 AM1 votes

I laugh to myself and mute them then continue playing and try to win!

WadeWilson13372/22/2016, 6:17:03 AM1 votes

People live sad lives. Those who play video games typically arent an exception. A lot of gamers are either shy or lack social skills, so they can never vent their feelings in a normal way in person - person. Also, alot of these people simply lack the balls to talk trash and such like you would in person as we all know from the Call of Duty chat lobbies most of us have experienced. When youre on the internet, you can say whatever the hell you want, and when Riot doesnt really punish people as often as they should, why not? Vent your frustration, trash talk somebody who you made miserable for 30 minutes by making them feed in lane so their entire team trash talks them, and the cycle just feeds into itself. One toxic person will eventually create another toxic person and it just never stops because Riot doesnt have the gull to step in.

Kei1432/14/2016, 2:35:03 PM1 votes

I think alot of the low level accounts are made by people whom are more experienced. But keep in mind that they were most likely punished by the automated reform system and their main accounts are either on 14-day ban or permabanned.

So you are getting alot of the more "toxic" people in the lower levels. I think Riot is able to stop them from starting new accounts, but if they do, the queue times for lower levels will increase dramatically (to maybe even .. 10-20 minutes).

I try to stand up for others, and try to educate others what is punishment worthy and what isn't. Alot of times, I've gotten the response "lol, learn the rules, it does nothing against me". Fact is, I do know the rules, and I know what can get punished, but if they refuse to learn, then I've done my part.

Tokogawaruf2/14/2016, 9:18:06 PM1 votes

I honestly think a new insta Treatment System specialized on recognizing smurfs and instaban them as soon as they take on this disgusting behaviour would already do the trick. I mean, how many new players would call others "bronze trash" when they dont even know that rank even exists