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Can Riot do anything to stop the toxic atmoshere in normals?

EmpressOfBeauty·2/27/2018, 5:29:25 AM·2 votes·451 views

I have only been playing this game a month and a half, because a friend asked me to join her. Why is it, that even though there is a ranked match option, people find it necessary to be so toxic in normals?

I am still learning, and I find myself in matches with people with rankings and every so often, even when with a friend or two, someone has to call me out.

Last match my nose started bleeding. Let that sink in. I told my team, and ran to get tissues and returned to our jungle (who was a renekton) saying "why is lux doing literally nothing." I restated that my nose was still bleeding and I was playing with one hand.

A bit later, I have a total of 1 kill and 7 deaths, and we have lost the top and middle turrets (I was middle laning) and our jungle says "well no point now we lost, lux is just feeding". Seriously? I am playing with one hand, and I explained this. I angrily replied "yeah let me prioritize my health over a non ranked match" and he said I may as well quit bc now I was helping the enemy team. So I got upset and I said "will do bye motherf*cker" and left the game. My friends claimed to have went off on him after I left.

So my point is.....what is with league players and the tendency to be so toxic in matches that honestly do not matter? I can understand frustration in ranked matches. But this was normal. I have friends who say things like "I am going to carry" or "<name> is the only one who can actually carry the team" but why? Why do people have this mindset that carrying will win, and why do guides encourage it? Isn't this supposed to be a teamplayer game?

It is unfair that smurfs and people who have played since the early days can just make people feel inferior with words like that. I understand the mute option, but even muting is ineffective because though you won't see what is being said, your teammates will and they turn on you too. And they can take it to /all and then they do it too. About 8-9 people making fun of you for being new, and saying that it isn't an excuse. How can anyone expect someone to play well at that point when they are being ganged up on?

Also, let me just say, that no one "feeds" on purpose. Why would anyone want to lose, especially a normal other than to troll? I may have a bad matchup, or else the other player may just be way better. Or the enemy jungler visits my lane (and occasionally the whole team when in bottom lane) way too often. But that is seen as feeding just for dying. Not everyone plays like a pro!!

Riot, please do something about this. I have tried muting, and reporting, and neither of them work. I reported someone once and got in another match with them the next day where they harassed me before the match even started.

People should realize that they treat others like shit over a video game and they need help. No one starts off a video game knowing how to dominate it. Everyone learns and I haven't even played two months yet. And please actually do something with reports because obviously some are overlooked.

~Alayna, 16.

12 Comments

Mordius2/27/2018, 5:39:07 AM2 votes

While toxicity isn't tolerated in any game mode, I would be in favor of weighing toxicity in non-ranked modes more severely

Almost Creative2/27/2018, 9:02:30 AM2 votes

Yeah, I've witnessed it too last season before I started playing ranked. 9/10 times, it's the ones with a ranked profile that's flaming compared to unranked people. There was this one thread of this girl who said she's been a victim of toxicity in normals to a point that it would make her cry (real tears). She said people would tell her to kill herself, uninstall, never play this champ, you name it. If that's how they act in normals, I can't imagine how they act in ranked.

TattooedOni2/27/2018, 6:05:22 AM1 votes

Unfortunately people are really competitive in any mode. You have to keep the perspective that its just a game, and it will only last as long as the game and you will get different team mates. If anyone is bothering you with their attitude in chat, you should mute them. When I am trying to enjoy my time in the game and not being competitive I mute someone the first time they say my champions name. It sucks its like that, but that is reality.

Lord of Math2/27/2018, 6:18:08 AM1 votes

Do not expect people to listen to you in games. You can ping them that you have no health and no cooldowns and they still want to engage teamfights.

Sona Ping2/27/2018, 6:40:48 AM1 votes

I understand the mute option, but even muting is ineffective because though you won't see what is being said, your teammates will and they turn on you too. And they can take it to /all and then they do it too. About 8-9 people making fun of you for being new, and saying that it isn't an excuse.

That has not been my experience with League at all but I'm sorry that it has happened to you.

"I have friends who say things like "I am going to carry" or "<name> is the only one who can actually carry the team" but why? Why do people have this mindset that carrying will win, and why do guides encourage it? Isn't this supposed to be a teamplayer game?"

It's been used like this in team sports for decades. Carry means a lot of different things based on the context. Here read carry as "having the capability to exert influence over the course and/or outcome of the game". Guides are going to encourage using strategies for a team that will cause the game to be a win for them.

Can Riot do anything to stop the toxic atmoshere in normals?

The honest, hard answer is: No, Riot nor anyone else can prevent it. They can discourage acting in some way and incentivize better behaviour and Riot does. But "People will be People" and Riot cannot control anyone and stop that. Nor can any game developer, as others can attest to. There's no shortage of other games where people insult others regardless of team or try to punish teammates for the pettiest of reason, even for doing well.

Also, let me just say, that no one "feeds" on purpose.

The unfortunate thing is that is not true. People do feed on purpose, for any number of reasons. "Griefing" is by no means a new thing. People are people after all.

So my point is.....what is with league players and the tendency to be so toxic in matches that honestly do not matter?

First, let it be known that my stance on this incident is that the player on Renekton was being unreasonable. He should have understood the situation, and he should not have been not understanding and then further aggravating the situation by acting like a passive-aggressive child about it. I do not think that's an appropriate way to act in this situation, that above all is my position on this. However, honestly even normals do matter. Because normal games take up people's and people's time is valued. People use their frequently limited spare time to play games to have fun and this includes playing competitive games in queues where the results are not tracked. If you're playing a normal to try to have fun in your free time and you have some Yasuo who keeps fighting the enemy team in their base when all their towers are still up, so now you get to play Grey Screen Simulator instead of League, it is very reasonable for you to be annoyed by that, because you have some guy selfishly ruining the match for 4+ people and wasting a half hour of your time. That said, I will say again that your account demonstrates that Renekton was being an ass.

Telephone Booth2/27/2018, 11:10:01 PM1 votes

The thing about carry, is that it is very team based. A carry typically carries late game, and needs to be carried early. Your team needs to help your "carry" early, to get him as powerful as possible so he can "carry" later. In a team game, with roles, carry has everything to do with teamwork. It's not being the star of the match. It's being a deadweight that needs protection, until they buy enough items to then return the favor by being a powerhouse for their team. In league, every individual is not equally as powerful, and there's some real nuances under the surface. You're looking at it like being a carry is like being a ballhog in basketball or something. But in basketball, when you need points, you don't pass the ball to your worst shooter. He's not equal in that aspect. Your carry is your lebron or Kobe. Not because he's not a team player, but because his role is to make baskets.

So... champs like jinx and master yi, are obviously gonna be your carries versus champs like nami, braum, etc. It has nothing to do with your value to the team. It's just roles. Strategy. Team game shit.