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Why are we so damn toxic in this game and community?

DressofHeaven·1/24/2017, 5:51:33 PM·7 votes·2,488 views

Hello everyone, it is your friendly ranter here once again asking a simple question: Why the hell are we so goddamn toxic to one another? Because really, there's no need to be downright rude and despicable towards a person in a game just because they might've made a mistake. I know I've covered this before, but it bears repeating. In most chats, someone on your team is gonna be angry at someone (be it they were feeding, missing an ability, what have you) and will type "kys" or "I will come to your house and kill you", you know, typical chat stuff. But my question now is, if you walked up to that person in real life, would you honestly say that to them? Any decent human being would of course say no they wouldn't tell someone to kill themselves, even if it's in a joking manner. But it seems most people in this community seem way to focused on winning than being actual decent human beings that enjoy playing the game and having fun. If Riot truly cares about the players, then shouldn't they be fixing on what is a pretty damn big problem?

I know the last time I wrote something like this I said that you should be complimenting others and be giving them advice, but it seems not many have done that, meaning I guess the only real way that would work is downright bribery and telling everyone you'd get a sweet reward for being nice to others, which sounds really freaking lame and disgusting imo. You shouldn't have to bribe someone to be nice. I'm always a nice person and free to talk too, so if someone has a problem, I'll be glad to sit down and listen. If someone wants some general advice (i.e: how to be optimistic af), I'll be there to lend some words of possible wisdom. Being rude to others isn't going to guarantee success in life, hell, I doubt Riot wants some foulmouthed hooligans to work for their company if they want to hire someone for some reason.

To quote one of my favourite fictional characters, Chiaki Nanami from Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: “It's not a game if you're not having fun. It doesn't mean anything if you just focus on winning or losing.” That is what gaming means to me. It doesn't matter how many games you win or lose, what's important is if you're having FUN. The main basis that all games strive to be. League may have so many flaws (like champions that need to be balanced, the community not being impressed or happy, etc.), but it also has some good qualities as well (a huge selection of champions that anyone can choose to pick up and play, you can make so many friends through this, the sweet satisfaction of a comeback if you're the underdog team no one was rooting for but you manage to pull out a win anyways, etc).

You really have to take the good with the bad in everything. No one is perfect. Everyone has mistakes and faults, but that's because we're human. Humans are both impressive, but also terrifying. We create so many wonderful things, and make a ton of relationships, but we also destroy and ruin just as many things as we create and bond over. You may call me a heathen or inhuman for just how goddamn optimistic I may be, and may also call me an idiot for thinking like this, but I'm never going to judge someone based on their race, age, colour, gender, whatever. I'll only judge a person by their actions, since actions certainly speak louder than words.

In short: To once again quote Chiaki Nanami: "...But even if I'm betrayed again, I still want to believe in everyone. No matter how many times I may be betrayed...I still want to believe in everyone.” I may be back-stabbed a thousand times, but I still want to believe there's some good in each and every one of you. There has to be something, as I don't truly believe you're all god-awful human beings who ruin other's days just for fun or for the "lols". Take this however you may, but looking at the glass half-full instead of half-empty makes one hell of a difference, even if it may not move you up the ladder from gold to platinum.

Sorry for wasting your time with this, I just needed to vent out my feelings on this issue. Until next time everyone, please, think about others and how they feel before automatically saying something you may not mean in the heat of the moment. I know you're not all horrendous. I believe in each and every one of you to be better than some toxic player you just met in a game. [slayer-jinx-wink]

24 Comments

Maximum Morde1/24/2017, 5:57:53 PM8 votes

It's well known in behavioral studies that anonymity plus audience = asshole. Without repercussions/strong social control to hold people in line they just do what they feel like. Since people are at their core just self serving organisms, this means it's asshole time.

I have very little doubt that most of these folks are actually pretty chill folk in real life that I wouldn't mind hanging around with.

IsoVhell1/24/2017, 6:07:10 PM5 votes

They are safe behind their PC's! One of the big reason, because most people are cowards in public when it comes to confrontation!

BestSupportGold1/24/2017, 6:57:07 PM4 votes

I would say, with this game, it has to do with the immature base. I would say a good majority of players are young, and they don't respond well to team orientated tasks, in the forms of build suggestions, constructive criticism, and team leadership. So most people go the selfish route, and then take it personal when you try to instruct otherwise. When they take it personal, they begin to lash back, when all you were simply trying to do was suggest the place or buy a ward and not over extend their lane. There is no harm in that, you're not being a troll to them, you're just helping everyone, and trying to prevent a self tilt.

Selfish acts from younger players causes Toxicity. Scroll through the threads and look at the posts that have some angry capital lines and multiple exclamation marks, and the insults on how bad something is, and then scroll through the comments and see how people react to general questions. Those posts reveal how old the person is, and you can get an idea of it as well.

oSEXYPLATYPUSo1/24/2017, 7:05:03 PM2 votes

this explains everything

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTbgvYPVdXE&t=1s

KVbqbFsC8e1/24/2017, 9:44:42 PM2 votes

People are toxic because of the way this game works. You are punished for other people making mistakes, playing poorly, ragequitting, or trolling. Its unreasonable to expect everyone on the Internet to never get upset over that fact.

Dominick Destine1/24/2017, 9:54:57 PM2 votes

The overwhelming majority of the time, I have found that people that think others are toxic, are toxic themselves.

Example; Guy 1: Hey boi, what top u goin Guy 2: Don't call me boy, you are racist Guy 1: WTF? Chillax bro Guy 2: Wow you even call me bro, I am reporting you after game Guy 1: LOL STFU. Guy 2: You are toxic. Guy 3-4 and me: Could you at least mute each other? I (we) would like to actually win this match. Guy 1 and 2: [Continue arguing]

This is the most common pattern that I have observed.

h5LYF41Lam1/24/2017, 9:55:31 PM1 votes

in every game where you have to cooperate with other players theres toxicit,whether thats getting yelled at by a 15 year old on left for dead for using your flashlight on the witch or getting flamed by a kid in league of legends.

CodyBear 1/25/2017, 2:05:27 AM1 votes

Poor matchmaking system causes the toxicity.

fatherdarius1/25/2017, 4:52:49 AM1 votes

I'm not... I don't rage or get mad. Or be toxic. I just... don't. I don't even WANT to. It's like I have Xanax on an IV drip or something. Playing the game makes me feel very zen. If I find someone obnoxious I'll mute and maybe report.

shrug

I figure the vast majority of ragers must need anger management. I don't think that's the vast majority of the community though. In most games with toxicity, I find it's 1-2 players out of the 10. Sometimes 3, if a third person jumps to the defense of someone, or tries to 'chill people out' and then gets frustrated when they don't respond.

I suppose I just have generally low expectations for player behavior. So when I do get flame-free games (which, honestly, is most of the time) I'm just repeatedly pleasantly surprised.

If you're of drinking age, I do highly recommend an alcoholic beverage before or during a game. Don't get hammered (unless you're playing vs AI or on ARAM). Realize that even professionals in sports (and esports) DO still play the game for fun. I mean, did you ever hear Michael or Kobe say they hate Basketball? When's the last time you heard a Pro quarterback say, "I hate football, it's zero fun, and I only do it for the money until I can find something else"? Yeah, that doesn't happen.

So, be competitive, but play the game for fun. Because if you don't, you're really only cheating yourself.

Also, in this day and age of the colloquial 'participation trophy', just be happy that even if you lose a match you still get some IP. Rito doesn't have to give you anything.

herroprzz1/25/2017, 6:54:26 AM1 votes

because people like this exist 01/24/2017 [10:49PM] Shabutieee: makes sense now bronze 3 malz main that does bad every game with malz [10:49PM] herroprzz: good i reported you, thanks for messaging me to harass [10:49PM] Shabutieee: no oproblem get better [10:50PM] herroprzz: you understand you added me to talk shit [10:50PM] Shabutieee: yes... [10:50PM] herroprzz: and i reported you [10:50PM] Shabutieee: took about 2 seconds w [10:50PM] herroprzz: i sincerely hope you get the ban [10:50PM] Shabutieee: while I wait for a game [10:50PM] herroprzz: that i got for doing just that [10:50PM] Shabutieee: i sincerly hope you get better at the game because you are just awful [10:50PM] herroprzz: good day lad enjoy your evening and ban [10:50PM] Shabutieee: I got out of bronze within one week of playing this game for the first time you just suck [10:50PM] herroprzz: do u make money [10:50PM] Shabutieee: yes do you? [10:50PM] herroprzz: absolutely [10:50PM] Shabutieee: good you are still bad at this game any other irrelevant questions? [10:51PM] herroprzz: none, just that you have made me feel really insecure and i am going to cut myself now [10:51PM] Shabutieee: lol [10:51PM] herroprzz: thank you for ruining my evening [10:51PM] Shabutieee: I don't feel bad for you... by the way, I wouldn't have cared if you were just bad but being bad and then being an awful teammmate is just terrible john do you want mid

Manaricelle1/25/2017, 8:16:15 AM1 votes

People basically get more brave on the internet. The anonymity gives people balls to say whatever they want to say without consequence. Sometimes it's a need to prove something and this may usually be the case. If someone calls them trash and asks the team to report, it's usually an all-chat struggle to prove why they weren't bad and shouldn't be reported.

In honestly, I just stopped caring what people think if someone says I'm bad. Cool. Whatever. If they keep going, I mute them. if they ping spam, I turn up my jams. I'm not going to waste my energy and resources responding back to someone when I have a game to win.

CodyBear 1/27/2017, 12:23:43 AM1 votes

Poor matchmaking system causes people to flame.

SciFi Scrivener1/24/2017, 7:04:06 PM1 votes

Just my opinion, but I believe it is a learned response system. Those toxic players want attention. They have found it easier to get attention when being toxic because most players will defend themselves from the toxic player, hence giving the toxic player the attention they desire. If doing your best to be polite to a player does not result in them chilling out, ignore them. If enough rational people refused to interact in anyway with a toxic player they will learn that that behavior does not result in the desired attention, forcing them to either leave and find the attention in another community or act rational and reengage this community.

Then again, I'm no psychologist, I could be wrong. But I have had a better playing experience when I choose to ignore toxic players rather than try to engage them polity.

Eunson1/24/2017, 8:04:21 PM1 votes

Combination of age from 10-30+ mixed with a competitive environment that's filled with many boosted players playing at a level they do not belong.

EvilDustMan1/24/2017, 8:06:13 PM1 votes

It's pretty simple really. You depend on other people for your success and you can't leave for the duration of the game. It makes for a pretty tense atmosphere. That's why I agree with the somewhat harsh nature of the chat system.

SatansFirstPick1/24/2017, 9:17:12 PM1 votes

Personally its for me pent up anger and stress seeping out during high-pressure games,

vOmvbrawfU1/24/2017, 9:17:39 PM1 votes

My personal take on it. The majority of "toxicity" I see is as a direct result of someone trolling the game. Currently, you can go afk by the tower and as long as you move enough and go take a jg camp every now and then to avoid leaver buster automated system, you won't get punished for it. Regardless of reports. I've sent in support tickets of people doing exactly that, and yet, they're still playing games. So, when you create an environment where it's ok to troll, people that play for competition get upset. And then they "flame". So you can sit and ban all the "flamers" you want, but it's not going to change anything about the toxicity level, as made obvious by Riot Lyte's complete failure of an attempt to do so. Being forced to sit in a 35 min game because a trolling duo won't ff or you have an AFK and your team is all "never surrender" is terrible. It's just not fun. Games are not competitive anymore as it's pretty much whoever gets lucky and gets lets trolls is going to win.