Boards›Player Behavior

"Just mute" is for the birds

OceanBIues·4/25/2019, 6:55:04 PM·11 votes·5,546 views

The whole idea that it's up to the typical player to "just mute" to avoid conflict, is nonsense. The problem lies in the fact that trolls are desperate for attention--if you mute them, they escalate their in-game behavior to flashing on top of you, running into your lane and inting repeatedly, etc. (don't tell me this is a fringe case either, see below)

Recently since my account has been banned, I've been playing on a smurf, muting all from the beginning so that I won't be "toxic". Ironically, what I've found is, I get griefed significantly MORE often for muting other players and not talking to them.

Finally, I think the logic that someone should get banned for addressing a griefer or troll is fundamentally wrong. If I'm driving my car, and someone runs a red light at double the speed limit, that driver loses their license, gets a ticket, etc. My driving privileges are not affected if I flip him the bird, or say something inflammatory because of what they did.

43 Comments

Imperial Pandaa4/25/2019, 7:10:23 PM9 votes

And you just identified why they don't use inifinite chat restrictions/mute verbal players and just ban them instead after multiple strikes.

Your example is actually horrible to work as a comparison. Yes, a person griefing their team deserves a punishment. In fact they should recieve an escalated punishment too; which is how the system work. Gameplay offenses start at a 14 day ban then 2nd offense is a perm.

Chat offenses are easier to catch, which is why you can typically get more strikes before a perm(minus using zero tolerance).

rujitra4/25/2019, 7:27:15 PM6 votes

??? Trolls want attention. They want you to flame. This has been proven by multiple large-scale scientific studies.

In fact, by muting the trolls, they are much more likely to stop trolling as they aren’t getting the reaction they want from you.

Battl3master4/26/2019, 12:04:35 AM5 votes

I for one say let them keep banning people for BS like they have been. Why? Because they're ruining their own game. Here's what happens when they ban someone, that someone makes another account, but what they never do is they never invest 1 more dime in rito. Which means for every person they ban and they think "oh they'll reform", that's 1 more customer this trash company has lost. Which is exactly why I'm loving it every time they try to justify their ban tactics.

insomniacjezz4/25/2019, 7:11:44 PM4 votes

“Just mute” is only a secondary recommendation for people who don’t understand that the real advice is “don’t be toxic” or who can’t follow that line of thinking.

Icy Hot Shoto4/25/2019, 7:15:06 PM3 votes

That driver doesn't lose shit if the cops don't get called. You giving them the finger just gives them the attention they were seeking with no consequences for their actions. Also, you can indeed get pulled over and ticketed for flipping the bird if a cop catches you. I've seen it happen, so don't assume you're safe from consequences when you do something stupid.

Same concept in any online, multiplayer game. If you give trolls attention, they get what they want and continue to keep doing it. If everyone could just stop giving tolls what they want, then eventually they'd leave because they'd no longer be having fun like they were before.

And how can you be sure they're griefing more because you muted them? Did you tell them you muted them? If so, then yeah they're going to escalate to doing worse stuff to get a rise out of you. But if they don't know you muted them, then high chance is they would've done that even if you didn't mute them. Heck, I've had games where NO ONE spoke... and had someone inting. Muting someone doesn't mean they're going to do worse unless you tell them you muted them.

Also, you don't get punished for addressing a troll. It's how you do it that gets you. Going, "Can you please stop?" wont get you punished, but saying, "stop fucking trolling you ass." will. If you can't be calm and collected and nice/neutral when addressing something, then all you're doing is making the situation worse for the other players in the game.

Mute, report, move on. And don't respond or stoop to their level. All you're doing is giving them what they want.

General Esdeath 4/26/2019, 2:37:14 AM1 votes

Don't announce muting at the start, makes people know you've got a toxic history

KFCeytron4/26/2019, 4:12:25 AM1 votes

Riot has tried indefinite chat restrictions. Affected players resorted to other methods of being toxic. Having been permabanned, created a new account, and - in effect - chat restricted yourself, I would not be surprised if you were resorting to other methods of being toxic and bothering your team.

Riot has also tried repeated temporary suspensions. Affected players simply earned repeated temporary suspensions on an ongoing basis rather than eventually reforming. Since removing toxicity is the goal, such players are now permabanned after two chat restrictions (for chat-related offenses that don't include zero-tolerance phrases) and a single two-week suspension. Most permabanned players don't return, so that's good progress on the goal. Some players, such as yourself, do return on new accounts to continue to be toxic, but there's not a lot Riot can do about that unless the player is a highly-visible streamer who streams all their games, in which case Riot may issue an ID ban. Riot monitors such players' streams and manually bans any account those players use.

TL;DR: You are incorrect.

Midg3t4/26/2019, 8:59:47 AM1 votes

{quoted}

The whole idea that it's up to the typical player to "just mute" to avoid conflict, is nonsense. The problem lies in the fact that trolls are desperate for attention--if you mute them, they escalate their in-game behavior to flashing on top of you, running into your lane and inting repeatedly, etc. (don't tell me this is a fringe case either, see below)

Trolls will troll regardless of what you do. And how is muting some1 to avoid conflict a nonsense? Do you see him flaming after that? No? Then what's the problem?

Recently since my account has been banned, I've been playing on a smurf, muting all from the beginning so that I won't be "toxic". Ironically, what I've found is, I get griefed significantly MORE often for muting other players and not talking to them.

Banned smurf plays with and against banned smurfs. Again, they would grief regardless.

Finally, I think the logic that someone should get banned for addressing a griefer or troll is fundamentally wrong. If I'm driving my car, and someone runs a red light at double the speed limit, that driver loses their license, gets a ticket, etc. My driving privileges are not affected if I flip him the bird, or say something inflammatory because of what they did.

Yes and no. While there is no point in pointing out the obvious (some1 trolling) I agree that shouldn't be punishable.

ModPeriscope4/26/2019, 1:12:22 AM1 votes

I can't say I ever use mute all, but that does sound strange. There's not really a great way to stop someone from trolling/feeding in a game, unless you go all Minority Report on them.

The only constant in any of these games will always be you. So if you feel like you're getting tilted, take a break or do some stress relief. Otherwise, just play your game.

Deliberate Inter4/25/2019, 7:44:03 PM1 votes

I'm not much for muting but I always tell people I muted them so they stop desperately seeking my attention and approval. At the start of every game I am like "Btw I muted all of your and ur pings before I even buy starting items, I am smurfing WAY too hard to hear anything from your level ,no offense" and go about my business, even though I didn't really mute anyone lol