Toxic Behavior and Banning. Riots' War on Drugs
I have come to feel that Riot actually fosters the toxic environment they so seek to destroy. This is said with no animosity whatsoever. I love League of Legends and am grateful to Riot for creating and maintaining a game I enjoy so much. The Honor system is a step in the right direction, but currently the report system is not the best. Not that I ever condone my own toxic actions or the toxic actions of others, however, many people are report happy and the satisfaction of reporting someone often encourages what I like to call report baiting. A player instigates an individual to rile them up then turns the team against them getting 1 player multiple reports.
There is a mute feature in the game. No very few players use it because there is no justice in it. If the player muted was notified by the system they are being muted by a player it would cut toxicity level significantly and reform players with no bans necessary by allowing the player base to silence members and give them the satisfaction of letting players know you are not hearing their "noise." The report system is vindictive. Players report trying to get peoples accounts banned. That seems like a toxic mindset to put victims of simple name calling or heated disputes over game play into. Simply muting them with notification of silence essentially tells the player its time to stop typing and play the game. When players get used to silencing instead of reporting the vindictive effort to get someone punished will drop significantly.
Our American prison system is a good example that punishment is not the best way for rehabilitation, it works for some, but is seriously broken. When I first started playing league I very rarely heard the word toxic used in game. Riot has made it a buzz word. It's Riots war on drugs. Toxicity is just words and the players already have to tools to shut it down - a mute feature. But Riot, and the community have made it this big deal. Do something radical and ignore words, tell players to rely on the mute feature, have the mute feature notify the toxic player they are being muted by the player muting them. Typing will go down, toxicity will drop dramatically, players will improve, and you will have to ban way less summoners. More money for Riot, more people reformed by behavior modification and not punishment. Let us not create a generation of people who can't handle "toxicity" or even differing opinions by reinforcing a tattle system. Real life has no report system for being called names or having strong differences of opinions. In real life you can walk away from someone after telling them you will not listen to them. In League we are trapped with toxic teammates until the game ends. There is no walking away. But if a player knows they are muted, most will stop typing and play the game. Isn't that the real problem of toxicity? The typing. Not someone calling you names. Reporting and banning is just vindictive, and toxic players just make new accounts. How many did Tyler1 get banned? 22 or so? Banning does not work in regards to toxicity. In fact a banned player who starts a new account has less to lose and are possibly even angrier and more toxic.
That being said It is Riots rules, the summoners code, and all must follow them if they want to play League of Legends. The Honor system is a step in the right direction. Lets go further and teach people to be stronger. Words are just words unless you give them power. Use the mute feature and ban people who truly disrupt games with no way to stop the behavior. The intentional feeders, boosters, and the trolls.
Just one more time and boldly I say, having the mute feature notify a player that they are being muted and by whom will drastically lower toxicity with no need for reports or bans. Negative typing will reduce and people will actually do what everyone says at some point in their League career, "Just play the game."
