Community Appeal System - Rough Draft

Reaper Review·4/3/2016, 4:58:23 PM·9 votes·1,438 views

An idea I've made mention of in some of my recent posts.

This is a (rough draft of) a system where a banned player can, after a pre-determined time period, appeal to their fellow players for a last chance. The logic here being that, since bans are assigned to players that the system has decided the community shouldn't have to deal with, the right for a player to have another chance if they've shown reform should be up to that same community.

Now I know someone's going to tell me "but it's a permanent ban". In real terms, though, 'permanent' is only as long as Riot wants it to be, since they're in control of the account.

Anyway, here are the basic points of the system:


  • A banned player can file for a Community Appeal 2 months after the date of their ban (adjust time frame as needed). This provides the player with a very real incentive to reform, since their stuff actually hinges on their success instead of being just flat-out gone forever.

  • Said player then writes up an appeal, discussing how they believe they've reformed, and can use things they've done since their ban as evidence of such. Things like alt accounts leveled up without bad behavior, helping the game community in other ways, etc...

  • The Arbiters, as well as possibly players who have a relatively clear punishment record and are a certain summoner level, can then vote on these appeals. These players would likely also need to have played a certain number of PVP games to decrease the threat of alt accounts being used. (Level 30 with possibly ~300 PVP games having been played might be a good starting point.)

  • If the appeal is successful, the account is placed back at punishment tier 3, meaning one more strike and they're out (again). It's up to them to reform from there.

  • Community Appeal can only be done once per account, even if the appeal fails, so if they fail their appeal or screw up on their account again, they're done for-real-permanently.


This system isn't just "unban people". The banned needs to make their case, and be judged by their fellow players. Let their ultimate fate be decided by the people who pay to keep this game afloat rather than an automated system.

(It was pointed out to me that famous players who were banned may present an issue with this system, like Dunkey for example, so I am very aware of this.)

Thoughts? Opinions? Ridicule? I'll take anything as long as it makes a decent discussion point.


I'm mainly interested in seeing if players who were significantly punished can reform when given such an incentive. I know it didn't work when Riot tried it years ago, but accounts weren't worth nearly as much back then. Plus their testing period was rather short, all things considered. There's so much more at stake now.

40 Comments

Makior724/3/2016, 5:38:28 PM3 votes

No. Absolutely not.

If after going through 3 punishment tiers someone doesnt reform, they deserve the perma ban.

And if someone does something bad enough to jump straight to perma then again, they deserve it.

No amount of "i am sorry wont happen again" will ever get me to vote to repeal a perma ban.

Also i think the way the community is, people would honestly just use this system as a way to laugh at someone for being banned rather than take the appeal process seriously.

Reaper Review4/7/2016, 11:22:01 PM3 votes

I think I've nailed part of what's been bothering me about the lack of a system like this.

There's very little incentive to actually go straight and enjoy the game after reforming if you were banned. Your only two options are to make a new account and start from scratch to try and pick up the pieces, or quit League. Both of which are difficult in their own ways if you truly enjoy the game and want to change.

Those who don't plan to abide by the rules, though, have it significantly easier. They can start a new account and harass new players, damaging the new player experience (even more). They can buy a level 30 account and be on their way with minimal hassle and work involved. That or they just quit League also, but if they do, they likely didn't care too much. No matter what, though, it's easy for them to get their way compared to the person trying to legitimately reform.

At the end of the day, the person who really wants to reform gets the short end of the stick in exchange for a moral victory that honestly doesn't amount to much because it's just a video game.

Am I wrong for thinking this way?

Reaper Review4/8/2016, 7:00:25 PM2 votes

I lost two more games last night on my new account. One of which I tried playing with some of my friends because they offered, but as I expected, being a relatively low-skill level 15 player against mainly level 30 players didn't pan out very well. The other I lost because blind pick is completely uncoordinated when nobody wants to talk in pre-game chat and I ended up having to be 'support' Ezreal because someone locked in Varus after I locked.

Six lost PVP matches at level 15 later and I'm progressed only about halfway to level 16. I keep turning back towards this appeal idea simply because, at this point, it's legitimately a more engaging endeavor than trying to conquer the pre-30 grind in my odd position.

I haven't completely given up on leveling my alt, I just need to do it sparingly so I don't risk losing my sanity from it...

Also, despite what some people want to tell me, Hextech Crafting does NOT help you gain content and make an account more enjoyable in any reasonable time-frame, considering I'm hard-pressed to get S ranks as it is on top of only owning three champions.

JackTheTripper4/11/2016, 12:33:37 AM2 votes

This is a great idea I must say. People are often complaining about how negative this game is when you are low levels. The reason it's so bad and toxic is because the said banned people just make new accounts and take all that anger out on the new players. Mean while the older players with their mains well past this mark don't even notice or care about the people who are just coming to this community. It's quite a funny circle but remember the toxic players will be back to 30 before you know it. Or and lets not forget they can just buy a level 30 account and come back to wreck games. The community should be thinking reform not banning. Reform is a much better choice, stop making the new players deal with the issue. Veterans should be the ones to help resolve the issue, not pass the buck down to the poor new players. To all of you that decline a reform system you are only wrecking the game we all love.

AJStarhiker4/4/2016, 4:43:26 PM2 votes

I think it's at least a promising start. I do like the idea of a community appeal process, as long as there's a way to avoid it turning into a popularity contest. Stripping names, like they did in the later iterations of the old Tribunal, might be one way to help with that.

I understand why Riot uses permabans. And I understand why the recovery program attempt they made failed (IIRC, it was around the end of S1 or early S2). I don't know, maybe they attempted it too soon and it failed because the players in question hadn't had enough time to grow up (in the case of teenagers) or learn better coping strategies. Some people never learn, though, so I like the one appeal part.

I'm not sure what an appropriate interval would be to become eligible, though.

SmokedAlmonds4/3/2016, 8:59:37 PM2 votes

Banned players were already judged by their fellow players. Players reported the banned person. What is considered punishable is based off of both tribunal voting data(also done by players) and current reporting data(by players). Their fate has already been decided by the players.

If you want to have something like that I would much rather see something like removing one of the chat restriction tiers and then add a lengthy 3+ month ban between 14 day and permanent.

Reaper Review4/4/2016, 4:04:50 PM1 votes

Made some minor adjustments to my outline in the OP, based on Nep2une's thoughts.

I feel like it shows a lot of improvement and strong character for someone to truly reform after something as crushing as a permanent ban, and the fact that the only tangible "reward" for it is "the chance to spend a ton of money again to get the content you enjoy from a company you want to support". Yeah, you don't HAVE to spend money on a new account, but it's nice to support Riot if you like the game, which you clearly do if you bothered to reform yourself after the fact.

Like I said in another thread, we're not dealing with lawbreakers and important items being taken. It's just accounts in a video game.

Reaper Review4/7/2016, 8:15:15 PM1 votes

I haven't given up on this idea. I don't know why, considering it's unlikely to go anywhere, but eh.

AJStarhiker4/7/2016, 8:38:33 PM1 votes

Something else I've thought of that would need to be considered: making sure the alt account and the banned one are the same person. I could see some players buying a 'clean' account to try and sneak an appeal through.

Reaper Review4/13/2016, 5:55:34 PM1 votes

I don't know, I just don't find "the chance to spend hundreds of dollars on skins you already spent money on once before" to be a particularly endearing incentive to reform after the fact.

I keep seeing threads with people saying they're just going to feed and ruin games for other people because they're angry at Riot. It makes me sick knowing that for all my attempts to show a positive change in attitude, I don't have it any easier than they do.

I want to feel like there's a tangible point to all this effort I've put in that doesn't end in me spending a lot of money. (I'm well aware that you don't have to spend money in this game, but what can I say, I like skins. I even bought DJ Sona twice, one for me and one for a friend.)

I don't like harassing/flaming/shading other players. That's not something I take pleasure in. The game that I find joy in is one where I have a wide selection of champions and can play who I feel like playing, while other players have fun as well. That joy is just so far off from where I am now, though, while the people who swear revenge on the system can do what they want right from the get-go.

Reaper Review4/20/2016, 4:55:00 AM1 votes

I've been thinking lately, maybe instead of unbanning an old account wholesale, a player could at least earn back the stuff bought with IP on their old account.

They can keep the skins and stuff, so being banned still has punch to it. Just the idea of grinding out a ton of champions, runes, and rune pages again is extremely bothersome and a great way to make me not want to play anymore.

I'd actually be more than happy to spend money again, but like I said, I want to buy fun extras, not champions...

themachamp4/20/2016, 6:58:41 AM1 votes

Meh, once the game has peaked and started to die down they will probably pull a blizzard and allow player to purchase back their dead accounts. At the end of the day( esp since riot was sold to a chinese company) $$$ will override any decision made by the player behavioral team.

Powderkegg4/3/2016, 5:19:15 PM1 votes

Riot, back in 2010 I think, unbanned a number of permabanned players who they felt had a high chance of reforming and over 90% reoffended. I doubt there will be any process for appeal ever.

Reaper Review4/23/2016, 1:33:04 AM1 votes

I really have nothing more to add here. If Riot's going to keep my account around anyway for marketing purposes or whatever, I really feel like I should be able to have a shot at earning back access to it.

"But Reaper, they don't want to give toxic players an incentive to make new accounts."

Yeah, that logic's already been proven to be faulty more than once, if the threads I've seen of people declaring intent to troll in revenge for their bans are any indication.

I don't think a system like this has any legitimate downsides as long as it's properly handled, and can give people a new lease on life, in a manner of speaking.

Kei1434/3/2016, 5:36:53 PM1 votes

personally, I'm ok with this. Infact its probably the most solid idea I've seen so far.

Although I'd go even further to argue that being neutral isn't enough. I'd like to see a positive influence on the community as well.

I think over a large number of games and a long period of time would work.

Astôlfo4/3/2016, 8:35:45 PM1 votes

I think the idea is a good one in concept. I'd probably only let permanent bans be appealed as such (so an automatic no to 14-day bans).

A wait time of at least 2-3 months would be good, considering 14-day bans is around half a month. The appeal section idea you have is good. I'd say they shouldn't have any more than a warning (like, not even a 5-chat restriction [tier 1] would be considered okay), and would need to be level 30. Minimum number of PVP games, I'd say around 200-400 maybe?

Placing them back at Tier 3 (Next punishment is perma) if they manage to get through everything would be good. However, if they get themselves permanently banned again after that, they should not be able to re-appeal. In all senses of the word, it should be their very last chance, after all the ones they've missed in the past. If they still can't shape up after being freed of their original perma, they do not deserve another chance after that.

Oh, you just mentioned that in your next point. And yes, I agree. If the appeal is rejected or they end up perma'd again, then they will stay that way.

However, I don't think just anyone should be able to decide, because a huge issue with the Tribunal is that it was also human-led. Which opens itself up to flaws from human negativity. After all, the Tribunal "Arbiters" may pass more bans subconsciously or intentionally if they have a bad day, or let more cases go if they're having a good one. Or, they might find it amusing to watch people being crushed of their hopes and just intentionally reject nearly everything.

I think if this were to happen, it should not apply retroactively, and it should be limited to a select group of people (Such as the Arbiters - although ofc, Rioters could step in at any time to overrule anything).

Kallian4/3/2016, 9:38:24 PM1 votes

you have my support, however i would add more steps into the process to make things absolutely unVolibearable that they understand that what they've done is wrong and not to do it again. but this is a 10/10 idea, i hope riot will consider it!

Reaper Review4/3/2016, 11:21:06 PM1 votes

Overall, I understand that it's a very conflicting idea, and both sides (for or against) have reasonable arguments.

While toxicity is something you can track easily using the existing systems, reform is more complicated than that. Just not being reported is only part of it, it's also important that a player understands their own mentality and how to prevent themselves from saying toxic things.

Basically, as far as an artificial system is concerned, actually solving the problem and just sweeping it under the rug are one in the same, when that shouldn't be the case.

scazzman4/4/2016, 8:29:16 AM1 votes

ive mentioned this before on some of my own posts the main problem with toxicity. is trolls will troll regadless. but they are allowed to trap players in a corner before they get banned. which in turn leads to ragers who are trying to stop. being unable to simply because of the sheer amount of provoking, taunting. and insults. if you put a million trolls in front of the same neutral player. based on simple probability alone. one of them will drive the neutral player over the edge. and rather than "walk away" borderline players are FORCED to stay in the game with that troll until a surrender vote passes or risk getting banned anyway regardless of whether they flamed or no. or when the game finally ends. where if they encountered that person irl. they could walk away from the situaton, or file a restraining order ect. if it was bad enough that they couldnt be ignored.