Do you know what makes you a "good" League player?

Being a good team player, and being team aware.

Now here me out. I'm not saying this makes you a skilled player or that you'll win significantly more games then the average Joe.

No, it just makes you "good". A good player. A player that makes the game fun. A player that makes losing feel less bitter.

Let me explain what I mean by a "good team player". A team player is someone whose focus is upon getting the whole team to victory, not just getting the best KDA rating out of the team. A team player is hyper aware of their teammates' ability, their success, and their failure. One who is able to work with successful teammates to fill the gap a badly performing teammate is leaving (int or not), and one who is able to work with the badly performing teammate if possible (not int) to help them improve.

Being aware of your team means you notice what your teammates are succeeding or failing at. And being a good team player means you can work with that. Be flexible. Use your skills and communication to help improve your relationship with your teammates and hopefully point them in the right direction.

Seeing your teammate die, instead of saying, "stop feeding" take the time to actually notice what exactly they did wrong and explain to them how they could do it better next time. When you are the stronger link in the team, use your skill and your awareness of strategy to suggest a better approach. If they are struggling, they obviously don't see what you see, and saying "stop feeding" CAN'T help them. It only makes them aware they are struggling. HELP THEM SEE THE PROBLEM, THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL THEY FIX IT.

And no, unskilled noobies, I'm not letting you off the hook. As a teammate, I expect you to hold yourself to a standard even if you are aware you are weak. By this, I mean I expect you to attempt to improve. TAKE THE INITIATIVE. When you die over and over, take a moment and say your sorry. Take a moment and ask, "hey team, what am I doing wrong? Can I have help? Can I have a pointer? Etc." You can't just lie back and blame others when you can tell there is a serious problem. Fix the fucking problem. Ask how.

If you are playing with a troll who won't listen to correctly given constructive criticism, work with your other good teammates to fill the void. Communication is key. Look around you and think, "how can we as a team fix this?". You and one other good player can do a lot to fix a problem if you work together.

Having good teammates always makes the game more enjoyable. When I'm having a frustrating game, which I have a lot of, a good teammate that says, "hey, I noticed (blank) and I think you could do (blank) to fix the problem" makes it so much less bitter. Or when I or someone else give construction criticism to another teammate and (gasp) it actually works, it's like the most mood lifting thing in a world. When I have a good game, where everyone was communicating and no one flamed, I still feel so good and more accomplished when the game is lost anyways.

The thing is, the game isn't about winning every time. It never was. It's about playing the game and enjoying it. It's about playing in a team, AS A TEAM. The game was never meant to play alone. And yeah, the trolls and the INTers and the noobs and the losses are really frustrating. Your whole team doesn't have to be player aware or skilled for it to even be a fun game.

ONE other player, ONE random friendly stranger on the internet, can make the game fun. Even if your three other teammates are trolls, the one who is encouraging and actually helpful makes it all worth it. It makes it 100% less isolating and frustrating. YOU can be that one person for someone else in your game, if you take the initiative. And that's your choice.

That's why it makes you a "good player". Because it takes a choice, effort even, to do this. To be a positive force. To be a "good" teammate.

Any game that was fun to play is a win, even if it was a loss.