Actions or intent, which determines trolling?

Lapis·8/14/2019, 3:11:18 AM·2 votes·2,064 views

I was thinking of a hypothetical and would like to see what people think about this.

Okay, so say someone is weak on a champ. They've got a few games in, but their performance on that champ is definitely lower than on champs they play regularly. They decide to take that champ into ranked. Is this trolling? Personally I would say no but I know some people would disagree.

In the next scenario, this same person queues into a ranked game. They hover a champ they want to play and a teammate bans it. They consider playing a different champ they're skilled on, but because they're now upset at their teammate, they decide to play the champ they're still learning. They make sure to play to their best ability during the game, but they know they would have done better on another champ.

Is this second scenario trolling?

10 Comments

ModThe Djinn8/14/2019, 12:57:47 PM3 votes

{quoted}Okay, so say someone is weak on a champ. They've got a few games in, but their performance on that champ is definitely lower than on champs they play regularly. They decide to take that champ into ranked. Is this trolling? Personally I would say no but I know some people would disagree.

This is not trolling. There is no requirement that you play the champion you're best at in ranked.

In the next scenario, this same person queues into a ranked game. They hover a champ they want to play and a teammate bans it. They consider playing a different champ they're skilled on, but because they're now upset at their teammate, they decide to play the champ they're still learning. They make sure to play to their best ability during the game, but they know they would have done better on another champ.

This is not trolling. There is, again, no requirement that you play the champion you're best at in ranked.

In both cases the player appears to be playing to the best of their ability on their selected champion. As a result, neither of these players is trolling.

GatekeeperTDS8/14/2019, 3:18:58 AM3 votes

They decide to take that champ into ranked. Is this trolling?

Let's separate some terms. Trolling is subjective. Can't be proven, can't be defined.

Let's call ruining a game on purpose griefing. Intentional feeding is a type of griefing.

Riot's definition of griefing does not include playing any champion in any role in any game mode. If this was something they wanted to enforce, they would enforce it. Every week someone posts the "hurr durr Rito make people have Master 5 on champs for ranked" horseshit. It's never going to happen. So you're right in your analysis that this is not trolling/griefing.

They make sure to play to their best ability during the game

Your second scenario is also not griefing. Riot's system doesn't police thoughts, it polices actions.

Hotarµ8/14/2019, 3:22:39 AM3 votes

Okay, so say someone is weak on a champ. They've got a few games in, but their performance on that champ is definitely lower than on champs they play regularly. They decide to take that champ into ranked. Is this trolling? Personally I would say no but I know some people would disagree.

No, it's not trolling.

You could make the argument that it's irresponsible (IMO it is) but it's definitely not trolling if someone is genuinely trying to learn and grow on that champion.

In the next scenario, this same person queues into a ranked game. They hover a champ they want to play and a teammate bans it. They consider playing a different champ they're skilled on, but because they're now upset at their teammate, they decide to play the champ they're still learning. They make sure to play to their best ability during the game, but they know they would have done better on another champ.

I kind of have mixed feelings about this one. This is way more open to interpretation than the first example.

On one hand, it's wrong for someone to be that passive-aggressive towards their teammates. On the other hand, it's hard to determine someone's intent and as long as they're still trying to win you could say that they're technically not trolling.

I guess if I had to give a realistic answer, I don't think you could classify that person as a troll. Even though they are being a rude.

Savage the King8/14/2019, 3:19:41 AM2 votes

Just a recent example from one of my games. I wanted to play Yuumi for the 3rd ranked game (I had only practiced in bots but that's how I go about it, I dare anyone tell me it's not okay), but this Xerath decides to ban my hover. So I tell him "know the rules bud? carry me" and I proceeded with the support pick (tell me I can't do this). Funny thing, we won! and I managed to help my team big time by saving ALL my ults for the enemy Yasuo (think of it, she is the best bouncer when he starts running wild with her point & click ult). So my point is, offmeta picks and apparently troll picks don't matter if the player knows what they are doing. Win or lose, if I did well with my support vi, and I was useful to team, I'm absolutely unafraid to get reported.

Teh Song8/14/2019, 3:16:59 AM2 votes

Trolling is intent. Nothing unintentional is ever trolling. .

Umbral Regent8/14/2019, 3:20:21 AM1 votes

In both cases, I would say that the hypothetical player in question isn't strictly trolling, although the latter case would warrant further review.

There's a lot to consider when it comes to discerning trolling, one of the most chief of which is them actually trying to play well. If they're still playing to win, despite a tilt-induced pick like that, then I'd hazard to say that they're not trolling.

Other factors to consider are play regularity (how frequently has the player been working to improve as the Champion), counterpick potential (sometimes it's viable, if sub-optimal, to pick a Champion you don't perform well as to counterpick an enemy. I've tilted the life out of a Riven who won lane because I picked Poppy.), other pre-game behaviors (did they express open irritation at their pick intent getting banned? Did they counterban out of frustration? etc.), as well as other in-game behaviors (avoiding teamfights, avoiding assisting teammates in general, AFK farming, etc.)

There's a metric ton of stuff that goes into determining intent, and there really isn't any one thing you can zero in on to do so. So, I'd say, just going off of the information given, I wouldn't call the second scenario explicit trolling. Poor behavior, probably, but not trolling without further information.

Tele II8/15/2019, 3:23:26 AM1 votes

Nope