In-client email verification

RiotMarowe·Jan 30, 2018·37 votes·20,367 views

Hey League fam,

Your LoL account is valuable. Whether it’s time dedicated to playing games or money spent on skins and cosmetics, your investments should be protected. Our Player Support team works throughout the year to help return compromised accounts as quickly and painlessly as possible. This sometimes takes a while, which can be frustrating. We do our best to protect your account and prevent this from happening, but we could use your help.

Here’s where you come in! Verifying your email address adds a vital layer of security to your account and enables us to provide a faster route to recovering your account. A verified email address allows us to quickly send account recovery information if you have trouble logging in and identifies you as the legitimate owner of your account.

What does this look like for me? Starting with patch 8.3, you’ll be able to verify your email in-client (rather than visiting leagueoflegends.com). If you have an unverified email address, we’ll send you reminders in the League client with steps for verification. If you need to change the email associated with your account, you can do that too. These reminders will be sent periodically to unverified accounts throughout the start of the season. If you don’t get the notification, your email is already verified. If you don’t get the notification but still want to change your email, you can change it on leagueoflegends.com via the settings menu in the upper right hand corner.

Do I have to? Right now, this process is optional. We strongly recommend you do verify your email ASAP, but you can postpone the reminder for later. During this time, we’ll be adjusting for any unforeseen issues and ensuring we’re giving everyone enough time to verify their accounts. After this initial optional phase, we’ll be rolling out mandatory email verification later in the year.

Why email verification? There are several options when it comes to account security, and email verification is just the first step. It’s pretty standard practice at this point, and it’ll allow us to start unlocking other optional security features later this year, like Multi-Factor Authentication.

We'll be here to answer questions below! o/

94 Comments

leagueofturdsJan 30, 201814 votes

Why would you call “buying skins” an investment? It’s a consumption. Investments can be sold for a higher value. Investments have returns. Do skins, or any money you spend on this game have any return to them? No. It’s a consumption.

ModPeriscopeJan 30, 20188 votes

I don't feel consumption suffices either. That implies a short-term non-reusable benefit.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20186 votes

It's under "durable goods". It's a consumption category, just like buying a car, microwave, etc.

Here: https://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=19&step=2#reqid=19&step=3&isuri=1&1921=survey&1903=35

P.S. I don't get the downvotes for a factual statement. I guess people who play this game rather illusion themselves as if they are "investing" in this game.

redniwediSJan 30, 20187 votes

People often downvote simply to show disagreement. Not quite how the voting system should be used, but it is what it is.

Baron Von BanginJan 31, 20184 votes

I think using it as a gauge to represent general consensus is a very good thing.

redniwediSJan 30, 201818 votes

"Investment" isn't just about money. You invest something you have and get a return that is valuable to you, but it doesn't have to be money. I haven't put much money into League, but I have invested quite a bit of time, and as a result I can play it decently well. Playing it well, and being able to understand the mechanics behind the game as I play, brings me enjoyment as a return for my time.

Consumption has no return and is there to fill a void rather than give you something in the long term that is meaningful. It comes down to the individual to decide whether something is a consumption or an investment, particularly when it comes to visual changes to League. Skins, particularly ones with additional effects, can bring extra enjoyment to the game.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20185 votes

Consumption and investment are economic concepts, it's not something you can subjectively analyze. Every consumption we make still gives us something, called "utility" (or "happiness" if you will). The time you "invested" in the game is actually the time you "consumed", just like watching an NFL game. There is absolutely nothing productive about either watching an NFL game or playing league of legends, therefore neither of them can be "investment". It's not up to the individual to decide what is consumption or not, it is the nature of spending that determines that. Playing league, spending money on skins, spending time in this game is not an investment unless you are doing it to farm accounts and then sell it for profit.

redniwediSJan 30, 20189 votes

Just because a concept originated in a particular field doesn't mean it can only be applied to that field.

The time you "invested" in the game is actually the time you "consumed"

If you get nothing out of it then yes. If you do get something you personally value then no, it was an investment. Money is only one form of return.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20181 votes

No one is talking about money, did I even mention anything related to money? I am talking about production of actual things, regardless of their monetary worth. The time you spent in this game produces nothing. If you are going to make a counter argument, let me help you with that and suggest that you might argue playing league increases your productivity in your job (which also applies to other leisurely activity). However, that's a very subjective and hard to measure relationship. Given the fact that a lot of people report how their life progressed after they quit playing league, I am guessing playing league doesn't really make you more productive.

P.S. I also heard some people beat depression and other personal issues thanks to the league, so there is a gray area there.

redniwediSJan 30, 20186 votes

Playing league, spending money on skins, spending time in this game is not an investment unless you are doing it to farm accounts and then sell it for profit.

If no one is talking about money, what kind of profit were you talking about? You sure make it sound like the only return that is worth while is money, which makes any other kind of investment irrelevant. You also talk about productivity in terms of a job. I'm not going to ignore what you said after that part, but it does put what you're saying in a very money focused light for me.

I take a very enjoyment focused stance on this. It's not enough to just be productive, you have to enjoy yourself sometimes as well. The two can go hand in hand, but often don't, so finding a non-productive hobby to help release stress can be productive in a round about way. None of us get out of life alive, so spending some time not producing anything of physical value can be very valuable, if that makes sense.

How do you view reading fiction? A well written story can get you to see things from impossible viewpoints and force you to ask difficult questions you never would have thought of otherwise. They can add to who you are as a person, but are not inherently productive. Reading a story doesn't produce anything for you, yet it can be well worth the time spent.

I'm not sure I'd be able to make a counter argument here, because even your suggestion seems alien to me. You and I think nothing alike, and while that's not a bad thing it doesn't really help our conversation.

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 30, 201816 votes

{quoted}

If no one is talking about money, what kind of profit were you talking about? You sure make it sound like the only return that is worth while is money, which makes any other kind of investment irrelevant. You also talk about productivity in terms of a job. I'm not going to ignore what you said after that part, but it does put what you're saying in a very money focused light for me.

I take a very enjoyment focused stance on this. It's not enough to just be productive, you have to enjoy yourself sometimes as well. The two can go hand in hand, but often don't, so finding a non-productive hobby to help release stress can be productive in a round about way. None of us get out of life alive, so spending some time not producing anything of physical value can be very valuable, if that makes sense.

How do you view reading fiction? A well written story can get you to see things from impossible viewpoints and force you to ask difficult questions you never would have thought of otherwise. They can add to who you are as a person, but are not inherently productive. Reading a story doesn't produce anything for you, yet it can be well worth the time spent.

I'm not sure I'd be able to make a counter argument here, because even your suggestion seems alien to me. You and I think nothing alike, and while that's not a bad thing it doesn't really help our conversation.

I think we are getting a little into the weeds on definition of investment :)

The takeaway is we have spent hundreds of hours or more playing a game and unlocking content (I for one have played since S3 and lost track of the time i've spent), not to mention actual dollars spent. Losing that account is painful and understandably we would want it back ASAP. This helps us help you guys if the worse happens!

redniwediSJan 30, 20183 votes

That it does! While he and I probably won't end up agreeing about investments, I'm sure I can speak for him when I say we appreciate what you guys are doing for account security.

FabieAug 18, 20182 votes

Purely said, appreciating the time you put together to actually give an individual the clear idea of how basic it can be! ;D thumbs up [sg-jinx]

RookPusherJan 30, 20185 votes

{quoted}

Why would you call “buying skins” an investment? It’s a consumption. Investments can be sold for a higher value. Investments have returns. Do skins, or any money you spend on this game have any return to them? No. It’s a consumption.

New to English, huh? You're appreciating the value of your account. In other words, an account with 75 champs and 75 skins is worth more than an account with 60 skins.

You invest your time in things, but you can't sell that time for a higher value. If you have any other language questions, feel free to hit me up in game. I have a degree in the language.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20182 votes

Appreciating value still doesn’t mean you have a return from it. If you spend $100 on an account (not including the value of the tile you spent) and can sell it for a meer $50, then you have negative return. Who would “invest” in something with negative return? May be English majors do....

RookPusherJan 30, 20182 votes

{quoted}

Appreciating value still doesn’t mean you have a return from it. If you spend $100 on an account (not including the value of the tile you spent) and can sell it for a meer $50, then you have negative return. Who would “invest” in something with negative return? May be English majors do....

You made up a fake scenario, and act like this is a universal fact. I don't know how stupid the people you usually argue with are, but I'm not them. Come back to me when you want to do more than win a strawman argument.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20182 votes

The only thing that is made up here is your presumptions. My friend sold his account for much less than what he spent on it. When I asked about why he did that, he simply said it was better than nothing. As I clearly indicated in my argument, unless you are playing this game as your job (pro player, streamer, account farmer, etc.) the time you spent is not time invested, but time consumed.

RookPusherJan 30, 20182 votes

{quoted}

The only thing that is made up here is your presumptions. My friend sold his account for much less than what he spent on it. When I asked about why he did that, he simply said it was better than nothing. As I clearly indicated in my argument, unless you are playing this game as your job (pro player, streamer, account farmer, etc.) the time you spent is not time invested, but time consumed.

Well if that's your argument then this is about a sunk-cost fallacy. Your friend was right as far as money goes. Money already lost isn't something you should factor in. I don't have any intention of selling my account. But I still make an investment in it. It's the biggest deterrent for me against smurfing.

leagueofturdsJan 30, 20181 votes

The fact that you are defining the money he put in the game as “lost”, but then going around and calling the money you have put in as “investment” is a clear indicator of your analytical prowess. You just contradicted yourself.

RookPusherJan 30, 20183 votes

{quoted}

The fact that you are defining the money he put in the game as “lost”, but then going around and calling the money you have put in as “investment” is a clear indicator of your analytical prowess. You just contradicted yourself.

If he put in $100 and only got $50 then he lost money. His experience isn't everyone's though. You're not going to pull a fast one on me, and judging by the downvotes, no one is buying your "argument." Give it up, bro. You're not going to convince people that words don't mean what they mean.

LostFr0stJan 30, 20186 votes

This doesn't change what info we'd use to log-in right? As in it'll still be username+pass correct? (hoping this is a yes for security reasons).

Asking because some games have done that and needed to revert in the past (it leads to leaked e-mails in the case of streamers, etc.), best if League never accidentally tries it.

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 30, 20187 votes

{quoted}

This doesn't change what info we'd use to log-in right? As in it'll still be username+pass correct? (hoping this is a yes for security reasons).

Asking because some games have done that and needed to revert in the past (it leads to leaked e-mails in the case of streamers, etc.), best if League never accidentally tries it.

Yes login remains as normal.

The benefit is if you lose access to your account (whether through malicious means or just forgetting your PW) we can get you back into the game faster. Average time to recover a non-verified account runs a few days vs a matter of hours or less when verified.

The end goal is less of us lose our accounts and when we do we can get them back quickly and painlessly.

LostFr0stJan 30, 20182 votes

Thanks!

Just thought of another question; if I may:

If an account gets compromised, one of the first things I've seen happen on the boards is for the account's verified e-mail to be changed.

I've never changed my verified e-mail, but does an email get sent to the first address that it was changed? Last question I promise <3

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 30, 20188 votes

{quoted}

Thanks!

Just thought of another question; if I may:

If an account gets compromised, one of the first things I've seen happen on the boards is for the account's verified e-mail to be changed.

I've never changed my verified e-mail, but does an email get sent to the first address that it was changed? Last question I promise <3

Great question, confirmed quickly with Player Support to make sure I am right.

So yes, if your email is verified and you try to make any account related change it will email the verified email address with a verification code. So they wouldn't be able to change the email without having access to your email account too.

LostFr0stJan 30, 20182 votes

Good to know. [katarina-love]

Ayame IsakiJan 30, 20186 votes

When will league support two factor authentication?

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 30, 20188 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ayame Isaki,realm=NA,application-id=Ag8jgd8Q,discussion-id=fEFqxqMH,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2018-01-30T18:41:33.245+0000)

When will league support two factor authentication?

Soon (TM)

Seriously though. We are looking to add it asap this year but the work isn't defined enough for me to be confident to give you a month and not be wrong. Once we know more we will update you all :)

Angry MonsterJan 31, 20181 votes

You know that 2 factor authentication is basically saying you have to have a smart phone or you can not play. So when did riot also get bought out by a telecommunication company?

Riot really needs to think about this. The idea that every kid has to have a cell phone should be a parent call and not video games companies getting kids to ask for one so they can play a game.

Their are so many problems with a game focusing 13 + year olds pushing not only cell phones but expensive smart phones.

PurejoyceJan 31, 20181 votes

[{quoted}](name=Angry Monster,realm=NA,application-id=Ag8jgd8Q,discussion-id=fEFqxqMH,comment-id=000400000002,timestamp=2018-01-31T03:40:39.710+0000)

You know that 2 factor authentication is basically saying you have to have a smart phone or you can not play. So when did riot also get bought out by a telecommunication company?

Riot really needs to think about this. The idea that every kid has to have a cell phone should be a parent call and not video games companies getting kids to ask for one so they can play a game.

Their are so many problems with a game focusing 13 + year olds pushing not only cell phones but expensive smart phones.

You know that the 2 factor authentication isn't typically something that's enforced, but people (with a smartphone OR AN EMAIL ADDRESS btw -using the smartphone auth is just more convenient) use it anyways to secure their accounts? Good. So you also know that you're wrong.

ahferroin7Feb 1, 20181 votes

Using the smartphone auth is more secure. E-mail is still not universally encrypted over the wire.

PurejoyceFeb 1, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Using the smartphone auth is more secure. E-mail is still not universally encrypted over the wire.

Yes and as I said, I'd rather have an app for that, but you can see how some people try to shut it down "because it forces kids to have a smartphone" (which is plain wrong). I can't even read crap like this anymore.

Ayanami3rdJan 31, 20181 votes

I would love 2FA for League. I already have it for Steam, since it's also a valuable account, and I am very satisfied with it.

ahferroin7Feb 1, 20181 votes

Please make sure you do it right. E-mail is insecure (no seriously, uptake of TLS for email is horrible). SMS is insecure. The only truly sane way to handle this is either U2F or something like how Google Authenticator or Steam 2FA work.

ChermorgJan 30, 20185 votes

I'm with Deep Terror Nami here. 2FA, while I personally do not believe it is overall more secure for the common end user (who's more likely to fuck it up than use it to secure their account), is much more important than adding email verification in-client in my opinion. Email verification is not even required for 2FA to be put into place - 2FA can happen without an email attached to an account at all.

I don't think email verification being on the website only is a problem. It has not been and will not be. Maybe the 4 game XP boost for verifying your email should come back - I feel that'd be easy and leave time to work on actual helpful things that people have been clamoring for such as 2FA (even though, again, I don't see why they want it).

RiotMaroweJan 30, 20184 votes

I'm with you on how important 2FA is! Email verification is definitely just step one. We're not skipping it because we plan on making verified emails mandatory for all accounts, and as much as we like 2FA we probably won't be able to make it mandatory anytime soon.

I'm also excited for other security features that we're working on that will work quietly in the background, but can't really be utilized correctly unless an account has a verified method of contact.

I hope that being able to verify your email in the client will help ripping off the proverbial bandaid be less painful for players when we begin to enforce mandatory email verification.

ChermorgJan 30, 20182 votes

Have you considered also bringing back the 4 win IP boost (well, XP now) for email verification, at least during this trial stage, to encourage more players to do it? I know when I first signed up I never would've done it but I see XP boost and am instantly into the idea :P

RiotMaroweJan 30, 20182 votes

Since it's becoming mandatory....no we honestly haven't looked into coming up with a new incentive :(

BUT I definitely want to incentivize 2FA, either with XP or loot. I'm not the final decision-maker here but it's what I make sure to bring up every time we go over our plans for 2FA!

PurejoyceJan 30, 20183 votes

8+ years for one of the most popular games in the world without 2 step verfication still blows my mind. Better late than never, but holy carp, it's still "on the way later this year". :D

HalcyonDwellerJan 30, 20181 votes

Having a verified email address has been an option for a long time, it just has not been required.

They're more tweaking what was already existing rather than adding something that was missing before.

Mysticman89Jan 30, 20182 votes

Will the in-client email verification allow people to use emails already associated with another account?

It's been ages since I've done this stuff, but I remember being annoyed with smurfs being unable to verify using my main email, so needing to use a throwaway email, and then changing my email to my main one after (which for some reason the system doesn't take issue with [...I don't think anyway, again it's been ages]).

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 30, 20184 votes

{quoted}

Will the in-client email verification allow people to use emails already associated with another account?

It's been ages since I've done this stuff, but I remember being annoyed with smurfs being unable to verify using my main email, so needing to use a throwaway email, and then changing my email to my main one after (which for some reason the system doesn't take issue with [...I don't think anyway, again it's been ages]).

We changed that. One email address to rule them all.

Can't promise there won't be a change in the future but for the purpose of verifying right now you can use that one primary account.

JarodDempseyJan 30, 20182 votes

When will league get 2fa based on ip address? I dont mean having to submit a code every time we log in but every time we log in from a new location/device would be really nice for security concerns.

HalcyonDwellerJan 30, 20181 votes

I second this. Would really like to have higher security on our accounts when they are accessed from new locations.

For example facebook sends me an email whenever someone in the Philippines tries to sign into my account, asking if it is me. Obviously it is not, so I take precautions and update the account's security yet again.

RiotMaroweJan 30, 20183 votes

One of the reasons we want email verification to be mandatory is so that we can start working on this ASAP!!

HalcyonDwellerJan 30, 20182 votes

Sweet! I'll have to look forwards to this then :) Thanks for all your hard work! I know that coming to the boards can often be a painful experience for you folks and I wish it were less of that for ya <3

As a frequent boards user, I need you folks to stop doping me up with Riot responses like this, I'll go into withdrawals when I go back to other sections of the boards! XD

kappa

Edit: I'm really kidding about the withdrawals, and I'm seriously grateful that you are taking the time to respond to people here on this thread. Thanks for showing us that you care, it helps a lot to restore faith, at least for some of us.

RiotRiot Ruin3dJan 31, 20183 votes

{quoted}

Sweet! I'll have to look forwards to this then :) Thanks for all your hard work! I know that coming to the boards can often be a painful experience for you folks and I wish it were less of that for ya <3

As a frequent boards user, I need you folks to stop doping me up with Riot responses like this, I'll go into withdrawals when I go back to other sections of the boards! XD

kappa

Edit: I'm really kidding about the withdrawals, and I'm seriously grateful that you are taking the time to respond to people here on this thread. Thanks for showing us that you care, it helps a lot to restore faith, at least for some of us.

Thank you for sharing your opinions with us.

We really do care about what you guys think and will always try to consider the feedback we get in decisions we make :)

HalcyonDwellerJan 31, 20181 votes

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]