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Consider changing the End of Season Rewards for the better of the community

Timcänpy·11/3/2015, 3:05:11 PM·2 votes·288 views

This is a rather bold idea, but I think a lot of the community's issues could be resolved by looking over the end of season rewards.

So far, you get a border, next step a ward skin and finally from gold onwards the victorious skin, which is the reason a lot of people get ambitious as soon as it's announced. I do not mind the idea of rewarding outstanding players and skill in a game that is based on competition. In fact, that is a pretty cool idea, to give ranked games a certain depth. On the other side though, this leads to 3 major problems:

  • Ranks are being defined into the "good" ranks (Gold+, because here you're good enough to get a free skin) and the "bad" ranks (Brone and Silver). This way, making it out of Bronze and into Silver loses attractiveness, because Silver itself doesn't "give" you anything.
  • As a result, Gold Tier is being watered down, especially towards the end of season, where Silver and Bronze players try to break into Gold by duoing or even asking others for boosts. This not only "lowers" Gold Tier itself, but also the following few ranks, and creates as steep curve towards the higher ranks.
  • Toxicity blooms as a result of frustration with too mixed games, and the feeling of achieving nothing, unless you make it into Gold Tier.

To solve this, I would like to make 2 suggestions:

1 - Either add a better scaling to rewards. I know it will be hard to come up with fitting rewards for each Tier, but a free skin is a pretty big finish line in the heads of many players. So secondly I suggest that

2 - Instead of giving that victorious skin to players from a certain rank onward, give them to players who have not been toxic. An example would be that you get the reward, when you collect a certain number of honors, or even replace the badge with it. Being regarded for being a nice player and as you put it "pillar of the community" is so hard, that noone really tries anymore. Being rewarded for helpful behavior would probably be a better incentive for a lot of people.

Once again, it's not that I don't want good players rewarded, far from it. Many deserve their eind of season reward. But giving out a free skin seems to be such a strong signal, that people do anything to achieve it, so why not use it to build a stronger community?

2 Comments

Habitz11/3/2015, 3:15:11 PM1 votes

I think Riot does a pretty good job at rewarding good player behavior outside of ranked. They have given summoner icons, sashes and even free skins to non-toxic players. Frankly, if you play ranked at all you deal with shit constantly and deserve some sort of meaningful reward even if you're stuck in bronze.

My idea: all players get a free skin. EVEN UNRANKED.

People be like oh no, if they don't get to gold they don't deserve it and neither does gold blah blah. Here's the thing, we have chroma options! So with each Tier you unlock an additional chroma for that end of season skin. The chroma's would be tier themed and suddenly gold isn't the finish line, you could unlock an additional chroma option by advancing to the next level.

No cheating to get that free skin now, but hey maybe for a chroma they would? Just think it'd be a nice gesture if every player gets meaningful appreciation for another year, while giving a little something extra for each tier accomplished.

After all what does victorious really mean if third to last gets it too. Let season 5 finish off this "Victorious" line, let's start a new end of season line of skins with more options for every player.

disregardable11/3/2015, 4:02:08 PM1 votes

You know what would also fix that problem while preserving the rewards for being good at the game? Not tying the video game season to the competitive season. If you hit Gold in March, you immediately get the border and skin for that year. If you drop back down to Silver a month later, you lose them. No one has any incentive to boost his account, and there's no immediate urgency to climb (unless you create it for yourself).

The once a year "you weren't toxic" skin would be nice too, but it shouldn't replace your rank rewards. ^^

Extra benefit: Riot wouldn't have to go months on end without changing anything and then suddenly dump a whole load of changes because "omg worlds is in two patches guys".