The Value of Lore

Hi guys, I just wanted to share my opinion on the League of Legends lore and what they mean to me, so I hope I don't bore you. This is just my personal response to questions such as, "why do we need lore? It doesn't affect gameplay" or "why do people obsess about lore, it's so dumb".

I think that Riot games has to be one of the most dedicated game developers with regards to world building. It's something that amazes and continues to amaze me, how much work, effort, and thought goes into making Runeterra feel real, and I just feel like everyone else needs to appreciate that as well :)

Why is lore important? Why do people care so much? Lore is important because it helps bring substance and context to the world of League of Legends. It helps make the game feel more cohesive and organized, to know that the little girl with the teddy bear isn't just there for show, and that she does indeed have a reason to set people on fire. It bridges gaps filled with questions such as 'why this' or 'why that'. People don't realize how dumb League of Legends would be if we had an ice bird and a floating tentacled eye in the game without any context, or why a woman with a pigeon is even fighting in the first place.

But other than making the game make sense (this is going to be a bit personal) League of Legends lore is important to me because for the past year, Runeterra has stopped being something I read about on the League of Legends wikia page. It's begun to be a place where I can escape to whenever the real world becomes too boring or too much to handle. You have places, factions like Shurima, Bilgewater and Ionia that are so rich in culture and tradition with stories and information written so engrossingly and so eloquently written that they feel like actual places you can go to just by reading short stories, comics and champion biographies. Runeterra isn't just reading material anymore, it's an entire universe of colorful culture and rich history, it's a place of wonder and mystery. It's a home to ninjas and wizards, tyrants and monarchs, it's a home for legends.

I've been playing League of Legends for about a year and a half now, and I'm speaking on behalf of myself that if League didn't have such rich lore, I'd have quit the game my first 6 months in. Lore makes this game so goddamn immersive, it's crazy. I know that a lot of players will disagree, but I know for sure that another lot of you know that feeling that maybe you aren't playing for the win and that maybe it's something else driving you to put more effort in winning the game. Personally, I main Syndra, and every time I hit level 2 and use Force of Will on one of my Qs, I don't know man, I just get into this headspace where I feel like an evil Queen of the Dark Arts looking to murder those who tried to restrain me, and every kill just feels so goddamn satisfying. I just get into this zone where I feel as if I, myself, am Syndra. I relive her story, her biography. I just feel the betrayal and the power, and in a second, every click, every press of a Q just begins to feel so immersive.

Reading champion biographies is like getting to know the champion you are playing, and once you know the story behind the champion you're playing, you get a sense of why you're fighting, why you need to destroy that nexus. Why do you need to win as an Irelia? To win for the First flippin' Lands. Why need a pentakill as Katarina? To prove to her father and to everyone that she is a worthy soldier of Noxus. Heck, why put a bubble on Draven as Zoe? Because for god sakes, it's fun!

Lore makes League of Legends feel like an entirely different landscape than just a 5v5 MOBA. It makes it feel like there's more to it than creep scores and vision. Again, a LOT of players will whole heartedly disagree and say that maybe League is just designed well and that maybe players love a certain champion because their kits are fun and enjoyable, and they're right, but there's more to League of Legends than just gameplay mechanics, there's a reason why one of the most active sections of the boards, if not the most active section of the boards, is Story, Art & Sound. Riot isn't just selling a game, it's selling a story.

Players love lore, that's a fact. Lore makes Summoner's Rift feel bigger than a just a minimap, bigger than a three-lane arena, bigger than some measly game mode. Lore makes champions feel like actual people, people we can relate to, people we can empathize and/or sympathize with. Add to the fact that there's never an ultimate good or an ultimate evil in the lore, it makes each champion more relatable, easier to connect with, that here's more to Aatrox than his rage and that there's more to Varus than unbridled vengeance.

To summarize my points in a sentence or two:

Maybe I'm not picking Syndra just because she's an S-tier pick this patch or because her winrate's are skyrocketing since her last buff, maybe I'm picking her so I can feel like a badass, gives-no-fucks, mistreated Ionian Goddess of the forbidden magical arts for once in a while.

• Again, to Riot and their Narrative teams, you guys have truly constructed a world, a universe, that players are starting to feel at home in. The efforts you've made in making Runeterra feel real are truly starting to pay off, and I just can't wait for all the lore content you guys can shower us.