I am Toxic.

**Sage Soraka ** "Making League of Legends a better place one game at a time."

I am Toxic

Player and Community Toxicity

The definition of toxicity and what toxic behavior/play entails is highly debated amongst the community; however, Lyte from Riot Games gives us a definite meaning of toxicity:

In our observations and research on player behavior, we find that a single source of negative behavior can ripple through hundreds or thousands of games. This experience can negatively influence some of the other 9 positive players in the game. Some of these 9 players will play another game of League of Legends and instead of being positive, they might start the game neutral or negative… A single negative action could result in thousands of games with negative incidences. (Lyte)

Any destructive action performed with the intent of causing distress and contributing to a negative game experience for another player(s), is considered toxic and unacceptable by the Summoner Code and the community. While there are several acts of negativity recognized by the majority of Rioteers and Riot Games as toxic behavior, the primary one we need to examine first is Elitism.

Toxicity: Elitism

One of the most common and degenerative forms of toxicity is Elitism. This form of destructive behavior is prevalent because it plagues individuals who have played League for any length of time. Fundamentally the more time a gamer devotes to League of Legends and the greater proficiency level they attain, the higher chance of a player becoming inflicted with this form of toxicity. One’s reasoning changes; they are superior to the other players on their team. Be it factual or disillusioned, it is irrelevant.

Symptoms

The main indication of Elitism is a player becoming consumed with rage when one’s team does not perform to expectation. The individual begins to judge one (or more) team members as the principal source of failing. Once again it is immaterial if it is true or not. The player becomes overly critical and almost always degrades into flaming the “responsible” teammate. The primary symptom of this affliction is elitist snobbery: “I am carrying and we still lose because my team is trash”, “My team are bronzies and need to learn to play”, “You suck and should just uninstall”, “I want them to feel bad for making me lose,” or “Shaco, learn to gank and stop feeding” are some examples of a general elitist attitude. A secondary ailment is constantly blaming the “baddies” you are paired with.

Management

This is one of the most challenging forms of toxicity to manage. It requires the player to identify that they are affected by this condition and must actively work towards altering their negative outlook every game into a constructive force. Riot must also support the change with rewarding the individual when true transformation occurs. It is essential to recognize the person did not become this way overnight, thus it will take time to alter one’s perspective. One must actively modify their negative thinking when such thoughts arrive in game, and think of ways to positively impact the game with encouraging dialogue.

**Why should I change? **

Your experience, knowledge, and proficiency in the game have made you a good or even a great player; however, your Elitism is actually inhibiting your skill level from elevating to the next level. When you become blinded by rage, you start harassing/flaming your team, and it can only result in one thing: failure. Not only are you contributing in ruining the game, but you are also unwittingly transforming into a toxic player that the community despises. Participating in a harassing is only going to warrant bans for all contributing players. By becoming a positive force in the game you are not only contributing to making League a better place, but you are actively working to evolve from a team member to a leader which directly correlates with your chances winning.

Solutions, What Should I do?

I recommend being “super positive” in every game into you find your new self. You may feel a bit silly at first, but being overly congratulatory will begin to alter your perspective and toxic banter. Continuously acknowledge your team for their productive actions with a “gj” for killing an enemy, getting an objective, performing a successful gank/flash burn, etc). If someone messes up, fight the urge to berate them and instead find a positive way to spin the situation and help them. In example if the enemy gets first blood on your top laner you can say, “That was close. No worries though, we got this.” or “Don’t worry, I will gank in a bit to help get you snowballing.” There are thousands of ways to be a positive force for your team. Harassing and devaluing them is counterproductive and seeks to abolish your odds of winning. By putting a positive spin on everything (and avoid blaming or negativity) you can become a true leader and elevate yourself and your team.

How can Riot help?

Riot has been working diligently and implementing new systems to reprimand toxic players. While these individuals need to be punished, players who are a positive force for the community are not being recognized, encouraged, or rewarded appropriately. Since the inception of Riot only 1 year were Rioteers compensated for their deeds. For some this is not enough to merit behavior changes from the toxic players and lessens the importance of individuals who are vigilant in remaining a positive force in the community. While there are many possible solutions, some of my favorites are thus:

• Reinstate the Tribunal – It has been disabled for “updates” for over a year. The Tribunal dynamically functions in two ways: it sanctions Rioteers to positively combat toxicity and the community can visualize active change being implemented by judgments.

• Honor Bonuses – While the banners (Friendship, Leadership, Honorable Opponent,etc) were an innovative idea; however, Riot did not expand upon the idea sufficiently. Offering some form of bonus would encourage Rioteers to utilize the honor system: I.P Bonus, Banner specific skins/icons/wards, or a plethora of other incentives to reward positive behavior.

• **Consistent Incentives **– The free skin for a year of being a positive force was a great step forward. There should be accumulative rewards for each month of not succumbing to toxicity.

It is vital for the community to communicate on the forum with fresh and constructive ideas of making this community a better place!

Closing Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I hope you find it both insightful and helpful. Please, feel free to leave any comments and suggestions on other topics. Which form of toxicity should I examine next?

Source: http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=3377247&page=2#post37108896