Gaming for most of us isn’t just some leisure activity we do when we have spare time, it’s a lifestyle. We choose to play games and incorporate them into our lives, helping create who we are as people today. Every gamer has that one game they adore, and for me it’s League of Legends (LoL). LoL is the most played online game worldwide, with over 27 Million active players per day, branching out to almost all countries. I love league of legends and spend many hours per day exploring the game further, but one thing I absolutely hate about League of Legends are toxic players.
A shift in morale. In a game of League, all it takes is one negative comment to completely shift the team’s morale downhill. The mentality behind toxic behavior just doesn’t add up. What does someone plan to achieve by abusing teammates? No matter how right any player is, rage-typing isn’t going to bring you closer to winning a game, let alone help you enjoy the game, so don’t bother typing in the first place. Just think of your mother when she said “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
So what defines a toxic person? A combination of aggression, negativity, and an overwhelming need to abuse and criticize people pretty much sums it up. LoL is extremely competitive in all aspects, and this is the main catalyst for toxic behavior in the game. It’s easy to lose your cool when you’re frustrated, and it’s only human to vent this frustration… but does it have to be towards your teammates?
Passion or toxicity? Receiving abuse is the last thing anyone wants whilst playing a game, but at least your teammate is passionate… right? Passion is the only some-what positive thing to come from toxic behavior, and let’s be honest, there are plenty of other ways to show your hardcore passion for the game than to flame your team.
It’s almost like there’s a hidden player-passion scale, where at one end you’re a casual who only endeavors for a good time, and at the other you’re a raging, flaming keyboard warrior. Optimally you would want to be in the middle of this scale, where you care and love the game enough to want to improve and enjoy your time, but not at the point your frustration is quickly deflected into aggression towards allies.
I understand, there’s nothing more frustrating than being punished for your exhausting effort. Watching your team unravel all your hard work just really grinds your gears, and any LoL player would understand. Toxic gamers will always exists in every competitive game, especially LoL, as it’s basic human psychology. The best thing we can do as fellow gamers is be the one who doesn’t press enter when we’ve typed that passive aggressive comment and instead sit back, take a deep breath, and carry on gaming.