Game: League of Legends

Similar to the previous game mentioned, Valorant, this game is made by Riot Games and happens to be one of the most toxic games available to players and it is free to play: League of Legends. As previously mentioned in my last blog post, this is a game that I have been playing for a better part of a decade since I was in middle school and seen the game go through several changes. I will try to be as impartial as I can with the observations I make because my years of experience and play time can skew in how I conduct myself. Same as before, I am matched with random players that I am matchmade with and not bringing in any friends in order to see what the game is like for someone going in solo.

Different from Valorant, I was able to have access to a ranked match in order to witness the environment when something is on the line. I jumped into the game right away and had a horrible time, not in terms of gameplay but in terms of the social experience. Right off the bat people are already being volatile before we have even entered the match but not because of the characters that are picked or banned out of the match but instead due to the role they were placed into. In the game you play one of 3 lanes or the jungle.

People were filled into the roles that they did not want to play or have little experience playing. Having the experience that I have, any role is fine so it is not much of an issue for me to switch but for the sakes of the experiment I made no communication whatsoever. This on its own is actually a negative thing in games like this where communication is the key to victory.

Once the game actually began it went good and we were in the lead. We were able to maintain this sure lead throughout the entire match until we won. Despite all of that there were several cases of flaming and anger based on how players were playing. That toxicity actually caused hiccups in our teams play and made it seem possible that we could lose, if it weren't for the enemy team facing the exact same thing on their side and it having a worse effect for them. This continued to go on even in the post game lobby where I waited to see any ounce of positivity and came out lacking.

The next game I decided to chime in and try to defuse any toxicity or appease my teammates into situations where they could be happy. The key difference in this game compared to others is that there is no voice communication and everything has to be relayed via text chat. Everything and anything may be read out of context or in the wrong tone. When one of my teammates was filled into a position they weren't comfortable in, I offered to swap them but explained to them before I took it that it was my least confident role and may make it difficult for me just to see what they would say. This immediately led to them flaming me because they took it the wrong way, I apologized to them that they took it that way and let them know that I genuinely meant it and still would take their spot if they felt more comfortable with my original role. After our swap and discourse, the game was ready to begin.

This game went off to a great start with us being in the lead by a considerable amount, I was able to maintain an objective lead with my newly appointed position and the player I traded with was able to do the same. Despite our objective and team lead, we started to fall behind due to lack of synergy. We were not working together as a cohesive unit, and despite my efforts to take lead by being the voice of reason we ended up losing the match. Let it be known that outside of the original discourse we had at before we entered the game, there was no issues of flaming amongst us but instead it was just a skill and synergy difference.

The 5 other games I played followed a rather similar pattern with some having more toxicity than the others (some wins and some loses) but nothing taken too far as long as you have someone to diffuse. The hardest thing for me was keeping a cool head because that is the key to not get crazy out there. It is very easy to blame someone when you cannot speak to them and can only communicate via text. It is especially hard to communicate with them in a manner you would prefer because you cannot speak with them. Outside of this experiment, I would be one of the people that make up the toxic community. After having done this type of experiment, I actually enjoyed my time even if we didn't win all of the games due to the reduced toxicity. Obviously the best way to work around this is by disabling chat with the enemy team and playing in a group full of friends, but we don't all have that liberty. I will try my best to maintain the same attitude I had while doing this experiment and come back to this title after I have refined my positive stance.

For my next game, I will be diving into another FPS title with a huge emphasis on teamwork called Apex Legends.

Game: Valorant

One of the companies that I have several experiences with is Riot Games. The company is known for their MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game: League of Legends. While I have played that title, the one that I will be focusing on for this post is the game Valorant. The game is an FPS (First Person Shooter) that plays similarly to the hit title Counter Strike with the objective of one team defending bomb sites and defusing the bomb if planted by the opposing team with the twist of the characters you play as having unique abilities.

Going into this game I was already expecting the worst due to the poor moderation that I have experienced from Riot Games before. On top of that, the volatility that comes from online games in the past decade alone has demonstrated that playing these games is something that can be rather difficult if you want to go in there for stress free fun. Having previously played Counter Strike, I already knew my way around this specific type of FPS so it wasn't too difficult for me. I also already have thick skin so it wouldn't be difficult to get insulted by my team for not performing well.

I started from level 1 since it was my first time playing this title, but the experience that I received in the casual matches was very different from what the game might be. No one communicated in the casual games I was playing so it made me think that I would have to grind to level 20 in order to play ranked matches to truly experience the game.

After a non-eventful week of playing, I made it to the goal and began the experience. It delivered what I was expecting. Right off the bat people began to get mad in the character select screen because people took their character or because someone did not fill a specific role the team composition needed. It continued onwards throughout the game with these taunts due to losing rounds or misplays. There was not a single ounce of positivity in the game I observed. This first game was just my gauge without any input from my end.

The next game I went into I decided to finally communicate with my team in a wholesome manner, either throwing out jokes or making pleasant conversation. This game turned out completely different than my previous one. Having one person being a reasonable and decent human being will take out the toxicity of the game or at least minimize it. This only had the effect on my team and not the enemy team because they would still have people leaving or toxic text chat. This experience went on to happen throughout the games I played with maybe someone getting a little toxic but never too far because I defused it.

I think following along with this will be the best way to climb up the ranks and have the best possible social experience for this title due to the voice and text communication available to it. In my next post I will talk about League of Legends, a game that I have been playing for a better part of a decade.

Socializing 101

 It is little to no surprise to avid video game players that we have shifted from only having experienced games by ourselves or with a neighbor to now sharing the experience with people around the world. This can range from an average multiplayer shooter, an MMORPG that is heavy on the social experience, or even to the e-Sports games. These large communities of games are something that should have created a bridge for a gamers to become more social while enjoying their hobby, but instead has had the opposite effect.

The amount of times that I as a gamer have received any sort of backlash from my fellow teammates in a multiplayer game has gone through the roof, and worst of all is the fact that it is the norm. No one likes losing, but that does not give the excuse to berate your fellow teammates. I wish that I could say that this was a one off sort of experience but in many games this is the norm.

This blog will mark my journey as I go through gaming in several different games and the social aspect of said games. I will talk about what horrible or good experiences look like in any of the games, and most importantly on how to be the positivity you would rather see in the game.