Around three days ago I was playing a game of League of Legends, and I was doing pretty badly. I was not making the right decisions, I was allowing my emotions to get the better of me, and ultimately I was being a hindrance to my team. A teammate of mine (whom I have since blocked) started flaming me, taking every opportunity he could (I'm assuming he was male) to deride me, insult me, and get me to uninstall the game. I did not have fun, I can tell you that much, and in fact I had to take some time off just to calm down. In spite of the fact that we won, and that I in fact started making better, game changing decisions, I was never offered an apology. This is nothing new to League, however. But, a question to be asked is: why are so many League of Legends players like this?
First, we need to discuss what a toxic player is. A toxic player, to put it simply, is a player who ruins the game for other players by being an asshole. The term "toxic player" comes from applying the adjective "toxic", which means a material which is poisonous, harsh, malicious, or harmful. In this case, the term describes a game player whose very presence in the game is malicious or harmful. This player's actions corrode the experience for other players, turning what SHOULD be a fun game for everyone involved into a nightmare.
So, how can a player be toxic? For a player to be toxic, he or she must be doing something that negatively impacts the other players in the game, be they on his/her team or on the other team. Typically, a toxic player spends a disproportionate amount of time in game doing any of the following:
First, we need to discuss what a toxic player is. A toxic player, to put it simply, is a player who ruins the game for other players by being an asshole. The term "toxic player" comes from applying the adjective "toxic", which means a material which is poisonous, harsh, malicious, or harmful. In this case, the term describes a game player whose very presence in the game is malicious or harmful. This player's actions corrode the experience for other players, turning what SHOULD be a fun game for everyone involved into a nightmare.
So, how can a player be toxic? For a player to be toxic, he or she must be doing something that negatively impacts the other players in the game, be they on his/her team or on the other team. Typically, a toxic player spends a disproportionate amount of time in game doing any of the following:
- Verbally abusing other players: Basically, the toxic player says really mean things to other players in the game. Typically, verbal abuse comes in the form of calling the other players bad names, such as "noob", or "waste of space." Of course, it isn't limited to name calling, Verbal abuse can come in the form of telling a player to uninstall after having a bad game, or in the form of personally insulting the player's family, such as saying "your mom's a five dollar whore!"
- Harassing other players: This means that the player in question spends a lot of time in the game sending racist, sexist, ableist (meaning disparaging people's disabilities), and other prejudiced speech against the other players. This is a form of verbal abuse that distinguishes itself in how "directed" it is, if that makes any sense. Harassment in League refers to verbal abuse that's directed at the player over something he or she can't control.
- Assisting Enemy Players: Sometimes we help the enemy team by accident, be it by getting killed easily, by accidentally knocking them out of the way of our ally's attacks, or by somehow healing them. Toxic players, however, will do this constantly and on purpose. They will intentionally tower dive, place themselves in a 1v5 fight with half health, never buy items, and in the most extreme cases, give away your team's positions.
The question to ask is: why? Why would anyone be toxic? The answer to this question is not easy to understand, and even harder to accept.
To understand WHY people would be toxic, one must understand the nature of the game. League of Legends is a competitive game, where ten people pit their skills against one another in matches that, on average, last half an hour. It's a game that requires a tremendous amount of focus and skill to play and master. A player must be keeping an eye on the mini map located at the bottom right corner of his or her screen, while also keeping an eye on the action happening in front of him or her. While he or she is doing that, he or she must also be keeping an eye on the rest of the team and be ready to assist any player in need of help (typically for the first fifteen minutes of the game) or be ready to follow up on any plays the team is ready to make, or depending on his/her role, INITIATE those plays. League of Legends is the type of game that keeps the adrenaline pumping,
The game is one that puts a lot of pressure in its players. It tests more than just your reflexes, it also tests your sense of map awareness, danger awareness, and synchronization with other players. Games are lost because of mistakes made by players, simple as that. This is especially true in higher levels of play, from Platinum onward, where players are typically in nearly equal levels of skill: they ALL know when to use their ultimate abilities, when to take dragon, where to ward, and so on and so forth.
Often a single, simple mistake is all it takes to turn the tide of a game against your favor, Maybe it's attacking one second too early, or one second too late. Maybe it's taking a single misstep. Whatever it is, that one mistake? Cost you the game you've been playing for the past 30 minutes.
Thing is, it's not just you playing, it's four other people playing too, and they ALL want to win as badly as you do. They are all trying to win as much as you are, so of course they'll be frustrated at how that ONE mistake you made cost them the game.
But that only explains why someone would be frustrated. Why would someone be TOXIC? The answer lays in that frustration!
See, some people lack control over their emotions. Some people get exceedingly angry at something that is not entirely in their hands; losing a game of League can be one of them. Some people take the game so seriously that they see winning as the only thing that matters. Of course, such an idea is ridiculous, as League of Legends is scarcely the most important thing in the world, regardless of what certain people would tell you.
When someone is giving it their all to win the game, only to have that victory snatched away because of a single mistake made by someone else on your team, it's frustrating. Some people take out that frustration on that person, often in the harshest way possible, When we're angry, we tend to say and do things we later come to regret. Maybe it's a punch swung at the guy who ruined your new shoes, or a swear word thrown at the cashier who took too long to hand you your change; we do things when we're mad that we'd never normally do.
But there's more to it than that. I had said that some players take the game too seriously. That's part of the truth. The other part is that many players are arrogant.
Why do I say this? Because there are players for whom a "team" is simply a collection of players who are there either to help them rank up and win, or sabotage their winning streak. These people think the world revolves around them; they never take responsibility for their own actions. but they sure as hell have a keen eye for the mistakes of others and will not hesitate to point them out.
These players also believe that, because they are putting in their effort, they DESERVE a win, regardless of anything. It's OK to play to win; League of Legends is a competitive game, after all. And in a competitive game, you want to WIN, not just "play". But one thing that must be understood is that you never "deserve" to win; you're not entitled to a victory. Oh, you did your best? So did the other team. You lost because your teammate screwed up? That's sad, but that's life. Everybody makes mistakes.
Therein lays the key phrase: everybody makes mistakes. It happens all the time, and it seems like it often happens at the worst times possible. Sometimes mistakes will cost you games. It will suck when it does. Sometimes it'll happen because of someone else, and other times, it'll happen because of you. But you have to realize that just as you can lose because of a mistake, you can win because your opponent made a mistake. You don't just lose because someone on your team made a mistake; you lose because your opponents were good enough to capitalize on it.
A lot of people see online verbal abuse as irrelevant and harmless. These people have a point: there are many resources to deal with this abuse, including the all too common solution of simply not playing, to step away from the computer, and live your life. The Internet isn't a safe space for anybody, and it is inevitable to find less than agreeable people online.
But this mentality isn't going to make toxic players go away, because the source of this problem comes from a flaw in human nature: apathy. Sometimes people don't care about other people, plain and simple, and they will stomp on anyone just to get what they want. To a lot of players, every other LoL player alive is just a screen name, an icon, and a character. When everyone else is simply a faceless name on the screen, one you're unlikely to ever see again, it becomes THAT much easier to tell that person to kill him or herself over losing dragon at the ten minute mark.
Can the LoL community be rid of its toxic players? No, I don't think so. There will be many who will call for removing online anonymity, like Wil Wheaton did back in 2014. That might curb some toxicity, but it won't remove it entirely.
The only thing you can do is to remember three very important rules. The first is that League of Legends is just a game; sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll lose. In a week, the ten games you lost today will mean nothing. Just relax and have fun, don't take it so seriously.
Second, you'll often encounter bad people in the game. These people don't care if they hurt you, and some actively WANT to hurt you. Ignore these people. But sometimes you might find yourself deeply hurt by something some asshole said online. It's OK to feel bad about it, it's OK to need to take a step away from your computer, to take a break from the game. You are not invincible, and everyone needs a break to recover. But don't let them get to you so bad that you quit the game. That's what they want: to get you to quit the game. Don't give them that satisfaction.
And finally, the last rule you need to remember. This rule is deceptively simple and easy to understand, but somehow a lot of people struggle with it: treat other people as you would like to be treated. Don't dish out what you can't take. And don't forget that what goes around, comes around. Ultimately, the most toxic players in the game are also the most pitiful, because all they have is a game where every other player wants them gone.
One of the quotes I live by is "Win and the world wins with you; lose, and you lose alone." But I think I need to add another part to that quote: "To lose with grace is better than to win with disgrace." Or perhaps another quote: "The man with a trophy in his hand but no one to congratulate him is more of a loser than the man who came in last place." If you're toxic, you're doing nobody any favors, least of all yourself. Even if you win, it won't mean anything, because you just drove away your teammates with your jerk ass tendencies.
There is really nothing else for me to say.
But there's more to it than that. I had said that some players take the game too seriously. That's part of the truth. The other part is that many players are arrogant.
Why do I say this? Because there are players for whom a "team" is simply a collection of players who are there either to help them rank up and win, or sabotage their winning streak. These people think the world revolves around them; they never take responsibility for their own actions. but they sure as hell have a keen eye for the mistakes of others and will not hesitate to point them out.
These players also believe that, because they are putting in their effort, they DESERVE a win, regardless of anything. It's OK to play to win; League of Legends is a competitive game, after all. And in a competitive game, you want to WIN, not just "play". But one thing that must be understood is that you never "deserve" to win; you're not entitled to a victory. Oh, you did your best? So did the other team. You lost because your teammate screwed up? That's sad, but that's life. Everybody makes mistakes.
Therein lays the key phrase: everybody makes mistakes. It happens all the time, and it seems like it often happens at the worst times possible. Sometimes mistakes will cost you games. It will suck when it does. Sometimes it'll happen because of someone else, and other times, it'll happen because of you. But you have to realize that just as you can lose because of a mistake, you can win because your opponent made a mistake. You don't just lose because someone on your team made a mistake; you lose because your opponents were good enough to capitalize on it.
A lot of people see online verbal abuse as irrelevant and harmless. These people have a point: there are many resources to deal with this abuse, including the all too common solution of simply not playing, to step away from the computer, and live your life. The Internet isn't a safe space for anybody, and it is inevitable to find less than agreeable people online.
But this mentality isn't going to make toxic players go away, because the source of this problem comes from a flaw in human nature: apathy. Sometimes people don't care about other people, plain and simple, and they will stomp on anyone just to get what they want. To a lot of players, every other LoL player alive is just a screen name, an icon, and a character. When everyone else is simply a faceless name on the screen, one you're unlikely to ever see again, it becomes THAT much easier to tell that person to kill him or herself over losing dragon at the ten minute mark.
Can the LoL community be rid of its toxic players? No, I don't think so. There will be many who will call for removing online anonymity, like Wil Wheaton did back in 2014. That might curb some toxicity, but it won't remove it entirely.
The only thing you can do is to remember three very important rules. The first is that League of Legends is just a game; sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll lose. In a week, the ten games you lost today will mean nothing. Just relax and have fun, don't take it so seriously.
Second, you'll often encounter bad people in the game. These people don't care if they hurt you, and some actively WANT to hurt you. Ignore these people. But sometimes you might find yourself deeply hurt by something some asshole said online. It's OK to feel bad about it, it's OK to need to take a step away from your computer, to take a break from the game. You are not invincible, and everyone needs a break to recover. But don't let them get to you so bad that you quit the game. That's what they want: to get you to quit the game. Don't give them that satisfaction.
And finally, the last rule you need to remember. This rule is deceptively simple and easy to understand, but somehow a lot of people struggle with it: treat other people as you would like to be treated. Don't dish out what you can't take. And don't forget that what goes around, comes around. Ultimately, the most toxic players in the game are also the most pitiful, because all they have is a game where every other player wants them gone.
One of the quotes I live by is "Win and the world wins with you; lose, and you lose alone." But I think I need to add another part to that quote: "To lose with grace is better than to win with disgrace." Or perhaps another quote: "The man with a trophy in his hand but no one to congratulate him is more of a loser than the man who came in last place." If you're toxic, you're doing nobody any favors, least of all yourself. Even if you win, it won't mean anything, because you just drove away your teammates with your jerk ass tendencies.
There is really nothing else for me to say.
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