Hello and welcome to Technology Tuesday; that day of the week where I tell you about the online phenomenon that is League of Legends, and then mention why you will probably love and hate it.
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| You probably won't see that specific message as often as the alternative. It's like Christmas whenever I do. |
Do you like getting angry and frustrated? Probably not. You do probably enjoy the jubilation of overcoming a significant challenge, especially when done with friends. In which case, League of Legends may be something you could enjoy; if only in occasional spurts.
Last Saturday I did a post about a Blizzard card game called Hearthstone in which I spoke about what made the game fun and how it worked. Considering we live in a time where gaming is very much mainstream, I don't think I should have been surprised at how well received that post was. As such, I figured I'd talk about other games I enjoy playing more often. So without further ado:
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| This obviously doesn't belong to me. Logo is property of Riot Games. |
Yes, League of Legends. You've probably heard of it. (If not, concepts such as "The Bro Army", "Twitch Streaming" and "The Internet" are likely somewhat alien to you. Only because it seems funny, I'm going to presume that, in that case, you are an extraterrestrial alien. Let me know what your planet is like in the comments below.) Assuming you have heard of it though, then you'll likely have heard of this game being the trendsetting online MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) that is responsible for making things like e-sports visa's and college scholarships for e-sports a thing.
So what makes this game fun? Well, as a League of Legends veteran who started playing about 3 years ago, I can say that I played LoL before it was cool. (One moment while I go hang myself for that statement.) As such, I've found that my reasons for playing the game have changed as time as gone by. Originally, I began playing League of Legends back in 2011 to see what it was all about, having seen some articles about it on the web back then. Between being called a noob and being told to uninstall the game, I found the game rather entertaining for the novelty, having been the first MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) style game I had ever played.
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| 5 players on either side trying to destroy the enemy nexus. If nothing else, it's never a dull game. (The urge to make a flappy bird joke with this picture was fairly huge.) |
Shortly after that, I realized that there were two things that kept me playing a game that was as notorious for it's toxic community as EVE online is for it's amazing 1000 spaceship battles and scheming players. Those two things were the completionist in me wanting to hit level 30 in the persistent profile leveling which provides access to all mastery points and Ranked Games, and my friends who I had slowly recruited into playing with me over time. (To be technical, having been level 30 for a long time now, they're the only reason I still play in most cases.)
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| I'm not very good at this game. |
League of Legends is, by definition, a competitive game, and it of course makes sense that they would have a ranking system in which players would compete on ladders for both solo and team games, to try and reach the Championship ranks. I can't speak much for them I've always been so terrible at this game that I remain unranked in the solo ladder and Bronze 5 in the 3v3 team ladder. (Or as it's known among my friends, Potato 5. Teehee) However, considering the massive success that is the the League of Legends World Championships, I would reckon that they're probably popular. But you know, I could be wrong. 8.5 million concurrent viewers isn't very much.
To be brief, gameplay largely consists of picking a champion with a unique set of abilities, and then fighting the enemy so that you can earn gold and experience, with which you improve the champion with improved skills and equipment, until one side destroys the enemies nexus. The challenge, largely comes from knowing what items to buy and how and when to use your champions abilities. (Something that can take a long time to learn, bearing in mind that I am really terrible at this game even after 3 years.)
So why do I not play more and try to get better at the game? Because, despite endless attempts by Riot Games to try and improve the community, you will always end up playing with the scum of the internet eventually. No other game has had me want to physically damage my computer like the way some of these people behave. So, in the interests of my sanity, (and the health of my computer/fists), I decided to keep my playing to a minimum, and to only do it with friends over a Skype call, as the often humorous conversations often improve the quality of the game. (If you think I'm overstating just how bad people can act in this game, I implore to you just watch this video and slowly lose your faith in humanity as a result. *facedesk*)
Final Verdict: League of Legends is actually a fairly fun game. Largely successful, it also stands as the paragon of the Free-To-Play business model that has become popular for many online games. For the level of service and polish of the game, the fact that you need never pay a single cent to play is a massive incentive, provided you are willing to put up with some of the most uncivilized people you could possibly find on the internet. I enjoyed League of Legends for several years and, to be fair, still usually have a fair deal of fun on the infrequent occasion that I decide to play. I'd suggest you give it a try, as long as you are ready to deal with some terrible people. Not to say they're always there, but I don't think it's possible for League of Legends to ever be truly rid of them either.
In any case, I hope that you have found this somewhat informal review of League of Legends informative, and perhaps maybe I'll see you on the fields of battle sometime. If we do, feel free to mention it down in the comments below, (Or just tell me to stop getting mad at a game. That's fine too.). If you've got some friends who aren't sure if they'd like to play League of Legends, consider sharing this with them so that they can get some insight into what it's like to be a "Summoner". Also, if you particularly liked this, or maybe just the way I write, don't forget to Like my Facebook page or Follow me on Twitter using the associated button on the sidebar to the right. Regardless of what you do, thank you very much for reading, and I hope you have/had an AWESOME day and I will see you tomorrow.
Till when next we meet, my friends.
