League of Legends is well-known for its large player base that spans the world over with millions of accounts logged to this date. It then begs the question what people make up this community, and its variety ranges from the freshly oriented newbie to the paid professional and the benign well-meaning person to the frustration-inducing and raw-malignant trash-talker that plagues many an online game and community.
Well, This Isn’t About The Good Guys
During your play from 1st level all the way to 30th, you are bound to meet a great assortment of these little-to-no impatient players that will frustrate and be frustration in and of itself. It’s really no wonder why some people are attributed to these stereotypes. League of Legends is a multimillion dollar game where reflexes can be swift and money can be made and lost on the competitive level, and anyone can possibly reach that level with the right coördination or knowledge. Sometimes, it’s not their fault that they become these as negativity accrues over time. Of course, some deserve it. This is not a complete assortment but a handful of the types commonly attributed to players within the community.
#1: The Troll
This one has to be listed first. The troll, while a common mask and moniker in the online world, is a nuanced and unique creature throughout. We do not mean those inexperienced players whom other more competent players call a troll simply by fact alone he is failing at a role. We mean those players with the talent, skill, and know-how to really and utterly drag down a match with purposeful frustration through a façade of incompetence — or even his ability to fool his opponents with various champions featuring annoyingly mobile or highly skilled abilities.
I’m looking at you Shaco.
This person plays not to win but for the fun of the act itself, and sometimes, if you are in the know with this person, it can be fun. If you’re not in the know, prepare yourself to be in for an ordeal.
#2: The Faux Sage
This player flaunts knowledge like it were going out fashion by the 20 minute surrender mark, and while the item builds and counters he poses might be technically true in various points of the game, they are often clichéd or merely “pet builds” tailored to particular champions and play-styles that not everyone can mimic.
On-Hit Teemo comes to mind, circa Seasons One and Two.
This person often lures newer players in a mode of thinking that anything and everything can work on any champion, and while the thought itself sounds wonderful and seems perfect, it’s more often than not a pipe dream.
#3: The “BR”
Have you ever entered into champion select with someone who picked a champion without saying a single word about preferred roles or team compositions to then load into Summoner’s Rift to have him speak in an entirely different language? While this title carries predominantly on the Brazilian masses — known for many an online tale for being utterly intolerable — this carries itself to any player of any nationality playing on a server not within their region.
They [may] be nice people, but if you cannot understand them, communication can go to the way-side. Frustration then abounds.
#4: The Fatalist
These are the people who die once in a match and presume that the entire game is over, contrary to how well other members on the team may be performing. This class of player becomes a drag on resources on the team, because there suddenly is not a fifth member of the team not performing to their best ability. Worse yet, this person can degrade into a full-on Troll, allowing himself to die only to offer more gold to the opposing team with his death or the turn-over of objectives on the map.
#5: The HotShot
This title gets its name from Team CLG player and now coach HotShotGG. In his earlier days, he was well-known for his toxic attitude and demeaning presence in regard to other players on his team not performing up to his level of skill.
These players are good. These players are very good. The problem with them however arises with their sheer and utter arrogance in association with other players on their team. They see them as being merely accessories to their great scheme and awe-inspiring moments as Most Valuable Player of League of Legends. They can degrade into harassing fellow and opponent players, commenting on how bad they are and that they should quit the game.
The Good News Though
With the creation of the Tribunal System, many of these players have been judged, punished, and rehabilitated in various manners. Some have been banned once or twice, causing them to lose out on money spent on the game. That’s definitely something that will hurt one’s ego in the short and even long-term, having spent cash and have its desired use be stymied or outright removed.
If someone should give you a hard time and shows to be a negative impact on you and your fellow players, you can finish the match with the thought that you can just report this person, and the vengeance of like-minded people will be willing and waiting to punish these nefarious do-badders.
Published: Jul 25, 2013 08:16 pm