Is there even anything to learn from the most toxic video game to date?
After hearing about League of Legends, some time in May of 2013, my friend and I decided to download it and give it a shot. Never have I thought that my life, as I knew it, would change.
What I first discovered about myself were the dormant competitiveness and aggressiveness within me, traits no one would have ever guessed would be there. A certain kind of passion for leader boards and ranked games. The desire to overcome the odds, to be better than my enemies and my previous self.
Frankly, it became an obsession.
Throughout these years, I’ve developed pretty decent hand-eye coordination, as well as good reflexes — nothing falls on the ground in my vicinity. Aside from that, there’s plenty of things I’ve learned about life in this competitive MOBA game.
When 4 people think they’re smart, you’re the dumb one
Democracy worked alright for most nations, but in a microsystem known as the Summoner’s Rift, the problems are truly echoed and mimicked. If there’s two people who queue together as a premade, they can be the decision makers despite being in a team of five.
Patience Is Diamond
From long queue times, sometimes over 15 minutes, to your teammates testing your resilience, patience in face of adversity proves to be the go-to standard. Going into a game assuming everyone is 12 years old, mentally or actually, improves your state of mind tenfold. There is no need to type in the game at all — the only communication that is helpful is the instant ping, to give information to your teammates. Everything else is unnecessary and detrimental to the game, so if someone starts typing excessively, be the calm, patient head to soothe others. The quality of your experience, and your rank, will improve.
Learn When To Give Up
… and when to persevere. Some things are not worth the time, and it is okay to give up on them to put effort into a new game. It’s a skill that is learned through experience. In my eyes, those who want to forfeit at the slightest inconvenience are the same who never want to forfeit at all, no matter the overwhelming odds stacked against them and the inevitable L at the end of it. Sometimes you stomp, sometimes you get stomped. Such is life.
Healthy Rage Is Needed
By healthy rage, I mean the kind of rage when your opponent gets cocky and disses you or your team in /all chat. When that happens, remind yourself they’re 12, send back a “:)” and let the rage fuel your focus. Those are the most satisfying games when you win. Not if. When.
Words are important, but skill is king.
Jack of Some Trades, Master of One
Not unlike jobs which require knowledge of a dozen different programs, applications and features, it’s always good to be able to adapt and be flexible, be it real life or League of Legends. This is why One Trick Ponies are generally frowned upon — their champion gets banned or picked, and they just suck at the game with any other alternative. On the other side of the coin are people who just fill out any position needed, thinking they’re doing the team a favour, but in reality they’re just as bad as OTPs. Learn a skill, a role, or a lane, and learn it so well that no matter what your tools are, you can come out victorious.
Progress = Pain
If you would take graphs of a weight loss journey and a ranked player’s progress, you’d see they’re pretty much two opposite sides of the same coin — lots of jagged ups and downs, not a straight line. There was a time when I was really, and I mean REALLY, invested in climbing the ranks, and every loss was a personal failure. Frustration was inevitable.
Alas, perseverance through the emotional turmoil is key, unless you’re a streamer who screams a lot. As they say, no pain, no gain, but keeping your cool might save you from headaches.
