Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of gamers fire up League of Legends every single day. For the longest time I have been one of these faithful but there’s something I’ve wanted to get off my chest for a while which ultimately made me quit a game I’ve loved for so long. Excuse me for a moment while I wipe away the tears…
As a Platinum player who’s been through the trenches of bronze, slowly working my way up for four seasons, I committed myself to this game through thick and thin. I played a lot of league, often more than I should have. Throughout my time there have been ample opportunities to quit, given all the ragers and toxicity that plague the LoL community. However, I was resolute in my goal to reach a high level; I did not let the constant beatings from fellow players to deter me from my love of the game. What made me give up playing is the developer themselves, Riot.
Ok, now before you get out your pitchforks give me time to explain. While they may be the root cause of why I ‘hung up my mouse’ so to speak, I’m not saying Riot is a bad company because nothing could be further from the truth. They have made one of the best, if not the best, MOBAs on the planet and treat their fans with respect. Not only that, they’ve actively attempted to make the community a better place. Recently they took the money raised from fines levied on players and donated it to The Trevor Project, a charity offering ‘crisis intervention and suicide prevention’ supporting LGBT youth. Riot, for that you’re ok in my books.
Moving on, what finally made me quit (for good this time, I mean it) was the recent Free Mystery Skin event. The skin I received was ‘Curling Veigar’. For those not aware, Curling Veigar is by far the worst skin with the least effort for a champion put out by Riot. It is barely even a re-colouring and does not sport much noticeable FX. On the fateful day receiving the mystery gift (Oh, the drama!), I was raring to open it, excited to see what goodies were inside. After unveiling the mystery gift… my heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach.  I sat there at my computer screen dumbfounded, unable to speak, unable to hear. I had a moment of silence, a reflective moment if you will — then it dawned on me — receiving this Curling Veigar was a symbol of my journey through this game.
You work your way through literal hell of bronze and silver only to find a different hell in gold and platinum. You bite your tongue not to lash out at trolls; because as luck would have it you’ll likely be banned instead of the aggressors. And at the end of the day how are you rewarded? Well, by being trolled again with nothing to show for it. Being a Vancouver guy, you’d think I’d appreciate this skin more with the Olympics and whatnot but I don’t. I’m a patriot and all, and hell I think curling is just as ok as the next guy, but I’m also not blind! Now I appreciate Riot for giving out free skins (despite my arguing to the contrary), I was probably just unlucky and got the worst of worst draws. But honestly I probably would not have quit if Riot just gave no skins at all or even took back my skin for nothing. Receiving this Curling Veigar felt like the Ultimate Troll by the game itself. Having this lackluster abomination staring at me from the skin select screen just haunts me every time I look at it. I could not bear to look at it anymore, so I uninstalled the game for good. I REALLY MEAN IT GUYS.
Yes I am bitter. Yes I am mad. I’ve gone to Heroes of the Storm because I can mindlessly drift away while playing, unconcerned about trolls or rage fueled children. I play as casually as I want, it truly is bliss. I can play a support hero in HoTS and actually be useful AND be praised by team mates? Huzzah! Dying once or more doesn’t spell the end for your team? Hooha! League is a superior game by far and more fun for competitive play, however at the end of the day it’s just not worth it. Thank you for a tremendous 5 years of gaming Riot… I surrender.