Riot Games and Toxicity in League of Legends
Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, has been facing criticism recently due to the high levels of toxicity within the game. One Twitch streamer, Bizzleberry, has now added his voice to the discussion.
In a video released today, Bizzleberry expressed his concerns about the state of the League Partnership Program (LPP). While he acknowledges the benefits of the program in terms of audience growth, he believes that it is being tarnished by toxic partners who are not being held accountable for their behavior.
The LPP invites streamers and professional players to join a program that offers various perks such as giveaways, event invites, and access to special accounts. However, Bizzleberry argues that ignoring the disruptive behavior of popular content creators sends the wrong message to fans and players.
According to Bizzleberry, the LPP has the potential to showcase individuals who truly love the game and promote a positive image. However, if someone is allowed to be toxic for hours every day without consequences, it normalizes that behavior for viewers. This, in turn, leads to a toxic environment where players feel justified in flaming their teammates for making mistakes.
In order to address these concerns, Bizzleberry suggests that Riot should thoroughly investigate its partners to ensure that they adhere to League of Legends’ code of conduct.
Bizzleberry’s video follows a similar sentiment expressed by former professional player Voyboy, who criticized Riot for its lack of action against disruptive behavior in League of Legends. Voyboy claimed that players have no fear of consequences for griefing, intentionally feeding, or going AFK because Riot does not seem to care.
Another player, Hai, recently received a chat restriction and three-month probation from the LPP for expressing frustration towards AFK players. This resulted in the temporary revocation of all perks associated with the program.
Riot Games has acknowledged the issue and has implemented a report and mute feature for champion select in Patch 10.14. The company has also vowed to allocate more resources towards combating intentional feeding, AFKs, and other game-sabotaging behaviors.
The discussion surrounding toxicity in esports continues to be a relevant and important topic for both players and game developers.