User blog:TheTobarMethod/LoL and its future audience/state

Hey guys,

Its been awhile since I posted anything but I have been thinking with some friends about what Riot has mentioned on Reddit and how they "plan to stop champion production at 200".

It has taken 3 years basically for the current 80+ champions to be released(Im not including the original 40). With that estimate it will take another 2.5 years for the other 80+ champions to be released. During that timeframe the game will morph and change shapes. Maybe the E-sports scene will begin to dominate world television screens and monitors, or even better, become recognized in mainstream culture.

This brings up a few questions to me and how culture as a whole will reflect on LoL and where the audience of this game may shift to. At the moment LoL is easy for nearly anyone with common sense and a sane mind to pick up and play. If you enjoy it enough, you start practicing and learning its intricacies and what mechanics are. This leads to some players giving up and sitting in the casual zone, some moving into semi-serious states of ranked play but still lacking true game skill(often dilluted that they are god tier), and others moving onto become our so beloved "Pr0z" sleeping at Challenger tier or mastering the games fundaments and becoming Perma-Diamond for more reasons than just win rate. But what does this mean for the game as a whole? Well, as the competitve scene begins to saturate with teams and it gets more popular, this will attract more people. LoL is already the most played video game in the world at the moment so how much farther can it go? VERY FAR  

Implications
LoL isnt big in mainstream media or pop culture.

This means that it can and most likely WILL become CoD level popular if given the resources. This can absolutely RUIN the game in every aspect. I can see no good coming from LoL entering mainstream popularity as we have now. This will lead to

-Community imbalance

-Massive meta shifts (This is the one I fear because it will change the game in a very pure way, game balance)

-Over-saturation of new players/noobs who basically educate other new players with false/poor information, ultimately degrading average player skill and knowledge.

-"Quality vs Quantity" imbalance. At the moment Riot attempts to balance these. When the subscriber rate quadruples they wont be able to sustain it without losing too many or gaining too many. Leading to, in my opinion, marketing. This will kill LoL entirely.

Why You Should Care
I am going to assume that you are like me. A devoted player who keeps up with Surr@20 news, Reddit posts, and studies the patch notes while discussing them with friends who are also devoted players. Now I dont play the game as much as It seems I do, I only have about 900 games total played but I learn alot and I learn quickly.

This assumption leads me to belive that if you are, as I assume, like me. Then you care AS MUCH as I do about the game and its direction. LoL has taken alot of my free time and I have seen it impact my life both negatively and positively. I am indifferent to the impacts but I do love spending free time on the game. I DONT WANT THIS TIME TO BE RUINED.  

Do you want YOUR time wasted? Do you want something that YOU thoroughly enjoy torn away from you all because of media and reknown? The answer is no. We are seeing this effect transpire as I type this. Any person who was playing during Alpha/Beta/Pre-season can easily tell you how much the game has changed, and how much has been hit simply by popularity. Now I wasnt one of those people who played that far back, but I do understand and can imagine the impact. Most reactions have been negative.

Business isnt something that rollercoasts and makes abstract unpredictable shifts. Its all predictable and trend-related. That means that we can take what has already happened and apply it to what CAN happen. If popularity has done what many consider bad, then what do you think will continue to happen as it grows? More bad.

I am not talking about overall changes or evolution of gameplay such as "Meta", those are things that just happen, and are GOOD. Im talking about more obvious things like content evolution, player knowledge, appearance/image.

Last Statement
To hold these changes off for as long as possible, I am asking you people. Yes you. To help educate everyone around you and any that seek to learn more, with good quality information and help make them the best player that they can be. These changes are inevitable but that doesnt mean that we have to make them quickly.

So, abide by the Summoners Code(aka "dont be a dick") and reflect on your decisions regarding player interaction and try as best you can to make them good decisions.

REMEMBER, THE MUTE BUTTON EXISTS FOR A REASON.

Im not the best role model for good player interaction I know but I have problems just like anyone else, I can solve them, and I hopefully will. But that doesnt give you the right to hold my same flaws.

Sincerely, TheTobarMethod

Comments?