User blog comment:KaiserLos24/Skins- Symbolism or Just For Show?/@comment-4814368-20140104000134

In general, I think Skins exist to add some flavor to characters users play a lot of. At least that's why I buy skins. They add a splash of cool, interesting, or unique art/design to a character that's been around for years (or just joined the league). As a result, I actually do think it may say something about a player. That is, if you see someone with a skin, it's probably safe to presume they have played that champion a lot or, at the very least, they really enjoy playing that champion.

That being said, that presumption can be deceiving. Characters change, get nerfed, or get a whole new rework. So, while you may have really enjoyed playing the old Karma and bought a skin as a result, you may not be proficient with the new Karma. Or maybe you're still getting used to the Season 4 changes for supports, so skins on support characters might give someone the false perception that you're good at the character/role.

Will all that in mind though, sometimes people have just have a bad game, maybe they get disheartened and give up. Just because you're played a game with a Katarina that had a skin and who was also terrible that game, doesn't mean they are ALWAYS bad at Katarina, or that they aren't even better on average than other Katarina players. In other words, we shouldn't make presumptions about players one way or another based on skin or based on a single game. We've all had bad games. Personally, when I see someone with a skin, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, I presume they enjoy League of Legends enough, like me, to reward Riot with a little bit of their gaming budget.