League of Legends Rage

Players continue to complain about the level of toxicity and rage behavior in League of Legends. Riot hasn't done a whole lot to address the issue, despite having over 11 years to work on the problem. League continues to have one of the most toxic player bases in online gaming.

A few things Riot has done:

They added an automated reporting system.

Players who go AFK in a game will have a leaver penalty.

11 years and that is what Riot has come up with.

The effectiveness of the reporting system continues to be a topic of online debate. Riot has not been transparent about how the reporting system actually punishes toxic players. What most know and agree upon, is if you're trolling a game, don't ever speak in chat. If you don't chat, any reports against you after the game is over won't be acted upon. Players have confessed to trolling thousands of games without ever suffering any kind of penalty whatsoever. They escape punishment by not talking in chat.

The leaver penalty is a more recent addition by Riot. Added in April 2021, Riot started hitting players with penalties when they go AFK or leave a game in progress. Many feel the penalty does little to discourage AFKers. When hit with this penalty, the player earns roughly 50% less LP for their next 3 ranked games. But nothing is applied to games lost. So if they win 1 and lose 2, they earn 50% less LP for that one win. Then it's back to normal.

The system does nothing to address AFK farmers. Most games nowadays are decided in the first 12-15 minutes. But in the lower ranks games can go on for 35-45 minutes. Some players give up and just decide to troll. It's over anyway right? Why try.

These players AFK farm, refuse to participate in any team fights, and just generally make the game worse for everyone. Riot has no solution for these player types.

What has remained constant in League of Legends over the past 11 years is the level of chat toxicity. Many players just turn all chat and team chat off. They only use pings in game. Saying anything in a game might induce rage in a teammate and result in another ranked loss. It's best to say nothing and focus on the game.

Hearthstone has no in-game chat. The result? Zero toxicity.

Riot has not done a good job of listening to their player base. Starcraft 2 made that mistake and where is that game now?