Seriously, why?
Why is the League of Legends Community so Toxic?
League of Legends is supposed to be a team game and yet it feels like you're just constantly writing /muteall in chat before the game even starts just so you can avoid the rest of your team. Of course, this doesn't help communication, which is technically essential to the game.
So, what is it that makes League of Legends so toxic and so awful to play? Why are people constantly angry, pissed off and flaming one another in the games? Well then let's check out some underlying issues we have with League of Legends and the community.
What Are Some Reasons For Toxic Behaviour?
The Game Environment
The whole point of solo queue is to rank up and climb the ladder to get the highest rank possible. For some reason even plebs hard stuck in Silver believe that one day they'll be able to achieve their dream of meeting Faker in Challenger, but let's be real, that just won't happen. But what does this have to do with the game environment? The ladder makes it extremely stressful to play, making every game a high stakes match up.
It's easy to get stressed and nag on someone when they make a mistake. Harping on one player could lead to them replying, which in turn creates nothing more than pointless keyboard warriors fighting to see who is right. We all know how it is in stressful situations, right?
Insecurities
But what about normal games? Well, that's where a players own insecurities could come into play. You're bad, you know you're bad, but you have an ego and don't want to admit it? Well then, blame the poor autofilled jungler who has died to Krugs on their first clear. Doesn't that just make you feel much better? No? Then it's time to start flaming your support as well, who didn't shield you in time. There, now it's everyone's fault but your own.
The In-Game Match-Ups
The Champions With the Most Toxic Community
Let's not forget that certain match-ups just make you aggressive. The moment you see a Teemo locked in for the top lane you know you're going to have a bad time. Or all of a sudden the ever-pleasant Seraphine/Lux bot lane meets you and you're stuck hearing the constant bullshit spewing from those champions mouths.
Of course, your blood pressure is going to rise in such a situation! You just can't help it and that's when you start talking big in /all chat, hoping to intimidate the other team... but jokes on you, they don't have /all chat enabled.
Smurfs
Smurfs are a huge problem in League of Legends. You're hard stuck in Silver I and along comes a Diamond II player on a brand-new level 30 account, ready to destroy you and everything you love. If you're up against a smurf it'll only incite your team to flame you harder as to why you're feeding the enemy.
Having a smurf on your team can also be pretty toxic, with one player hard carrying and then you making mistakes, only to prompt the other player to start flaming just why you're 'so bad'... well welcome to Silver my friend everyone kind of sucks here.
Riot Isn't Doing Much to Combat Toxicity
Sure, Riot had the brilliant idea to ban /all chat, but we all know that 90% of toxicity actually comes from your own team rather than the enemy. Seriously, all you ever see in /all chat is people smack talking, cracking jokes and writing 'EZ' at the end of a win. That isn't the problem League has though.
No, the real issue is your own team, and Riot really isn't doing enough to dissuade people from being literal dicks to someone. Seriously, not even an Honor Level 5 recall is going to make someone want to be a good person when it comes to League of Legends. We all know all reason has left their minds the moment they lock in Yasuo.
Sure, you can report a player for being toxic, for going AFK and all that, but does it do anything? Nope. Not at all. Reporting others just seems like an option Riot had to add to the game, but they don't actually look at reports. So what is the point?
So, that's why League of Legends is a toxic game, and the community has only grown with this toxicity as well. Sad, but true, eh?