Riot Games, the creator of LOL itself, recently conducted a case study on the correlation between workplace toxicity and in-game toxicity. Evidence indicated that women playing League of Legends are a constant target of harassment.
- riot games’ problematic culture for female players of league of legends
- Workplace culture informs in-game culture
- advertisement
- 10) Becca 356k Followers
- 7) Kaceytron 500k Followers
- How serious are League of Legends female players?
- Sexism still exists: Maria “Remilia” Creveling in League of Legends
- Do you face any challenges as an Arab girl streamer?
- What advice would you give to girls who want to explore the world of gaming or streaming?
- Conclusion
- What Happened To The All Female Pro Team League of Legends ?
- RelatedPosts
- Kalista
- Lux
riot games’ problematic culture for female players of league of legends
In September 2018, I took part in the North American League Championship Series Summer Finals in Oakland, California. After I started playing League of Legends earlier this year and I really enjoyed it, I was very excited to see professional players playing live in front of an arena-sized audience and excited to hang out with my friends who invited me.
But while it was a fun weekend, it was a familiar, awkward feeling in this arena. It was the same discomfort I had felt in computer science lessons back in the day when I was one of maybe two women in a hundred-student class.
It came as no surprise that the audience was mostly male and mostly (in appearance at least) the typical nerd players who are expected to appear frequently at events such as comic book conventions and Magic: The Gathering draft nights. It surprised me that while all the guys were sharing this shared experience of enjoying watching this game together, I still didn’t feel part of it.
There were many layers to it: I’m not a guy and therefore don’t fit into the typical player profile, but also the most conspicuous representation of the girls that came in between games when a group of mostly cosplayers disguised as characters paraded around the stage, throwing them into the crowd freebies.
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Don’t get me wrong, I like cosplay and considering the time and money I would probably like to make a costume for my favorite character and attend these parties in costume. And I’m not saying that nobody in the costume was a fan of LoL, because there were certainly many.
But being there as a woman, not in costume, not as someone’s girlfriend, but as a player interested in watching the game, I struggled to find my relatives in the crowd, while there were no women in the teams. All the men had to do was look around to see people like them, to feel that they belonged to them. It almost felt as if people who saw me were wondering “what is she doing here?”
Nevertheless, I had a great time watching the top-tier players make League of Legends look easy, effortlessly making moves and plays that I could only dream of. I left that day still enjoying the game, but this was the first time I had questioned my place in the League of Legends community.
Workplace culture informs in-game culture
About a month earlier, Kotaku ran an article about sexism in the Riot Games workplace, which sparked outrage generally on the Internet. The truth is, such stories are commonplace in the male-dominated tech industry and doubly in gaming tech companies like Riot.
I was glad that discriminatory hiring processes and the sexist treatment of women in the workplace caught the attention of mainstream media, but the impact on Riots players has remained unexplored. I want to comment on that from a gamer’s perspective in this article.
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I think Riot was unprepared for how the hardcore gamer workplace culture not only made it difficult for women to work at Riot, but most of all it seriously affected the game culture it created.
For example, I’m lucky if I play even the most ordinary, unranked games one evening without being verbally insulted in the game. Moreover, these are often gender insults in which the words “female dog”, “pussy” and even “girl” are used in a derogatory way in contexts that would be very inappropriate in real life. There are also often perfunctory comments relating to characters’ body parts or phallic-looking animations and movements.
Yes, there has been a long history of toxic player chat in all games where people feel safe insultingly keeping the username and avatar anonymous, but it really frustrated me that League of Legends was not doing anything to make things better.
Real in-game chat. (MF refers to Miss Fortune, a sensual pirate character who is one of my favorite games.) It’s not hard to come across this kind of chat message. This is real, from the game I just played.
We can take the name of Hong Kong Panda Cute team, they only competed with another random female team, there was no male player, only player girl. Everything changed by 2018 with Vaevictis eSport.
10) Becca 356k Followers
DingleDerper is an online character of Tora, another very popular girl on Twitch. Mostly I stream games like CS: GO and PUBG. But aside from her gaming life, she’s quite popular as she shares her personal details with around 370,000 followers. She started her career in League of Legends and still returns to the game several times a week.
7) Kaceytron 500k Followers
Kaceytron broadcasts regularly five days a week. She plays various games on her channel, but is best known for playing League of Legends. Kaceytron also frequently streams content from Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO), and Grand Theft Auto V. Known for her brave “gamer” personality and impeccable sense of humor.
So why are fans of this game only a small part of the professional League of Legends arena? For example, there has been no woman in the LOL Championship series since 2016.
How serious are League of Legends female players?
Women treat esports with exactly the same intensity as any other sport.
For example, Team Siren has documented how they lived together to train as a team and penetrate League of Legends Pro competitions. They even released a video introducing their team to the world of professionals. They were obviously serious.
Venture Beat also indicates that 65% of female fans watch esports content for 1-4 hours a day, which is over 55% of men. They share the intensity of the game, with great options available such as Mod Skin LoL Pro that allows you to change the look of your hero. The deeper the player goes with this amount of customization, the richer the gaming experience will be for everyone involved.
Sexism still exists: Maria “Remilia” Creveling in League of Legends
So far, only one of the League of Legends players has been included in the LOL Championship series. Meet Maria “Remilia” Creviling.
With her team, Renegade qualified for the professional league in 2015 and a year later she was in the spotlight with all eyes on. She was not only the first woman, but also the first transgender woman to star in this particular show.
Unfortunately, her experience has included sexual and transphobic harassment. Fans criticized her appearance and even argued about her gender identity. Unfortunately, this was not the inspiring event it could have been.
Just a few weeks into the season, she left her team and league, explaining that it was due to anxiety and self-esteem. She has not returned to the professional league since then.
Don’t get me wrong, I like cosplay and considering the time and money I would probably like to make a costume for my favorite character and attend these parties in costume. And I’m not saying that nobody in the costume was a fan of LoL, because there were certainly many.
Do you face any challenges as an Arab girl streamer?
MoMo: I think sexism can be found all over the world, not just in the MENA region. Personally, I face some challenges, such as random people in my Twitch chat, calling me by name just because I’m a girl. Female streamers are much less supported than their male counterparts, and hopefully that will change in the future as at the end of the day we’re all part of the same gaming community.
Alanoud: Unfortunately, yes. The Arab community still needs to thrive in treating girls as equal members of the gaming community. People find it acceptable to say anything behind the cover of their screens, and I received a lot of rude and sexist comments. On the other hand, I also received a lot of support so I always try to focus on it and be thankful for it.
Heba: Yes, there were many challenges. As a girl, whether I stream or play, people tend to automatically intimidate me (and my team) or make fun of us just because we’re girls; they just can’t accept the idea that girls can have fun and stream too.
What advice would you give to girls who want to explore the world of gaming or streaming?
MoMo: Just go. If you’re interested in games, try them out. If you’re interested in streaming, give it a try. I know there are many fears and challenges that keep you from getting out of your comfort zone, but this is the right moment to trust yourself and just do it.
Alanoud: I encourage every girl to do what she likes. Whether you’re a streamer or a gamer, we’re all faced with the same social stigma. However, it is in your hands to decide whether it will affect you and lead to your downfall, or whether you will focus on the good aspects and be successful. Personally, I have had days when I thought about quitting because of the negativity I perceive, but I chose to focus on all the positives.
Heba: You should definitely go on. If you love games, go for it and don’t be afraid of any negative comments you might get; there will always be supportive people just as there are discouraging people. You should just do what you love, ignore everyone else and try to shine.
Momo plays League of Legends and streams regularly on her Twitch channel. She is keeping a close eye on this year’s Intel Arabia Cup and has even appeared as a guest at our Thursday show. Although she herself does not participate in the tournament, she is rooting for the Fox Gaming Club from her home country, Morocco.
Alanoud (Anoud) is one of our biggest fans. She attended the Nexus Arabia 2019 event in Riyadh and was part of the starting talent of the IAC. He plays and streams League of Legends on his Twitch channel and cheers on his favorite players – 9eetoo and Mimic – to bring the trophy to KSA.
Heba (Violetism) plays League of Legends frequently with his first girls team in Egypt, Team Whatever, and streams on his Facebook page. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the Intel Arabian Cup this year, but she followed the tournament and is delighted that everyone is trying to win.
And in a team environment, they feel taken less seriously than men in a strategy game when their team realizes they are women.
Conclusion
Newcomers to the League of Legends community are always welcome, especially of all genders. As time goes on and the gaming world evolves even more into a “neutral” playground, we can see things for the better. It’s worth noting that we may have a chance to see Girl Gamers vying for higher ranks in League of Legends. As a result, there could be a female team that rightfully deserves its place in an official esports tournament and competes for first place. First of all, we know that the physical characteristics in the virtual word are hardly necessary, between the genders the IQ (intelligence quotient) is relatively the same.
We hope to see some changes in the male part of the community as well. Moreover, there is no reason to underestimate Girl Gamer for her possible video game performance. Likewise, accept any player regardless of gender as your teammate and fight for victory as usual. Indeed, the key to the success of a better game is that the community itself sticks together for the sole purpose of having fun.
Players, if you happen to get in your way with the perfect gamer girl, compliment her gameplay and treat her with respect.
Janet Rose is an online player best known for his Twitch livestream channel, xChocoBars. She abandoned her quest for an early childhood degree to become a full-time streamer, mostly sharing League of Legends videos with voice commentary.
What Happened To The All Female Pro Team League of Legends ?
But that seems wrong, gender is not a problem, the official LCS and LACS 2020 rules state that: “No player can be considered eligible to participate in any LCS-related match before his 17th birthday, defined as having lived a full 17 years. No player can be considered eligible to participate in any LACS affiliate match prior to his 16th birthday, defined as surviving the full 16 years (they also added a minimum rank requirement later in the year)
All you need to do is be a certain age depending on the country
The answer to the question of why there are no women in professional league is simply a lack of women who have reached a certain skill level. Well, there are actually a few female pro teams, but they “didn’t get involved” with the male players anymore. Women’s teams now only play with women’s teams in a certain tournament for women.
We can take the name of Hong Kong Panda Cute team, they only competed with another random female team, there was no male player, only player girl. Everything changed by 2018 with Vaevictis eSport.
This team participated in the LCL (similar to the LCS but in Russia). Vaevictis was originally a male band but they struggled for funding. After so many “Sale Campaigns” they abandoned all the old members and formed a whole new team of women.
RelatedPosts
It was the first ever female player team to compete in an official tournament hosted by Riot. This team can prove that there was no gender barrier in eSports, different genders in esports could create a stronger community and there could be a chance that a female team could make it to Worlds.
Maybe “get into the world” is a bit naive, but jokingly sure it makes the community stronger. Why do I say they’re a joke, they were officially removed from the tournament after competing in Split 2 of the LCL.
On Feb 16th 2019, a compete between Vaevictis and Rox, well it was just a normal match no big deal right? Vaevictis lost the game to 12 – 1, the funny was ROX literally banned 5 supports and they were warned by Riot the next day. Riot concluded that banning 5 supports was like a sexist act and toxicity. But fairly the all-female team was all support mains, they climbed to Diamond in East EU server with only support, Riot clearly did not know that it was a strategy from ROX: Banned enemy team mains.
In their whole career compete on LCL, they lost 2 split with a humilating score 28 lost and 0 win in total.
But it was not over, 0-28 is a horrible score, but atleast they broke the Guinness World Record for fastest defeat in; League pro match.
March 3rd 2019, Vaevictis lost a game of professional League of Legends in 13 minutes
It doesn’t matter whether male or female, both of them can take part in a professional League of Legends match if they reach a certain skill level. At the moment, the players who have reached this skill level scale are just a few. As I said, the day a woman appears in League of Legends will come sooner or later.
Unfortunately, there is not much more in her story. He is a legend in the deserts of Shurima, I haunted their children. But we do know that her hunting has earned her a sinister reputation. More specifically, it’s called The Void Burrower, The Terror Beneath, and The Plague of the Desert.
Kalista
Like her anger, her spears are endless.
League’s Revenge Specter was one of the game’s most groundbreaking hero launches. Kalista was one of a series of six heroes that had new, creative mechanics that Riot had never done before (at the time). If you ask the League community, many players will be delighted to say that 2014 was the best year for a champion release. And it’s obvious why: Kalista has kept up with newer, more complex heroes, striking the perfect balance between difficulty and ease.
Though her passive ability is difficult to pick up, her muscle memory eventually becomes memorable. It is amazing to avoid the skills of the enemies being measured during each auto attack and kitesurf during team fights. Her ultimate is unique in the game: it requires a tied ally, makes it untargetable, and allows you to throw it wherever you want. It is incredibly powerful, both in terms of commitment and detachment. With the right lane partner (coughing, thresh, coughing) there’s not much you can do to chase her down or run away.
In terms of knowledge, Kalista is as gloomy as she is in Runeterra. The niece and lieutenant of the stupid king found a cure for the dying queen, but much too late. What did she get for her troubles? Spears in her back and the unenviable position of a spirit of vengeance on the Shadow Isles.
What makes Kalista a great master:
- Mobility
- Burst damage on E
- Bush control with W
- A super skill that makes her great for engaging support
- Spare “hit” for Baron and Dragon on E
Lux
The last thing you see before you die is a bright light and a high laugh.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but here it is. Our first prize is Lux, one of League’s poster girls. Deals with promotional materials, films and more. And don’t even mention the amount of skins it has. Bright (literally and figuratively), optimistic and incredibly powerful, she is a lovable figure to the legions. Just ask the Luxs I play with for 300,000 mastery points.
Her skills are easy to grasp. Root, shield, damage slow and laser beam with fast ultimate cooldown. A good Lux player will know how to take advantage of both her harass and ranged blast damage, preventing her from getting close or engaging at the beginning of the lane. A newer player can still tell you how his abilities are to be linked: Q first, then E for guaranteed damage, and R for finisher.
But Luxanna’s lore is darker than you might think her character in the game. A powerful mage of noble blood in a kingdom famous for its persecution of magicians, Lux is a hangman. Falling under the influence of the rebellious magician Silas, she is betrayed and forced to reveal her powers to her family. It breaks the heart of her brother Garen, the respected commander of Demacia. It’s easy to get lost in their stories of honor, responsibilities, and personal loyalty. Riot thought the same too. They chose her story as one of the stories to base a Marvel comic on. And you can’t get a better seal of approval than this.