Diligence109
08-03-2011, 02:57 PM
I made this post (http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/hsvyv/i_hate_how_upset_this_game_makes_me/c1y3m50) on the LoL subreddit some time ago in a thread discussing how easy it is to get upset over the game, at yourself, or at your teammates.
I (and the hundred or so people that upvoted it) think it's a pretty good read and if you're really getting heavy into LoL and want to improve your game outside of your mechanical last hitting and map awareness abilities, you might find this an interesting read and I'd love to hear your own thoughts as well!
I've copied the post from reddit below in case you don't want to have to follow a link away from our beloved gamers-forum:
This game has taught me a lot about myself and social interaction as a whole. These are the things that I've learned that have made me a much more fun person to play LoL with and a happier person overall (yes, I learned deep life lessons from this game!):
Forgiving myself. We play this game very competitively - we want to get better. That's why we're browsing this subreddit, watching streams, and analyzing our replays. When I make a mistake mid game, I know it, and I feel bad that I made it. I see how it was completely preventable or how I completely gave up an opportunity that an opponent opened up for me (because hindsight is 20/20 and we look like headless chickens in the heat of the moment). But, I'm always getting better because I am seeing these mistakes, and that's the important thing. I can play better myself and be in a better mood and help my team more if I can forgive myself these mistakes as they happen. Everyone makes these all throughout the course of the match, and that's okay. In real life, you'll really start to wow people when you can approach your professors/boss/manager with an attitude of "I made a mistake but am mostly concerned about how I can continue to help the team most in spite of that. I may even need your counsel at this moment to help, but I'm absolutely willing and ready to try what it takes."
Forgiving others. Sometimes you can see that it was your teammate that dropped the ball. That person might be less skilled than you, be a slower learner, someone random that the queue found you to play with, a redditor, or a friend from real life. The one thing that they always are is on your team. You have to play with this person and no matter how bad they are at this game (right now), you have to do your best to learn how to play with them effectively over the course of the match. If you have the attitude that you are a team together and you are both going to do your best together, you will both play better and learn more than if you keep throwing your CC and complaining silently to yourself how that lame insta-lock carry doesn't pick up on the doors you open wide for them to get kills. This kind of patience will make you work much more effectively with people on projects in real life, and you'll really appreciate working with people that are equally understanding that we're all human and make different mistakes.
Ignore the troll. If this person or anyone starts trolling/griefing, that's their issue and they aren't playing to help the team and your team is going to suffer. They are being immature and, unfortunately, in game isn't the time and place to have a huge sit down and talk about it. You can say a couple things calmly and hope they simmer down, but if they take your words and turn them into fuel for the flame the best you can do is /ignore. /ignore is a great tool for this instance because you don't need to dwell on them. They've clearly have their own issues that they've yet to get past, so why waste your time with them? You're going to play better and have a better time if you let them keep their problems to themself. We don't get a /ignore in real life - sometimes it can be a little harder to avoid someone if you and this person have mutual friends, common classes, or are coworkers; but we do this is real life too when people make it unfortunately necessary.
Call out the good things that happen. We spend enough time dwelling on what went wrong with that last teamfight and we love talking post game about "omg that pantheon was so bad lol" but once we've started forgiving ourself and forgiving our team, we can really turn the atmosphere of the game around by complimenting each other. When a gank goes well (or even if it was hairy at first but came through) taking the time to type "gj" will bring you and the teammate(s) involved closer for that game. Feeling good as a team is important - it's how you learn to lean on each other and play off of each other. With the attitude that we're not just doing our best individually, but also as a team, you guys will start initiating fights with a ferocity that can scare that solo queue enemy team into fleeing after the first kill.
Recognize good plays, even when they are the enemy's. You can go a step further in creating a positive atmosphere for the game by complimenting skilled maneuvers, whether it's a teammate teleporting in to save a gank or the other team's ashe nailing you blind with an arrow in the jungle. It sets a precedent of sportsmanlike conduct, keeps both teams positive, and reminds us that dying doesn't always mean you're bad, it frequently means the other team played well. This is why we say "gg" at the end of every match and why we absolutely don't say "bg". There's no shame in getting beaten by a really good play, or recognizing it - in fact you should recognize what your opponents are capable of to become a better player.
In conclusion, and TL;DR: Being able to take the spirit of a team and turn it into something cohesive in this game has turned me into a very powerful and inspiring group leader in real life. Your attitude towards yourself and your teammates has a huge impact on how well you and your team will play and how much fun you and your team have. So, get into that queue and change this game for four other people. Show them what it's like to have a teammate who really is ready themself to be a team player.
I (and the hundred or so people that upvoted it) think it's a pretty good read and if you're really getting heavy into LoL and want to improve your game outside of your mechanical last hitting and map awareness abilities, you might find this an interesting read and I'd love to hear your own thoughts as well!
I've copied the post from reddit below in case you don't want to have to follow a link away from our beloved gamers-forum:
This game has taught me a lot about myself and social interaction as a whole. These are the things that I've learned that have made me a much more fun person to play LoL with and a happier person overall (yes, I learned deep life lessons from this game!):
Forgiving myself. We play this game very competitively - we want to get better. That's why we're browsing this subreddit, watching streams, and analyzing our replays. When I make a mistake mid game, I know it, and I feel bad that I made it. I see how it was completely preventable or how I completely gave up an opportunity that an opponent opened up for me (because hindsight is 20/20 and we look like headless chickens in the heat of the moment). But, I'm always getting better because I am seeing these mistakes, and that's the important thing. I can play better myself and be in a better mood and help my team more if I can forgive myself these mistakes as they happen. Everyone makes these all throughout the course of the match, and that's okay. In real life, you'll really start to wow people when you can approach your professors/boss/manager with an attitude of "I made a mistake but am mostly concerned about how I can continue to help the team most in spite of that. I may even need your counsel at this moment to help, but I'm absolutely willing and ready to try what it takes."
Forgiving others. Sometimes you can see that it was your teammate that dropped the ball. That person might be less skilled than you, be a slower learner, someone random that the queue found you to play with, a redditor, or a friend from real life. The one thing that they always are is on your team. You have to play with this person and no matter how bad they are at this game (right now), you have to do your best to learn how to play with them effectively over the course of the match. If you have the attitude that you are a team together and you are both going to do your best together, you will both play better and learn more than if you keep throwing your CC and complaining silently to yourself how that lame insta-lock carry doesn't pick up on the doors you open wide for them to get kills. This kind of patience will make you work much more effectively with people on projects in real life, and you'll really appreciate working with people that are equally understanding that we're all human and make different mistakes.
Ignore the troll. If this person or anyone starts trolling/griefing, that's their issue and they aren't playing to help the team and your team is going to suffer. They are being immature and, unfortunately, in game isn't the time and place to have a huge sit down and talk about it. You can say a couple things calmly and hope they simmer down, but if they take your words and turn them into fuel for the flame the best you can do is /ignore. /ignore is a great tool for this instance because you don't need to dwell on them. They've clearly have their own issues that they've yet to get past, so why waste your time with them? You're going to play better and have a better time if you let them keep their problems to themself. We don't get a /ignore in real life - sometimes it can be a little harder to avoid someone if you and this person have mutual friends, common classes, or are coworkers; but we do this is real life too when people make it unfortunately necessary.
Call out the good things that happen. We spend enough time dwelling on what went wrong with that last teamfight and we love talking post game about "omg that pantheon was so bad lol" but once we've started forgiving ourself and forgiving our team, we can really turn the atmosphere of the game around by complimenting each other. When a gank goes well (or even if it was hairy at first but came through) taking the time to type "gj" will bring you and the teammate(s) involved closer for that game. Feeling good as a team is important - it's how you learn to lean on each other and play off of each other. With the attitude that we're not just doing our best individually, but also as a team, you guys will start initiating fights with a ferocity that can scare that solo queue enemy team into fleeing after the first kill.
Recognize good plays, even when they are the enemy's. You can go a step further in creating a positive atmosphere for the game by complimenting skilled maneuvers, whether it's a teammate teleporting in to save a gank or the other team's ashe nailing you blind with an arrow in the jungle. It sets a precedent of sportsmanlike conduct, keeps both teams positive, and reminds us that dying doesn't always mean you're bad, it frequently means the other team played well. This is why we say "gg" at the end of every match and why we absolutely don't say "bg". There's no shame in getting beaten by a really good play, or recognizing it - in fact you should recognize what your opponents are capable of to become a better player.
In conclusion, and TL;DR: Being able to take the spirit of a team and turn it into something cohesive in this game has turned me into a very powerful and inspiring group leader in real life. Your attitude towards yourself and your teammates has a huge impact on how well you and your team will play and how much fun you and your team have. So, get into that queue and change this game for four other people. Show them what it's like to have a teammate who really is ready themself to be a team player.