idontknowhowtoplayleague

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Sport in the Era of COVID-19 (05.01.2020)

Since mid-March, the US has been cutting down more activities that were once familiar to Americans. Included in these restricted activities are sporting events, both professional and casual. In the past few months we have seen stadiums cleared of fans to cancelling games all together. No sport has gone unaffected by the rampage of the virus. Football players have been positing their home workouts online, basketball stars lament over the March Madness that never was, e-sport stadiums are essentially empty except players all faced 6 feet apart. This sort of closure has never been experienced by any of the existing generations, and watching the world cope with the effects of such a wildfire disease has been interesting to say the least.

So, how has life changed without the heavy presence of sports? Personally, I am not a large follower of sports news, but from what I’ve garnered is that sports fans are absolutely devastated by the loss of part of their identity. One of the most prevalent areas of this to me is basketball. March is prime basketball season- March Madness. Fans strategically plot out their brackets, predicting who will be the winner all to find out this year, there will be none. Professional leagues tried to adjust initially to fan-less games, but with athletes testing positive for the virus, most leagues have been cancelled all together. The only competitions in the world of sport still able to take pace are e-sport competitions, and even those have become a stretch, and many of them cancelled.

In personal lives, I see people tossing balls around here and there. I saw some kids on the basketball court nearby not too long ago, but it made me wonder what real social distancing should really look like. I too have the burning desire to play sports in this time. I had a friend coming back from half way across the world, and the first thing we said we were going to do was play soccer with all of our friends. That plan was quickly dashed by the outbreak of COVID-19, and my friend cancelled their plans to visit home for the time being. Social distancing and quarantining has made people restless, and I don’t blame them.

After this is all over, there may be nothing better than the sensation of kicking a soccer ball.

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

SonicFox Brings Diversity and Politics to eSports (3.23.2020)

March 9, 2020 - Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean took home the grand prize at the Mortal Kombat championship tournament at Park West Theater in Chicago. As they accepted their win, they appeared on stage dawning a full ‘fur suit’ of a blue fox (worn typically by ‘furries’, this is a suit that resembles an animal of the wearer’s choosing), the trans flag worn as a cape, and declared that people should vote for Bernie Sanders in the upcoming democratic elections and beyond. If you are familiar with eSports, this kind of display for a champion esports player is a rarity, to say the least.

A staple of the gaming community is transphobia/homophobia/all the phobias and all the isms you can imagine. In the year of 2020, most would think that this would not be prevalent in a professional league, but much of the community is held to an incredibly low standard when compared to traditional athletes. As someone who likes to play online games, it’s rare to not face a player who uses racial slurs, phobic insults, etc. 

So, in such a toxic community, it’s interesting to see someone like SonicFox appear on the mainstage. In 2019, SonicFox publicly announced that they identify as non-binary. As a gay, black furry who is known for leading a trans rights chant at tournaments, SonicFox hasn’t been without ridicule and backlash. Many people believe that sport and politics should be separated. Why bring something that can be so stressful to something made to entertain? 

As SonicFox themselves points out, the gaming community has a real issue with queerphobia and racism:

“It’s a lot of oppression, racism, homophobia and transphobia everywhere. Especially in the gaming industry.”

If players hold marginalized identities, they cannot rely on the industry they are a part of, and who wants to continue to be a part of something they don’t feel welcomed in? As discussed in previous posts, there is a lack of diversity in gaming. With players like SonicFox appearing, maybe we will get to see gaming become a more welcoming community. 

Watch Kotaku’s Interview With SonicFox Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWhrECl6zOY

esports champion SonicFox signs with Evil Geniuses, pledges to continue message of ‘equality’: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/esports-champion-sonicfox-signs-with-evil-geniuses-pledges-to-continue-message-of-e2-80-98equality-e2-80-99/ar-BB11zLqG

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Animal Crossing New Horizons Offers More Diverse Character Design (03.06.2020)

Nintendo will be releasing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on March 20th, 2020. Fans have been anxiously waiting for its release as the date approaches. Many articles and videos have been been compiling lists of all the new features being offered in the game. One feature that fans have been particularly excited about is the inclusion of more diverse character design. 

Historically, Animal crossing has only given players a single skin tone option, which is white. In the New Horizons version, players can now choose from 8 different skin tones as well as many new hair styles that reach a more diverse audience.

Why is something like this in video games so important? A blatant gap in the esports realm is lack of diversity- from gender to ethnicity. Though Animal Crossing is not a game developed for esports purposes, the fanbase’s celebration of diversity may be an indicator to other developers to follow suit. It’s not just  professional esports players in the US that lack diversity, it’s also the representation in the games themselves. Many characters are white and cisgender. 

Is this issue a big one? It depends on how you perceive esports. Personally, I think player diversity is incredibly important. When an organization is run by predominately white men, that’s where the power tends to accumulate and stay (Take a look at the NFL). Character diversity in esports is also something I would like to see more of because I think that representation attracts wider audiences, and thus, we may see more diverse competitive players. 

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Kurt 0411 Banned by EA (02.27.2020)

Prominent YouTuber Kurt Fenech was banned by the company EA itself for sending “abusive and threatening messages.” The ban includes  Fenech has spent around a decade playing FIFA, a game by EA based off of the international soccer organization. He has been known for his online presence as well as being on the professional competing end of the game. There are several interesting topics that arise out of this news.

1. Fenech has argued that EA has banned him for voicing his opinion about the game. Though he has publicly insulted EA employees through platforms like Twitter, he says that he has never threatened them. It is clear that he has disruptive behavior both in and out of game, but can disruptive and poorly behaved players still have a right to criticize the games they play? In the link below, you can see a clip from the stream that got EA to permanently ban Fenech.  

2. Community toxicity has been a prominent issue in eSports, but not a lot is done to address it. Granted, many gaming companies get many reports of gamer behavior and must comb through each one. Fenech got a permanent ban from EA gaming, but what about non-famous players who have similar behaviors? Does fame have an effect on how punishment is dealt?

3.  Where is the line drawn on vulgarity in eSports? I often wonder what traditional sports players say on the field and in game. What about in practice? eSports players can be notoriously explicit without anyone really batting an eye. 

4. In class, we have discussed the fans that full under the ‘truly fanatic’ category. Studies have reported indecent behaviors of fans that identify closely with the sports they play. We have discussed the demographics of people that are able to be fanatics, and one study found that respondents had significantly high median income, around $100,000. Can this sort of thing apply to sports? one article about Fenech pointed out that he somewhat paid his way into the pros- buying packages in-game that allowed him to reach pro level. Worth around 2,000 Euro. 

Though Fenech has been banned from competing in EA eSports and playing games created by EA, his YouTube and Stream remain. The future of his career is up in the air due to it relying heavily on EA’s FIFA. For now, he continues to play other games, but it is yet to be seen if he will be banned from the platforms he is a creator on.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-26-ea-bans-prominent-fifa-streamer-kurt0411-from-all-its-games-over-toxic-behaviour

https://www.newsweek.com/fifa-kurt0411-banned-game-ea-statement-1489037

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Riot Games Gender Discrimination Case Update (2.25.2020)

In a previous post, I talked about the major 2018 gender discrimination case against Riot Games. This case has continued to be brought into present day, and new updates show that new lawyers have been hired for the plaintiffs. The new attorneys are Genie Harrison and Joseph Lovretovich. They have rescinded the settlement offer that the original attorneys have the case put on the table. It was reported that the previous representatives could have been colluding with Riot Games. With the new attorneys, they believes they could win as much as $400 million in compensation for the women who are bringing this case to light. 

As the case continues, Riot games says it has been committed to finding an outcome “justified by the underlying facts.” Dave Royse with Benzinga makes not that Riot said they believed the previous settlement ($10 million) was fair. They were set to make the deal in early February, but with the new counsel hired, Riot says the new estimate of $400 million is not justified. This $400 million is supposed to go towards the pay discrepancies the women at Riot faced compared to men at the company. What started as two women who worked at Riot in LA making a case about harassment and discrimination has now turned into a case that represents around 1,000 female employees at Riot (Royse 2020). 

As said before, it is no secret that sexism exists in the gaming industry. In many major sports industries, we see a large push for progress for equality in all regards. You see the US Women’s soccer team and the WNBA making headlines for their fight for gender pay equality. We commonly hear about the sexism and harassment that occurs on the ends of the NFL and NBA- rightfully upsetting people across the nation creating social media storms, but we hardly hear about this when it comes to eSports. I can’t even recall the last time I heard about eSports cases on the news. 

Riot’s statements since this development have been about the $400 million request being unjustified. Fans have yet to hear a satisfactory apology from the gaming giant as Riot has “assured” fans that issues of sexism and harassment “are not systemic issues at Riot.” 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/news/legal-troubles-continue-for-riot-games-as-new-lawyers-pull-settlement-offer-in-gender-fairness-suit/ar-BB10nwO6

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Coronavirus Affecting Gaming Industry (2.25.2020)

Recently, the Coronavirus has been spreading like wildfire, the epicenter being Wuhan, China. As the virus continues to spread, the U.S. has issued travel warnings against China and now South Korea. Within the last few hours, the CDC has released a statement saying the U.S. should start preparing for a wave of the virus to hit- constituting a second flu season. 

As many people are aware, East Asia has become the capital of all things gaming related. Some of the largest gaming companies are located in the East as well as tournaments. With the coronavirus running rampant, several eSports leagues have had to cancel or postpone tournaments due to concern of the spreading virus. Sony has pulled out of PAX East to present on The Last of Us Part II. Overwatch League 2020 has cancelled the Overwatch tournaments that were supposed to be held in South Korea. Previously, Riot Games postponed matches for professional League of Legends matches and has banned spectators from events in South Korea. PUBG also seems to be taking a hit with a postponed even in Berlin. 

It is not just gaming matches being cancelled though. Nintendo has started to slow production of their product the Nintendo Switch due to manufacturing in Wuhan being halted related to the Coronavirus. Customers are seeing their orders for the Switch, Ringfit, and Joycons being delayed. CNBC reports that  “When looking at games consoles specifically, we note that 96% of video game consoles imported into the U.S. in 2018 were produced in China.” 

Though the Coronavirus is not deadly to the average person, it has an increasing death toll to those particularly weakened and vulernable to disease. In China alone, there are a reported ~2,500 deaths and counting. Iran is reported to be the country with the second highest death toll at 15 confirmed deaths. In total, there are 80,000 cases world wide. Though, according to the CDC, this is small in comparison to the estimated 291,000-646,000 people who die from influenza each year worldwide.

As the Coronavirus spreads, we will see how the gaming industry is impacted. Though, there may be a small benefit for video game players through it all. As many are aware, gaming commonly takes place in the home. Reporters in China are noting that many people quarantined due to the virus are keeping each other company through online gaming and keeping in touch through the gaming community. Though this illness has kept people out of the streets, we may see it create an even stronger bond in the gaming community- supporting those who cannot leave home quite yet.

https://apptrigger.com/2020/02/24/coronavirus-gaming-industry/

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/06/nintendo-coronavirus-impact-switch-console-deliveries-delayed.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/cdc-says-more-people-die-of-influenza-worldwide-than-who-estimated

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Sexism at Riot Games (2.20.2020)

I’ve only been playing online video games for about a year now, but it’s always been known to me that the video game industry is objectively sexist. What’s worse is that it’s not just the player community that has low moral standard, it’s the companies that bring us these games.

The company behind League of Legends is called Riot Games.In 2018, Riot Games employees were interviewed by Kotaku about the sexism experienced in the workplace. This rather lengthy article details employees’ recounts of sexist events ranging from women being refused into leadership positions, toxicity in game with fellow employees, to interviews where the questions could not be satisfied due to the interviewee being female and the assumption that they are not “gamer enough.”

A former female employee told Kotaku that she was asked “How big is your e-peen?” by an interviewer who was questioning her over her gaming habits. (  D'Anastasio 2018)

The list of sexist episodes goes on at length. The response of Riot Games? Well, in their words:

“We absolutely hold people accountable to bad behavior, but if we don’t know about issues, we can’t address them, so we do rely on Rioters to be brave enough to call out that behavior either directly or through other channels.” - Riot Games

This sounds oddly familiar to someone who experienced similar incidents- that it is on the victim of these events to do something about it. But what ends up happening in a lot of these cases is that the victims do point out these events, but the follow up is shallow or they are denied by even the upper echelon of the company. 

Surprisingly, Riot has a woman at the head of diversity and inclusion invitiatives-  Oksana Kubushyna. She talks about how she has formed different practices and training at Riot, but as time has continued since 2018, Riot continues to be accused of sexist behavior and has even had several lawsuits filed against them. 

If you are interested in reading this article, the link is below.

https://kotaku.com/inside-the-culture-of-sexism-at-riot-games-1828165483

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

Player and Coach Communication (2.20.2020)

Post #2 for SP CM 404 at Iowa State University.

Okay, so, the last post did not go over well, so let’s try this again:

Player and coach communication is an essential part of playing League of Legends. My coach is Naga. He is a seasoned player currently ranked Silver II but in seasons past has reached Platinum II. As we learned in class, how a coach communicates with their players can affect the outcomes of the game. Different coaches have different leadership styles that can range from more aggressive and demanding to nurturing and caring. How a coach functions as a leader affects communication and vice versa.

For a league team, we typically have 5 players, one of them being Naga- the coach. He is in charge of effectively communicating what players should be doing. What is difficult is that it is impossible to “micro-manage” all of the 4 other players at once. There are no breaks unless the coach has died in game and has time to quickly check over the map and explain what should be happening.

Naga himself displays a combination of leadership qualities coaches may possess. He is autocratic in the sense that he is very direct. Though, he does try to keep in mind that players have feelings, so he will say, “I’m going to be honest. I’m not trying to be mean.” I think without that context, the feedback may seem harsh, but it is important. Conversely, he shows positive: he motivates with positive feedback. For example, when I make a good play without him having to point it out right away such as making a kill in a team fight by using ult at the right time, he will congratulate me and tell me to keep up the good work. Last, he does well at training and instruction. He works hard to foster my skills as a player and my knowledge around the game. We don’t just learn in game, but outside too. He has been willing to meet one on one to talk to me and walk through different game scenarios with me so that I can apply them in game. For example, last week, Naga met with me over lunch to talk with me about the most opportune times to get damage trade in between champions of different ranges.

What I think is important to note is the two-way communication that occurs. It is important that if I don’t understand something or want more help, that I need to voice that. I also think that it’s important for me to voice my thoughts on what I have been learning and make sure Naga understands me as I understand him.

Overall, I think Naga is a good coach with a good head and heart. He cares about me as not only a player, but a person. He does well making sure that when things go well, it is noticed, and that when there is learning to be done, he will make sure I take time to learn what I need to know to be successful for the next time an event occurs.

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

롤 (LoL in Korea)

I have always been an avid gamer, and so I thought that one great way to learn Korean would be to play games in Korean. I tried this briefly, however quickly realized that words such as Chaos Bolt have very little use in daily conversation. You can figure out most things by experimenting, however when it comes to multiplayer games certain things are a necessity (especially when the starting chat looks something like this “ㅁㄷ ㅁㄷ” “x x ㅌ ㅌ ㅌ ㅌ” “ㅈㄱㅈㄱㅈㄱㅈㄱ”)

역할 - Role 원딜 [ㅇㄷ] - AD Carry 탑 [ㅌ] - Top 미드 [ㅁㄷ] - Mid 정글 [ㅈㄱ] - Jungle 서포터 [ㅅㅍ] - Support 

Sometimes people type these quickly and accidentally use the English keyboard (ㅈㄱ = wr, ㅌ = x, etc.)

궁(극적) - Ultimate

스펠 - Summoner Spells 강타  - Smite 유체화 - Ghost 회복 - Heal 순간이동 - Teleport 정화 - Cleanse 방어막 - Barrier 점화 - Ignite 탈진 - Exhaust 점멸 - Flash

룬 - Runes 정밀 - Precision 지배 - Domination 마법 - Sorcery 결의 - Resolve 영감 - Inspiration

아이템 - Item 물리 공격 - Attack (Physical Offense) 마법 공격 - Magic (Magic Offense) 방어 - Defense 기타 - Other

Extras ㅈㅈ - Good Game 항복 - Surrender 연속 킬 차단 - Kill Streak 마지막 적을 처치 - Ace

[idontknowhowtoplayleague]

What is this?

Rise and grind gamers. This is a test post. This blog is for SP CM 404 at Iowa State University. I am trash at league and my goal is to get better. I have been assigned to create a blog for my course and I am hoping to learn more about league through this process.