Is League of Legends Still Fun To Play?

As a game that’s hung around for nearly 13 years, League of Legends has undoubtedly gone through a lot. So many Seasons have gone by that I’ve even lost count. Ups and downs, controversies, and greatness have all graced this game’s insane History. 

But nothing is meant to last forever, League of Legends included. “The light that shines twice as bright burns half as long,” was said in the famous Blade Runner quote. This can easily be reflected on popular and hot titles like League of Legends, but is it really true? 

In this article, we will go over League’s History, my own experience with it, and try to draw out a conclusion on the topic question. As always, with these brief sorts of articles, we can bluntly answer the question. But, as we’re here to learn and have a bit of fun, we’re going to go into some more detail. 

So, without further ado, let’s begin. 

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The (Brief) History

League of Legends was released in 2009. That might as well be ancient Rome at this point. It feels so long ago that I actually immediately fall into an existential crisis. Having League of Legends by my side has definitely helped, and as long as it’s there, I can say that I’m not that old just yet. 

It has had a lot of exciting moments throughout the years. Moments that have significantly contributed to the fun factor. But none can compete with the insanely powerful Worlds Championships each year. 

I think that nothing has kept me glued to my seat playing League as professional games. I’ve watched countless hours of pros battling it out in insane games that we could only dream of playing. 

Great plays, Champion mechanics, team fights, and more have all contributed to keeping League of Legends alive. In recent years that seems to be dwindling a bit. Through franchising and some other controversial decisions, small-scale teams can never really have those “rising star” stories anymore. 

It is a shame that everything has turned into pure business now, and I hope that changes someday. Until then, I can only remember the story of Dignitas and the like who more-or-less saved the game from completely dying out. 

League of Legends is undoubtedly here to stay. However, the fun factor may have changed throughout its History. What was fun then may not be fun now. I won’t be reaching the verdict on that just yet, so keep on reading to find out. 

Also read: Is League of Legends Really Free?

The State of the Game 

League of Legends is a game that has gotten way more serious as it ages. As is the case with people, so it seems to be the case with games. Everything in the game has become hardcore, try-hard, and serious. I never felt so much pressure playing casually as I do now, and that really isn’t a pleasant experience. 

Way back in 2012. when I first started playing, people experimented, doing crazy and fun stuff in each game. No one really knew how the game was supposed to be played. Hell, even Riot didn’t intervene too much in that regard. They just let everything blend and mold into itself and allowed players to be the rulers of their own experiences. 

With increasing interventionism from Riot, who wished to create a stable and coherent game, things have changed a lot. Specializations among players who are one-tricking Champions and roles have given birth to a vast array of interesting personalities. There’s not a single game today where you won’t have some try-hard seething in the chat and warranting himself a ban.

On the topic of bans, you can’t even have friendly banter anymore. Saying anything remotely obscene risks you a long-term ban, or in the worst case, a permanent one. I know I’m starting to sound like a grandpa, but back in my day, permanent bans were unthinkable. 

Following the Tyler1 controversies, Riot seems to have begun giving out perma bans for just about anything. Hell, having fun in the /all chat is one of the best things the game had to offer. I’ve made more friends from my enemies than my allies, but that doesn’t seem to be possible today. 

Riot even wished to remove /all chat entirely, which shows how much they actually care about the game and the community. I don’t know what the future holds for this game, but it indeed doesn’t look too bright so far. I hope that we can come together as a community and influence Riot’s ways. 

Unfortunately, with an insane increase in League’s popularity among laymen and disinterested casuals – I doubt we can make much of a difference. 

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Final Thoughts

To put it simply – yes, League of Legends is fun. 

But that fun isn’t what it used to be. There’s no more friendly fun. The sole source of the fun is the game’s gameplay loop, which is incredibly well designed and represents the pinnacle of the MOBA genre. Other than that, there are rarely some genuine and memorable moments in the game today. 

It has lost a lot of the charm it used to have, and I feel unfortunate about that. The surge of trolls, angry Eastern Europeans, and other toxicity sources has severely damaged the game’s fun factor. 

I sincerely wish that this game goes back to the glory days, and perhaps some of the new players can contribute. It may just be that we have all gotten old(er) and have all lost our childhood banter capacities. Whatever the case, League certainly is less fun than it used to be a couple of years back. 

What will happen will happen, so let’s just keep the belief that it will be positive. 

I hope you’ve found this article informative and fun to read, and I wish you the best on the Summoner’s Rift!