League of Legends offers competitive gameplay and mean spirited jerks in droves. Given that its curiously hostile gaming culture breeds poor sportsmanship and perpetuates jerkiness, it should come as no big surprise that even its pro players have problems following the rules and keeping their noses clean.
Riot is intent on improving the state of its community, and is making attempts to clean things up by handing out a ban IWillDominate of Team Dignitas from competing in major tournaments for an entire year for “in-game harassment, verbal abuse, offensive language, and a negative attitude.”
While the final clause is a bit questionable, the rest of the charges are clearly intended as a warning to other players to clean up their acts. The ban lasts long enough to kill his career, and it’s not expected that he’ll be able to appeal it.
Riot Games said in a forum post that the player, who goes by IWillDominate, received a high harassment score since August. The company had given him periodic warnings to play nice, but the message never came through as loud and clearly as it did when he was finally banned.
“His persistent tendency to engage in verbal abuse and insults, his lack of cordial demeanor, and his treatment of less-skilled players is unacceptable for any player, especially a high-profile professional player who has a regular opportunity to lead the community by example.”
The developer added that all other accounts used by IWillDominate are also banned, so he won’t be able to smurf his way into any tournaments.
We remain hopeful that Riot's actions will serve to improve the game's community in general.
