As of now, if we set aside the thrilling matches and the surprising results that have occurred at the World Championship (Worlds) 2022, it cannot be said that Riot Games has organized the event very well. First, there are issues with the competition machinery. On the opening day of the Play-In Stage, both the audience and the players had to wait a long time for the matches to start. For Asian viewers, the time zone difference made them even more exhausted as the matches were delayed for too long.
Additionally, recently, several players have voiced their complaints about the lighting system on the stage of Worlds 2022. According to Jaxon, some players admitted in interviews that the lighting system here is excessively bright.
Kiaya – the Top Laner of GAM Esports (GAM) acknowledged: “In GAM’s past matches, there were some minor issues affecting us, and that is the lighting. The light shines directly into our eyes. It really creates some obstacles and we were a bit uncomfortable because of that.”
Not only Kiaya, but also Gen.G Esports’ Support Lehends shares the same complaint about the lighting: “The lighting on stage is really very bright. Even when the match starts, sometimes I can’t see my screen.”
This is not the first time Riot has faced complaints about lighting issues at the tournaments it organizes. Remember in 2021, Perkz – who was then with Cloud9 also stated that the excessive lighting affected his health. Perkz had to address it by wearing a hat throughout the matches.
These issues, similar to delays in matches or errors occurring during games, are not really too significant. However, their impact on players could become much more serious if they continue for an extended period. Riot needs to take prompt action to resolve these issues if they do not want to be criticized by the community for unprofessional tournament organization.