In League of Legends (LoL) specifically, and esports in general, the issue of toxic players is no longer new. In fact, the term “toxic player” has become so common that it has become an essential part of the gaming experience. These players negatively impact the experience of others, from teammates to opponents. Publishers are actively addressing this issue, but it hasn’t yet shown significant results.
Therefore, the penalties for players exhibiting negative behavior need to be even harsher. There was even a time when Riot implemented a policy of “better to punish mistakenly than let one slip through.” However, there have been many instances where the publisher mistakenly punished the “victim” while letting the actual offenders go free. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that Riot has made significant efforts to address this issue.
But sometimes, Riot’s punishment regulations can be quite harsh. Recently, some players discovered that within Riot’s regulations, there are 2 phrases that are commonly used, and Riot may penalize players who use these phrases. These are the phrases that call for report one or more players (call out for reports) and the other phrase asks for a quick end to the match (asking for fast finish).
According to explanations from Riot’s customer support, the phrases used in-game should solely be for communicating related to strategy. However, Riot also asserts that they will thoroughly review player reports before issuing any penalties. Riot stated: “If only one player reports someone, the report will be carefully considered. The number of reports is not important; just one report is enough to trigger Riot’s behavior check system.”
These are phrases that are very familiar, and almost every player has used at least once. With this information, players will need to be cautious whenever they want to call for a report on someone. Additionally, this also provides a reasonable explanation for some cases where those calling for reports were punished while the actual “offenders” remained unharmed.