Toxicity has always been a consistent problem across online video games, but especially in League of Legends, where some of the worst cases of toxicity have been recorded.
Over the years, Riot Games has implemented multiple different punishments in an effort to deter these issues. But in Patch 13.19, the developers are introducing a new solution that could curb more of these instances.
Riot has revealed that a new system will be implemented to punish consistent toxic in-game behavior, and it will go live in the next update. In this new system, players who are judged to be toxic in their recent games will have the ranked queue disabled until the affected party is able to complete a set of remedial non-ranked matches with improved behavior.
This means that any offending parties will have to play blind pick, draft pick, ARAM, or one of the rotating game modes, while still maintaining a positive—or at the very least, neutral—stance on the current game. Once they are able to complete these remedial non-ranked matches, they will have the ranked queue unlocked once more.
Offenses that are affected by these new changes are match leaving and AFK players, along with gameplay offenses such as intentionally feeding or griefing your teammates, as well as chat penalties.
Although this isn’t a foolproof way to stem the tide of toxicity in League, this is a good step in the right direction for the safety of the community and player base. Some toxic players could switch accounts, but in reality, most players will have to play out these low-stakes matches sooner or later. As a result, this could be a good way to discourage any toxic behavior from occurring.
There is, however, a small portion of players who are worried about running into toxic players in casual game modes, which is a true issue that could arise from this new system. Many summoners opt for these game modes to get away from the intensity and toxicity of the ranked ladder, and forcing some of the worst offenders into these queues could lead to adverse interactions between those who were trying to avoid them in the first place.
League Patch 13.19 is scheduled to release next week on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
