Nobody likes losing. Unfortunately, losing is a fact of life for any competitive endeavor. Even the very best in the world at any given thing will occasionally have an off day, or a streak of bad luck. League of Legends, being a competitive game and eSport made up of five-person teams, is certainly no exception to this rule. It is entirely normal for games to go sour repeatedly without having any real option to pull out victory.
Sometimes games go bad, and sometimes they go bad several times in a row.
Still, unless you are a professional gamer who is paid to play League of Legends, simply telling yourself to stiffen your upper lip and press on is not necessarily the most healthy response to a losing streak. The frustration is liable to only get worse if you lose the next game, and worse after that, and the last thing any of us wants is for someone to become so angry at their losing streak that they stop enjoying the game at all or even become toxic to those playing with them.
Here are a few tips I’ve found help me deal with the inevitable bouts of bad games that happen sometimes even to the best players.
Start A New Game…Type
So you just got out of a really frustrating Ranked game. You won your lane, but had three people on your team who went 0/13 and you just couldn’t carry that hard. You grit your teeth and click to start a new game… but switch from Ranked.
This is part of the reason ARAM has always been such a popular game mode. It is simple, often quick, and because of the inherent random element and lack of laning build-up, often lets people take it far less seriously. Bot games are often used the same way.
Switching to a different game mode can still let one looking to self-improve practice their mechanics while removing themselves from the stress-inducing situation they were previously involved in. The change of pace or focus can help ease the tension of building stress, and if the game goes well, can even leave one feeling motivated and ready to go again.
Start A New Game Altogether
If the stress is building too high to want to risk even playing a different game mode of League of Legends, then load up an entirely different game to play for a little while. Most of the same logic as above applies here. It does not let you practice your League mechanics, but the extra separation makes it even easier to actually catch a fresh breath and relax a bit in a less stressful situation.
Obviously you should be sure the game you play is one you are unlikely to become stressed about. I tend to jump on Minecraft and simply explore for a little while, or play a quick game of Scrolls, but really any game where you can take your time and be assured of a chance to slow down a bit works perfectly.
Get Some Rest
Nothing complicated about this, sometimes you just need some sleep. It lets the mind reboot so you can start fresh, and as a side benefit also helps ensure you do not get queued up again with any of the bad/toxic players who might still be playing.
Eat Something Delicious
Grabbing some food could ease the stress regardless, but eating something you truly enjoy can sometimes actually have an inordinate effect on your overall mood. Taking a few moments to ‘treat’ yourself, maybe while watching a good movie, can have an even more profound effect than a full night’s rest on your mindset. Getting sleep can help reboot, taking the time to savor something that is always enjoyable can actually leave you feeling better than you did before.
The theme of all these tips is obvious.
However you do it, whatever method you choose, finding a way to take a break from the game and ease your gamer brain back to its normal non-raging state is an essential part of any Summoner’s skillset. Being able to lose gracefully is not the most obvious of skills to train, but it is the one your opponents and teammates will notice the quickest if you neglect it.
