In order to promote class acts from their pro players, Riot Games has implemented fines on certain individuals throughout the years for demonstrating poor sportsmanship in the LCS. The total of fines collected from the 2014 season of competitive League of Legends amounted to a total of $31,850, which in the end was all donated to charity in support of the Trevor Project.
The Trevor Project is crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization that was created to help LGBTQ youth. Founded in 1998, the Trevor Project is now the national leading organization for helping the LGBTQ youth of today, educating and promoting immediate care for any of those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
Ever since LoL was released, Riot Games has always been a supporter of a more positive community for gamers. As Riot tried to get rid of toxic behavior, they implemented different ban systems – for example, The Tribunal, so that they could crack down on poor behavior.
The Trevor Project seems like a perfect charity for Riot to support, as they both share the same idea of an equal and harassment free society. Riot posted the news on their eSports blog, talking about why they chose to support Trevor Project:
“When we looked at in-game reports, we found that games that included the word ‘faggot’ in their chat log received 165.84% more reports than games that included the word ‘fuck’. Likewise, you were swift to punish players who encouraged others towards suicide in the heat of the moment – games that included ‘kill yourself’ in their chat logs received 225.65% more reports than games that included the word ‘fuck’. As a community, you find these words hurtful and unacceptable and so do we. We know that harassment and its consequences goes beyond just words in a game – and that’s why the work of organizations like The Trevor Project is so important.”
It is hard to control a player’s actions, especially in communities as large as the one that League of Legends has built, but Riot Games is a symbol for effective change. From actively investigating player report cases, to advocating sportsmanship into their pro players, Riot Games is once again taking another step in trying to develop a wonderful community with their recent charity contributions.
