I LOVE LEAGUEOFLEGENDS

Before I get started, you may be thinking, “Is this guy really about to thank what is arguably the most toxic and unsportsmanlike video game in the history of video games?” And to that, I say:

“Exactly,”

*cue title screen*

Dear League of Legends,

I remember 7 years ago, I was walking in the hallway with a friend of mine and we were talking about you. We had only just begun playing, and we talked about some of your champions, Ashe and Blitzcrank. Our conversation was heard by a kid walking in front of us, and he quickly recognized what we were talking about. Who would have thought he would come to be one of my closest friends for the next 7 years. Time after time, you had me meeting with people I would never have talked to. You were our mutual friend. Even now, you continue to help make friends. You will forever hold a special place in my heart, even if I hate playing you and want to uninstall. Thank you. You are responsible for bringing together literally all of my closest friends and relationships.

Sincerely,

Justin

Okay enough of that

Though it is all true, League of Legends is a very special artifact in my life.

In week 6 of my writing class, my peers and I were tasked to list important things that have impacted our life. The things can be big or small, tangible or intangible. But for me, the first thing I put down was League of Legends. Very quickly, I registered that League of Legends was a monumental influence in my life. The next task was to randomly choose one of the artifacts listed and write a thank you letter to it. As heard in the introduction, I did not randomly choose. I really wanted to talk about League of Legends.

In this video, I would like to speak upon my relationship with League of legends, or commonly known as “League.”

Firstly, my origin. My first interaction with League was way back in 2012. I was in 4th grade at the time, and I discovered this game from my older brother. I distinctly remember playing Skarner and Nocturne at the time. However, my 10-year-old puny brain could not register what was going on. I quickly lost interest and went back to Minecraft and Pokemon. Just only a year and a half later, as I transitioned into middle school, I began playing again, this time, however, I convinced my Minecraft friend to play with me. And just like that, in League’s 3rd season, I fell in love with the game.

As mentioned in the thank you, League is responsible for making a vast majority of my friends. Here’s a quick rundown:

My first friend that I connected with through League was Leo. Leo was the kid who overheard the conversation in the hallway. He introduced me to another person who played, Jaelon. Jaelon then introduced us to his elementary school friends, who also played league, but went to a different middle school. These friends made friends with other people who played league, and then they were introduced into the group, and then so on and so forth. Isn’t it crazy how a video game had 6th graders, actual 11-year-olds, meeting each other over different schools? This extent even applies to one of my closest friends who moved entire school districts, Khanh. Khanh’s story goes like this: it was a new school, and as a 7th grader, being awkwardly transferred halfway through middle school, he found it hard to make friends. However, one magical day, another 7th grader comes up to him and says “you look like Lustboy”. Lustboy was, at the time, a professional league of legends player for a team called TSM. Just shortly after this interaction, Khanh introduces him to the friend group.

League’s influence in establishing friendships extends beyond what’s expected. Going as far as connecting people from different school districts. Even today, League continues to define my friend groups, as I am closest with the people I often play games with. Through league, I am able to frequently establish strong friendships and connect with people I would never think possible.

The third aspect within my relationship with League would be my drive to improve. Going back to Leo, at the time, he was freakishly good at the game, being an astonishing Silver 1 rank in just 6th grade. Literally, everyone else at the time was bronze. I became his duo partner, and we played from 10 am to 10 pm almost every day. I was inspired to improve my rank, in hopes of one day being as good as him. We climbed the ladder together, and in 7th grade, I improved to Gold, and him, Platinum. Back in middle school, being Gold, and especially Platinum, was unheard of. Very early on, I had grown the competitive drive to improve.

This drive is seen today, where I continue to seek ways I can improve my gameplay. Though there is not much to improve on nowadays, for I am what some would consider, the GOAT of League of Legends, I have some- just a few- moments of underperforming.

Finally, the final aspect would be my holistic love for the game. While some are NBA enthusiasts or NFL enthusiasts, I am a league esports enthusiast. I really love the competitive scene in League. Almost a bit too much. I cried a lot when Dyrus retired. I even cried when Bjergsen retired.

League is easily my most favorite and played game. I disconnect with it every once in a while. I rarely played in sophomore/junior year, because I was playing another game or focused on school, but I always eventually came back to it. And that’s the essence of being in love. You don’t fall in love with it just once. You continuously fall in love with it.