League Of Legends: Historical Analysis 1 ✓ Solved

League of Legends: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 1 League of Legends:

League of Legends is the world-famous E-sports. Because it organizes competitions in various places every year to let the audience know about MOBA games and e-sports. In recent years, the League of Legends vigorously promoted their games and led to a huge increase in the number of players. In 2011, the number of players in the game was only 11.5 million. By 2020, the total number of monthly players in League of Legends has reached 115 million (Spezzy, 2021).

The growth rate of players is amazing. The game holds competitions on all continents of the world every month. The most famous competition is Championship. Top teams all over the world are fighting to win the World Championship trophy. The World Championship prize pool has passed $5.07 million (Nicole Carpenter, 2016).

Here is an analysis. We will learn about the history of League of Legends and why it has become one of the most famous e-sports games. League of Legends is not the first multiplayer online battle arena, MOBA, or even a game that pushed the game genre forward from the beginning. However, this is a driving force, which is distributed through fame and hype to keep players' enthusiasm for the game and help e-sports develop on a global scale. This game seems to have captured the people and kept it for a long time.

In 2005, the original developer of the Warcraft 3 mod Defence of the Ancients, or DOTA more commonly known by, Steve 'Guinsoo' Feak and the mods administrator of support base Steve 'Pendragon' Mescon met in the new video game company Riot Game. They proposed the idea of making League of Legends. Feak and Mescon wanted to create a standalone MOBA game without relying on the outdated Warcraft 3 engine. It took four years for them to realize their ideas with Riot Games developers. League of Legends was announced in 2008, which made fans of MOBA games and the limitations of the DOTA mode start to get tired. Feak fans helped drive the hype of the entire game, so when Beta was released in April 2009, it was an immediate success. Fans finally had a brand new MOBA game.

Riot Games put a lot of effort into balancing the game. At the time, League of Legends had only 17 playable characters. The complete game was finally released in October 2009, and the number of playable characters grew to 40. League of Legends was immediately praised for its exciting character design, accessibility, and innovative methods, as it was presented as a free game. The players gradually understood this game and developed an affinity for it. It is easy to learn but difficult to master, which has contributed to its immense popularity.

After its release, League of Legends quickly became one of the most popular games globally, played across Asia, Europe, and North America. The game evolved into a league format, enabling professionals to focus on excelling. According to Riot Games' data, by 2011, the number of players reached 1.5 million. Riot Games generates revenue through in-game purchases and microtransactions, primarily skins. Over time, as players unlocked more characters, skins became essential for attracting players to spend money. The graphics and design of skins evolved significantly from rough original paintings to vibrant CG images with dynamic character animations and special effects.

These skins often tie into real-world events, with themed skins released for holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day, further enticing players to engage with the game. The first international tournament of League of Legends was held at DreamHack in 2011 and was called the Season 1 World Championship, establishing itself as a premier event in the gaming world. In 2021, the viewership statistics were astounding, with a total viewership of 100 million, averaging 21.8 million viewers per minute and a peak of 44 million concurrent viewers.

Aside from the World Championship, League of Legends hosts various other major international competitions annually, including the Mid-Season Invitational and All-Star Games, as well as regional championships like LEC, LCS, LCK, and LPL. Winning teams earn the prestigious League of Legends World Championship trophy and are honored with unique champion skins that embody their victory. In 2018, League of Legends was included in the Jakarta Asian Games, marking its status as an official e-sport with medals awarded.

In conclusion, League of Legends continues to evolve, learning from player feedback and updating its gameplay with dynamic characters and expanding prize pools. The scale of its tournaments is increasing, attracting new players while retaining existing ones. The art and presentation of the game also advance with the times, ensuring that League of Legends remains a beloved title in the e-sports world.

References

• League of Legends. (n.d.). THE ART OF LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, Retrieved January 15, 2021.
• Spezzy. (2021, January 12). How many people play League of Legends? – UPDATED 2021, Retrieved January 15, 2021.
• Joakim Henningson. (2020, July 10). The history of League of Legends, Retrieved January 15, 2021.
• Nicole Carpenter. (2016, October 28). League of Legends World Championship prize pool passes $5 million, Retrieved January 15, 2021.
• Heath, J. (2021). Exploring the Rise of E-sports: The Case of League of Legends. Journal of Digital Gaming, 12(3), 233-245.
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