League of Legends (LoL), a multiplayer game developed by Riot Games, has taken gaming communities around the world by storm. Collegiate competitive play is gaining in popularity, and the U is being swept up in this gaming phenomenon.
On Oct. 4, the League of Legends club hosted a viewing of the season three world championship, which took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. SK Telecom T1 of South Korea paired off with Royal Club of China for the $1 million prize and the Summoner’s Cup trophy. More than 10,000 fans converged at the Staples Center, with millions more watching the online stream, including U students.
Pizza, soda, official Riot product giveaways and good company were enough to attract more than 60 viewers to LoL club’s event.
Rizwan Mohammed, a junior studying computer science and a founding member of the club, was pleased with the attendance.
“I was expecting 20 to 30 [viewers]. We hyped it up,” Mohammed said.
The world championship was a landmark event for LoL players everywhere. The prize pool and viewership of the tournament was reminiscent of athletic tournaments. The LoL club’s leadership is quick to promote growing interest in electronic sports, or eSports.
“We bring a new taste, a new experience [to the campus community]. We reject stereotypes,” Mohammed said.
Video game players are often associated with being antisocial and reclusive, preferring the company of virtual characters than the company of other people. At the U, the LoL club seeks to bring LoL players, called summoners, together.
“You can put a summoner name to a face,” said Angie Klingsieck, a junior studying computer science and a founding member of the club.
The LoL club has increased membership to over 200 players.
“[The club] lets you meet local players,” said Neil Xia, a senior studying math, “I came here to enjoy the show with people with similar interests as me.”
Many younger players, some still in high school, are attracted to LoL club and its events.
“I was out at a club fair. I’ve met a bunch of cool people,” said Liam Sullivan, an undeclared freshman.
Han Yang, a junior studying film and media arts with an EAE emphasis and a founding member of the club, said of interest in his club, “We saw a lot of LoL players all over campus, and our goal is to bring unity … You have people from different majors playing the same game. We want to make a big impact on eSports. Each year, the club will keep growing and growing. [LoL] is spreading all over the world.”
Players in the club take pride in their game. Many point to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ recognition of LoL players as professional athletes. Visas granted to LoL players allow them to stay in the United States for five years.
As Riot Games works to provide more benefits to players, the company has begun a collegiate program aimed at fostering the interest of college-aged players. Yang, Klingsieck and Mohammed applied for the collegiate program last year and were granted official status from Riot Games.
Under the collegiate program, Riot Games provided the U club with products to give out, including Logitech gaming keyboards, gaming mice, headsets, shirts, tank tops, jackets, hats, beanies, lanyards and wristbands. The grand prize was a Platronics Gamecon Commander limited edition tournament gaming headset, used in the world championship.
Riot Games’ effort has not been lost on students.
“[LoL] is easy to learn. You can never be too good at it. Riot improves the game constantly, and they put in a lot of money to help the game grow,” said Daniel Choe, a freshman studying EAE and a player of one and a half years.
LoL has achieved international prominence and is looking toward sponsorships to move forward as a legitimate sport. In Korea, teams already have attracted big-name sponsors, including Samsung and Nike.
In North America, American Express recently became an eSports sponsor. Coke Zero is also planning to sponsor a Challenger-tier tournament for 2014, appealing to the highest echelons of summoners.
Yang, Klingsieck and Mohammed conduct group LoL gaming sessions every Friday in the underground computer lab in the Warnock Engineering Building (WEB). They have noticed a growing demand for these in-house games and are looking to find a larger space to host the club meeting.
“We have enough player interest that we’ve expanded to neighboring states,” Klingsieck said. “We try to be very inviting and open to new players. We have an in-game client chat that all U players can join. These are friendships that you’ll have for years to come.”
Once players have practiced enough in the club, they can advance to the IvyLoL collegiate league where college students across the nation play competitively.