Ecstasy  Of The League

Ecstasy is a broad term, one that is generally defined by the environment you are feeling pleasures in. The definition of ecstasy is as follows: A overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement.

Out for a big night? You’re probably describing the feelings and pleasures of your most recent debacle with illegal substances.
Being with your loved one? There is most assuredly no better term to define your physical or emotional feelings at this electrifying moment.

 However the type of Ecstasy I want to discuss with you is one far more reactionary, an ecstasy far more attainable and an ecstasy far more repeatable.

League Of Legends.

As of 2014,  League of Legends or LOL is the most played PC game in the world, with 67 million individual players logging on each month, and almost half of those logging on daily. These figures continue to show an upwards trend as each year passes.

Riot Games, the developers of LOL, have their own regional League Championship Series or LCS that they run in different continents. Some are run more directly by Riot themselves, and others are run by affiliated organisations, including Garena, Tencent and OnGameNet. These Leagues consist of 8-10 teams, each including professional players and coaches that are all paid a salary to analyse, play and perform to the best of their potential on a world class stage. Riot has a business model that revolves around “micro-transactions”. These transactions allow in-game purchases that have no bearing on actual game-play, they offer customization of your champions and your environments in the game. Simply put, they provide the players the ability to support the developers of the game. This year it is well within reason to state Riot Games has crossed the billion dollar mark in micro-transactions alone.

However, I’m not here to discuss the milestones that Riot Games and their record-breaking game continue to pass. Oh no, I’m here to discuss the personal impact League of Legends has on the individuals that choose time and time again to play and support this game. My in-game-name is Pronto, I’m 19 and I play on the Oceanic region of LOL. I have played for close to 5000 hours over approximately 4 years according to wastedonlol.com.

 Lately I have been asking myself, why? Why do I keep playing this game, why do I keep getting drawn back to this game and why, oh why, do I continue to sink so much of my time into this game. The answer I’ve found is rather simple, and extremely eloquent.  I have coined the term, Ecstasy of the League. There is nothing quite like attaining your first legendary streak on League of Legends. Nothing quite like performing your first duke, and feeling that strength of having simply stronger reactions, impulses and thought process in that key moment. It may have been game defining or it may have just been an awesome personal experience. There is nothing quite like carrying your first game, finishing 13-0 with everyone in the game saying “good job pronto, thanks for carrying” or “well played, you truly showed up to perform”. I would be a fool to say it always feels that way. The facts are, when there are 10 people vying for the spotlight, supremacy, to be the best and to feel the strongest in a 45 odd minute session based team game, it’s not always going to end up the way you prefer, you’re not always going to enjoy it quite as much as you’d like to. All of which is completely understandable. Because to recreate the awesome high points League of Legends can bring you in 20 seconds of play, where you utilise  a superior level of thought and quicker reactions to your opposition, it requires you to be vulnerable to the opposite as well.

 So what is The Ecstasy Of The League?

 The ecstasy associated with League of Legends is just this. It is what separates League of Legends from other extremely popular games.

 The raw physics defying implausible that League of Legends provides, the ability to create awe inspiring plays that light up your imagination. It does not require the anti-climax finish of a great quest, or the brain numbing grind required to get there! The only requirement to regularly experience that epic moment, obtain that breathtaking feeling, is merely to play. The tools to enjoy yourself and find happiness have already been provided for you and it is simply your task to play with those tools to the greatest of your imagination, until you are provided with the perfect scenario to attain the greatest, most repeatable ecstasy many people will find in their day to day lives.

Thanks for taking the time to read my first Article, I hope I’ve inspired you to keep playing the game you love or maybe even to begin playing a game I believe you will love, cherish and find renewable ecstasy within.