Why League of Legends Is Still The Most Popular Game

Most major titles quickly peak and then fade away in 10 years or less -  with League of Legends, however, we’ve seen nothing but growth. LoL is approaching its tenth year, and it’s only estimated to increase in size. There must be something that separates it from other games to make it so successful, right?

Well, many factors must be considered when attempting to figure out how League of Legends got where it is today; keep reading to see our more in-depth look at LoL’s success.

No Two Matches Are Alike

Unlike MMO’s and puzzle games, League of Legends promises you a fresh experience every time you queue up. You’re continually facing different players, different champions, and different tactics – there’s so much strategy involved in the game, that even if you play the same role for eternity, you’ll have good fun.

We’d even go as far to say that if you played the same champion for the rest of your career, you’d get enjoyment out of it. In fact, people do.

There are many one tricks out there who play a single champion, although it could be argued that it’s not the champion that keeps them around – which brings us to our next point;

LoL Is Competitive By Nature

Humans are naturally competitive – historically, we were placed in positions where we had to be competitive – whether the reason was for territory, food, or even a mate. These days, most of us aren’t brawling over whom a piece of land belongs to, or over who has the right to claim the last can of Coke (having said that, some people are still likely to start a fight to impress someone they finds attractive).

Some people still have that competitive drive, but struggle to express it positively. That’s where League of Legends comes in;

The rush you feel whenever you climb a division, and the concern that sinks into your stomach when you see a friend climbing higher than you; all that is by design, and given the evidence, it’s undoubtedly working.

As much as folks boast that Baseball is the national sport of America, many people are choosing to watch League of Legends over it. In fact, last year the League of Legends World Championship surpassed the Super Bowl in terms of active viewers at any given time!

You Don’t Have To Pay A Penny

League of Legends has a reputation as being the game that brought free to play models to the industry. Of course, free to play games existed before LoL, but the majority of titles demanded 30 smackeroos for the privilege of playing their game. We can’t forget about monthly subscriptions either.

The free to play games that existed before LoL were fairly niche.That being said, Riot still manages to drain our wallet every Halloween. And Christmas. And anytime a new Star Guardian skin is released.

Anyway, this is definitely one of the things that draws players in. Had Riot decided to charge a subscription, we doubt it would be as popular as it is today.

LoL Keeps Friends Together

Players might joke about League of Legends ruining their relationships, but the truth is that LoL brings us all together. With millions of people playing the game, it’s incredibly easy to meet new people and make new friends.

Players also log on almost every day to play a handful of games – and this is true for much of the player base. As competitive as it can be, it does promote a sense of camaraderie.

Originally, we all started playing out of curiosity, but we quickly bonded over our love of the game, and now it’s the glue that holds a lot our relationships together.

Plus, if you can tolerate your friends whining for a gank while feeding to high heaven, then you’ve probably got a long lasting relationship on your hands.

Frequent Patches

The way to keep a game from becoming dated is with regular updates, and Riot pumps them out at an incredible rate.

Every month, players enjoy a massive influx of new skins, and champion updates – not to mention all the new champions! It’s kind of surprising how well Riots managed to keep the game balanced, what with their massive roster of champions.

It’s a sure sign that a game is dying when patches begin to dwindle, but Riot have continued to release them at a rapid rate – a feat that’s truly impressive if you ask us.

Alas, with so many new skins, older ones tend to fade away.  Such skins as PAX Sivir and Human Ryze end up being made unavoidable, but if you still want them, then there’s a way.