Riot Games is implementing a new system that targets toxicity in chat.
Shortly after Blizzard announced the Defense Matrix program to combat toxic players in Overwatch 2 by creating transcriptions of chat interactions,
Riot Games
has come out with a program that punishes “vulgarity and profanity” in League of Legends.
The long and short of it is that players can no longer swear, no matter the context. All swearing will lead to a punishment.
Riot Games confirms new chat punishment system
A member of Riot’s player support team has confirmed that a new penalty system update was recently added to League of Legends. The program is meant to “look for and punish” profanity on top of what it was already catching beforehand. To make the program more efficient, all swearing will be penalized even if it’s self-referencing or neutral.
“This is intended and the penalty is there to act as a warning for you to be more mindful of how you behave from now on. The warning may not be disputed. We’re only here to explain it, not remove it,” she stated.
On Twitter, League of Legends players were surprisingly supportive of the seemingly extreme update. Many felt that problems would arise but that it may all work out for the best in the end. Others added that there is no legitimate need to swear, making it not a necessary interaction.
Some people did note, however, that they were given warnings for totally innocent phrases and comments. Another said that chat should just be removed altogether, clearly frustrated at the censorship.
Still, most League of Legends players felt it was becoming a necessary evil as sexism, racism, and other toxic interactions have continued.
Said
one player: “I dig it. Now I don’t have to entertain playing with someone’s unruly, unsupervised 13 year old as they tell me to unalive myself because my ‘parents don’t love me.’ Or the slew of female insults.”
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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