@@gbay99 I have really looked for LoL alternatives. I loved Pokémon Unite for it’s controller use, fast gameplay and short games, but this game is run by the worst development team I have ever seen. I honestly can’t believe what they’re doing to their players. The search continues… hopefully not owned by Tencent
Not to freak you out but go get yourself tested. Ticks carry very dangerous diseases (Lyme disease and encephalitis being a few of them) many of which have a long incubation periods.
Yooo I saw you in the field and was genuinely worried. Stay safe especially if you spend time in New England. They're really bad this year because it never got cold enough to kill last year's off.
For me the nail in the coffin was the realization that it takes one person to ruin your game. Furthermore i found myself that in order to not get tilted by my teamates i had to mute all communications from them at the start of every game. So i basicly played a game which was similar to 9 other computers playing but i had to hope that mine wont be that much worse than theirs
@@BloodyHowl69 after having some experience and maturing around the toxic playerbase you start to understand and manage the proper way to deal with it. that's how I improved my tilt in League. this community actually made me a better person in real life too, so flamers... thank you xD
For me it was the fact that there's no way to keep people that ruin games away and you had two options: try your best to ignore them, or tell the assholes they were. Sure, you can report them after the game and send a ticket, but most players don't care about being banned for 14 days and even if they get a permanent suspension they can just buy a new account or create one. Dealing with the idea you are playing a game in which 90% of the times you are going to find someone ruining your game is not healthy, even if you expect it
I left when I finally found people to manage the community I built for the champion I played. It kept me around and I didn't want it to. I had to stay updated on the game and that meant keep playing it. Furthermore I was severely tired of how Riot had been balancing and not only treating the game, but the champion I played, or the lack thereof.
You hit the nail on the head with your discussion on uniqueness and identity in League. People play this game to express themselves, that’s why there’s so many weird OTPs (present commenter included) and weird strategies.
I am a enthusiastic xPetu fan (I was even in your last years bootcamp), and currently also watch thebausffs and rav for their creative, unique personal approach to playing the game and making videos about it. I enjoy this at least 600% more than any generic feeling PantsareDrgon/ProfessorAkali/Zwag reaction video with super fed carry montage gameplay. Also I enjoy the genre "League News" that Rival and Ryscu have mastered. Climbing series can be interesting if you do it like xPetu on Talon, but they seem to generally force you into playing the game around certain repeatable win conditions and current meta, that don't really allow you to naturally express your favourite playing style and your forms of skill expression and can be very challenging mentally with that added pressure. Hence many good content creators having problems during climb series because they don 't want to dissapoint with a "below diamond or masters peak" of their strategy. And hence few professional high rank players putting their peak performance games into entertaining narrated videos. Can you name any good ones? Even thebausffs and T1 went off steam during their climbing grinds this season only showing occasional 1v9 games, tilted teammates or laning accidents. I am playing mostly jgl since season 2020 at currently Iron 1 MMR in Bronze 3 trying out new stuff a lot of times, playing casually with friends and not really able to apply what I hear about pressure and tempo and win conditions because I don't want to limit my champion pool and force tryharding games on on single role I understand. (tiagula EUW) What do you think about the rise of unhinged creators like KeshaEUW and Doneal? Is the approach of getting views by showing your deterioating mental state during a grind concerning to you? Has this been a bigger problem in the latest two seasons more than in early T1 era?
I think League players are prone to gambling addiction. A slotmachine has bright colors, and high pitched sounds like League, and you win 60-70%, then they start losing. You win money in a slotmachine, then you start losing money. Maybe I am a sober gambling addict projecting.
All the champions I played and loved to main are gone after reworks and aurelion sol was the last one I loved so now I'm done with the game, too tired of this repeating process.
Thanks for this. I turned 30 this year and felt it was time to move on from League. I had played for ten years. There was a lot of highs and lows for sure. But one thing broke me. ALL THE DAMN YUMMI PLAYERS. That was it for me. This game changed so much from when I started.
When I started taking a 15 minute break after every match that made me angry I noticed that I played the game less and less since after the initial anger faded I just felt dread over the possibility of being locked in more horribly frustrating matches for 30+ minutes. After I noticed this I realized how little enjoyment I actually got from matches that I would say I had fun (independently of losing or winning) and how i engage with this game more out of frustration than enjoyment
i had the same issue, you should try palying champs and roles that arent impacted much by losing or being behind. i found that support is probably the most fun role in the game because of the champion diversity, build and rune diversity within that champ pool and the fact that every game you play you are not going to be much stronger or weaker than the game before, you are jus there to have fun.
@@zezanje1 over time I stopped caring so much if get gapped or lose a game, worst case scenario I can farm and play with the team. the frustration comes down to the other players’ behavior really, since you can’t do anything to stop someone from screaming at their teammates (well muting makes it better but knowing the person is still flaming you is frustrating) or trying to sabotage your team. Playing with friends is fantastic 99% of the time tho
@@zezanje1 or you can play any other game. But truth is league is addictive, it makes you dream that hp bar getting lower while you make combos and aa resets... Its good to quit it asap, even when high rank
@@spicesmuggler2452 i quit for years and got dragged back in can i get a rip i agree with op tho sometimes when im binging at night and i have a bad game or whatever and i spam q up again the q time takes several minutes and by like the 5th minute i realize that i actually dont want to play anymore and just go to sleep
Great video Gbay, very unique and fun to watch :) When you were talking about the 10 years of playing LoL and why people do it - it reminded me of people playing Chess or Tennis. People play things like them for the same reason- Joy, fun and then deep competition + executing their learnings. Of course league is less healthy than a sport like tennis, but it's funny that it often isn't seen as a viable long term hobby like Chess. I think people expect to quit LoL at some point simply because it's a video game, but people don't play e.g Chess or Basketball expecting to quit
Oh the man himself! You inspired me to ignore tierlists and the meta and focus on having fun while inventing something unique. You and Gbay are honestly my top two favorite lol youtubers.
@@MusssabM I think that's the best way to play as a noob. Have fun with all the different goofy champions, items and runes that are out there and the interactions between them. Is it objectively good? Doesn't matter :D
People don't expect to quit chess or basketball because those sports never change and anybody can just not play for 5 years, then come back to it and it's the same as 5 years before - which makes it super easy to start doing the activity again. Whereas with league, as it is not a 'sport' in it's traditional sense, but rather a commercial product that has to change constantly to bring new consumers and generate more profits. League changes so much every season which makes it very difficult to come back to the game after some time, since you have to learn so many new things.
@@timofeygladiyenko4598 I think you're right about how league is more volatile. I would play devil's advocate and say that a similar thing happens to sports but over a longer period of time. Like Bodybuilding is a hobby and has gone up and down in popularity because of the profit motive. Its more of a competitive perspective are they making money? and are people still interested in watching the best? if you're able to keep the masses entertained which is super hard than you will keep longevity.
Man that was straight facts, almost teared up hearing you talking about the good parts of league, made me realize why I loved it and not why I hate it, so much of my life spent playing this game. Thank you Gbay.
Stop thinking like that "years SPENT of my life". Playing a videogame for years doesn't mean spending years of your life, or wasting time. Only you can make it like that if you mindlessly play videogames but that doesn't just apply to videogames, you can play futboll and make it a waste of time even if you enjoy it. I think that many people in the gaming community need to change their mindset about playing videogames, I'm sure League can be a source of happiness if you recognize why you love or enjoy the game, and remember that playing videogames is only a aspect of your life. I want to advice people to recognize the good things and the beauty in the sky, the clouds, people, humanity, the universe. And don't judge this words I'm listing here so fast because they surely mean something different for you than they do for me.
Gbay, I resonate with a lot of what you post. I quit league as my passion slowly faded out, but you were able to capture and display a pivotal moment in the downward spiral of my passion for the game that I hardly ever see represented. I loved old Aatrox, and I got such a thrill playing him. Your two videos about old Aatrox before his rework really emphasized what I loved about him and how his game design was actually really well done. Thank you for making those videos, and this one. You've done a lot in helping me mourn the loss of something I've spent hundreds of hours doing because I loved it. I don't care how corny or cheesy it sounds, it's true. Whenever I need to explain why I miss old Aatrox and why there's still nothing like him in the game, or any game for that matter, I show them your videos about him.
There were 2 things I really loved. Old Aatrox and Twisted Tree Line. Now that their both gone what reason do I have to play this cancer game anymore? I also liked to play a little bit of old Gangplank, Urgot, and Pantheon but league change so much just for the sake of change I don't have interest to play anymore because riot deleted all of it. They ruined their own game.
I think the power fantasy aspect isn’t to be overlooked. If you get an early gold lead, you feel like a god. Even if you feed for the next 5 games, you still hang onto that one game you got a penta and gapped the enemy team.
I loved League of Legends. I met my friends back in Season 4 and religiously played the game with them. We've seen a ton of changes, played a lot of champions, and watched a lot of games and tournaments. Sleepless nights, losing streaks, winning streaks, and everything about playing League of Legends with friends was amazing. But a few months ago, something struck me hard that woke me up. League of Legends changed me in a way that I never wanted to. I became ignorant of other players' feelings. That may be just me, but it felt like when I play the game, I see other people based on their skill level. If they're good, I respect them. If they suck, I belittle them to the point I don't even recognize myself. There was this game where the jungler came to bot side, wastes a flash and fails the gank, and died later on. He went to bot again, failed another gank and the opposing AD carry got a double kill out of it. I ignored the first mistake, but the second time, I had to say something, and what I said was something I did not expect to say to a person I am talking to face-to-face. It felt like because of the anonymity given by League, as well as the frequency of extreme banters and toxic retaliations happening in the game, people can say whatever they want. The surprising part is that after calling him out, he responded and said, "Sorry mate, I just got off work and am really tired. My bad." It made me realize that I've been hooked on this cycle of being toxic just because the community is just too toxic right now, I became part of it and I don't want it no more. I wanted to play the game and enjoy it with friends, but talking shit about others I don't even know, looking at them downwardly for every mistake as they try to enjoy the game, it wasn't for me anymore. Everyone almost gets upset with small things in this game, and it creates this whirlpool of negativity that pulls everyone in without them even knowing. Everyone may have a different response, or reason as to why League isn't the same anymore. People may say that I can just mute them all. But where's the fun in that? The ability to communicate with random people in a lobby as a team should never be in the first place be a way to be toxic in any way. I don't want to look at a champion in the game and see them as another shit-ass player instead of a living, breathing person that has a life of his own and just trying to play a game. Solipsism? Yeah, went down that rabbit hole and will never let myself slide back down it again. Thank you and as much as I agree that sharing or announcing the reason for leaving the game is because of the experience you had and the want to find a new one that will itch that part of us, I feel like announcing is just a way to tell others that League of Legends is not the only game out there and if we aren't having fun anymore, we just have to leave and find a new place to call home. For me, it doesn't have to be another MOBA, just a new game away from the toxicity of this game. Touch some grass, maybe.
I'm very happy you snapped out of it, buddy. Many people never do, and others, never even acknowledge their own toxicity at all. And believe all they do is warranted because "everyone else is doing it". I managed to do the same very early in my "League career", and by doing that managed also to grow a team of friends and play competitively together for more than a year, before life got in the way and forced me to quit. But that is the thing. We are very big outliers. And even new players now days feel 100% free to be toxic from the get go from the fame of the community alone. Which is bonkers ridiculous to think about.
The community's toxicity is the biggest thing I've always hated about the game. I've been playing since the start. I've been playing since nearly the start and I have seen riot push the competitiveness and the delusion that everyone can make challenger and go pro if only... They've encouraged this. I took and continue to take massive breaks when I realize I'm getting more angry and frustrated than having fun. It's a game. I am not going to make pro. I'm not even going to hit challenger. There's literally no reason to touch it if I'm not having fun. And I think this is something that makes the community more toxic. Grinding out a game for hours a day every day that they have maybe 10-30 minutes of fun with. That's not a "game." That is a "job."
Don't often comment on videos, but I have to give props to you Gbay because every time I watch your content it feels like it has some soul behind it that other content does not. People pick "hot topics" that they aren't actually interested in or provide empty calorie content to binge. Your scripts and content as a whole always feel intentioned and well thought out. It's great to see.
Great video! And also nice choice of Disco Elysium music there at the end :) I'm one of those guys that made the quitting video but still plays League from time to time! I was never looking for large-scale change or trying to get others to quit, but it's fair to say that on a surface level, I did just toss another video into a growing pile of negativity. Instead of just saying "game bad," I wanted to offer my own perspective on how content creation (and feeling creatively restricted) affected my feelings, along with how my general feelings about video games had evolved. How major updates, the creative content sphere and playing with friends got me hooked, but then later made me feel less "at home" in the community as things shifted (as most things do with time). League was where a lot of my initial audience came from, and it felt like an interesting topic to discuss even years after I had moved into a wider variety of content... and the views were nice, this is true. I still think the game is really fun with a group of friends, and you hit the nail on the head talking about the pure excitement of coming back for years on end to learn a game that feels endlessly complex and rewarding. I have met so many people and made so many great memories through League that I still consider it to be one of my all-time favorite games. Even though I hate it sometimes, and its complexity makes it hard for me to recommend it to new friends, I find myself coming back to League more than any other live-service game, so I definitely don't see it "dying" any time soon, and would love to see a potential overhaul or "League of Legends 2" in the future to update the engine and foundations that limits Riot from expanding in other directions (or fixing the mysteriously broken Nexus Blitz).
God gives youtubers the easiest job because they are his weakest soldiers I get how frustrating being linked to a brand or genre of content can be, but i feel like youtuber be taking that branding personally to heart. You make your videos not the other way around
That's one of the reasons why I quit. The game was being more restrictive and hard to be creative without being punished. I loved the days when Magikarpusedfly made funny league videos. Now league is filled more with people try harding then having fun.
I quit back in 2017. One of the best decisions I ever made too. I loved the game back in S1 and S2, felt like it started going downhill from S3 and onward. My reasons for leaving were that the game was starting to upset me more than I was having fun, and that was starting to effect me even outside of the game when I wasn't playing. The community being so toxic was another factor. It's so much better to just play games that are fun, with irritation not even being present.
@@lewisk3725 I wouldn't have called myself a casual back then, I would occasionally play with my girlfriend and friends for days at a time with little rest for food and sleep. My college days. Part of the problem for me was my personality doesn't mesh well with heavily competitive games. I eventually started to take the game too seriously and began to realize I was no longer having fun, because I was just playing to win, so it began to negatively impact my relationships when things would go poorly. I was angry more often than not. It just got worse as the community became more and more toxic which of course exacerbated all of that, so after 5 or so years of playing I just dropped league. It took a while but eventually I found out I just don't get anything positive out of playing those types of games. Maybe it's part of getting older.
I started playing league around the end of S4 and the beginning of S5, and that was the best time I had playing this game. I quit because I realized it will never go back to what it was anymore, it's just not the same game I used to love... I almost got kicked out of university because I couldn't stop playing during my first and second year. My grades, friendship, and social life suffered to the point where I cannot even recognize myself anymore. Moreover, my life was completely filled by playing league everyday for countless hours, and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about my gaming addictions. I tried to quit by uninstalling the game quite a few times before, but it was only since June of 2020 when I managed to quit completely. On the day that I quit, I was so angry and frustrated that I lost countless ranked games in a row, to the point where I almost raged after I lost a couple of meaningless ARAM games just trying to win for once. I was no longer having fun but rather playing just because couple of friends who introduced me to the game were still playing. What really hit me was the sudden realization that I've put my blood and sweat over all these years, yet I was still hard stuck in Gold and couldn't win a single game that day no matter how hard I tried. I had never lost my mind like that before and I knew that I just couldn't take it anymore, so I deleted the game one last time for good. Since then, I haven't touched the game and I absolutely don't have any desire to play it again. I regretted wasting six years of precious time, life, and money on this game, and it's something that I can never get back. Looking back at it, I don't miss this game at all. It was simply one of the best decisions I've made as it changed my life completely. I became a much happier person, as I found my purpose and calling in life through my church. In terms of my career, I made the decision to pursue a career in education after I quit. More importantly, just a few months after I quit I met my girlfriend, and we have been dating for over two years now. Honestly, I don't think I would have gotten a girlfriend if I continued playing. Your life will be in a much better state when you stop wasting your money and time on something that's literally a virtual reward and data. Seriously guys life is just too valuable to continue to waste it on something like this... it's never too late to quit and turn your life around.
Your story was great to read. All it takes is a few friends to introduce you….and then it’s history. That’s crazy that you met a girlfriend, because you stopped playing. Kudos to you. I always wonder how esports players feel. Like those who “made it” I guess. Do you think they are happy where they are at? Or no?
@@usernameassistance9891 Thanks man, I hope my story can encourage more to quit the game for good. I’m not exactly sure how esports players feel. I would assume some are doing it as they really like it(ex Faker), but most of them are just doing it as job cuz they can’t think of anything else to do and that it pays good money. But tbh I don’t think it’s worth it especially after we’ve seen so many content creators quit because of how addicting and unhealthy the game is
@@justinwang701 im currently in the sale situation i dont enjoy anymore playing League the main problem is my Friends only playing League i tried many Times to delete the game After tilt void sensations the problem is that everytime i am boring, i download it again and play with my Friend i just feel lost
definitely, for some reason every time I hear a person praise gbay I remember how back in the day he was being harassed and that makes me so angry and sad, he is just a person and so are we
Honestly, discovering your channel kind of saved me from falling too deeply into the loud negative rabbit hole that sadly dominates lol-related content. Your videos highlight what’s amazing about this game and it’s scene and that is exactly why I love this game and can’t find a game like it. And this is coming from someone who came to lol after watching Arcane and saw all the warnings about how I will “hate my life if I play lol, etc.” I’m glad I ignored those comments. And thank you Gbay!
agree completely. It was mainly due to GBAY that I started to see things in a more positive light, even though I quit sometime ago, I still watch the documentaries religiously and still tune into the esports competitions with my jersey put on and a few beers.
I quit league after I got diamond, I realized the skill ceiling past diamond is so insane that I would need to dedicate my life just to reach any sort of new goal, wasn’t worth wasting my time doing something like that. Switched to playing mmo’s, I’m surprised you only mentioned shooters, riots mmo being good is prob the only thing that could bring me back to league.
Kinda same, after peaking at diamond 2 i stopped taking the game seriously because of the same reason, then i quit and now i play casually every once in a while. Funnily enough, same thing happened to me in Apex legends where to be honest it seems even worse in the sense that after diamond (if playing solo) it feels like people are playing like superhumans
Same here. I got to master and realized how much LP I'd need to gain to reach the next rank (700Lp) and without putting multiple hours into it EVERY day it just isn't possible. Haven't touched the game ever since
Kudos to you for talking about "LoL and the Moba genre", "the mod that inspired League" and "other popular games with gameplay similar to League" and not once mention Dota
I quit league 2.5 years ago but I still enjoy watching league and LCS content. I love the game to death but it's so frustrating that I don't regret quitting. The playerbase and the difficulty to carry in your elo made me feel helpless at times. I was furious when losing and just relieved when winning. It just wasn't doing it for me anymore and it frustrates me that it doesn't because I still haven't found anything that scratches the same itch.
I play ARAM with up to five friends after work if we want some mindless fun to do while talking with each other. This made me realize that the fun part of the league gameplay for me is teamfights, experimenting with champion builds, and playing with friends, all of which are only possible in a fast-economy single lane map. Then I went back to SR and had a top laner rage quit after being ganked once 5 minutes in, so I was like I'm probably quitting SR for good if it's always 50/50 that I'm going to play a proper game.
It sounds to me like the problem isn't so much SR as it is the lack of competitive integrity/the community. In early LOL, people didn't really care about winning or losing norms. They tried out new builds and practically nobody flamed in normals. This isn't entirely the community's fault. Many of riot game's changes have been geared towards esports. Games have been shortened, comeback opportunities have been lessened, and more emphasis has been placed on earlier stages of the game. It's so disgustingly easy to push towers and crack inhibitors nowadays that you can feasibly do it in less than 15 minutes. These are all things that may be entertaining to watch but that isn't necessarily conducive to being entertaining to play. Frankly, the statistics speak for themselves. If you were to look at recovery from gold deficit, winnability down 1 teammate, etcetera, these are all down significantly from earlier seasons.
It's quite incredible seeing a content creator mature and grow parallel to myself. Realizing that the aspects you bring forward are thoughts that have been sat in the back of my head for some time. Ive been a sub for years now, watching your videos on and off, but i always appreciated your creative and artistic perspective. I know ive struggled with my mental a lot, and i recall moments where things have been shaky for you. What gave me more comfort was knowing we werent evolved for the hyper efficient and fast paced life we have now, but humans are incredibly adaptive and we can push ourselves past comfort. It seems like your feeling well, and that makes me smile. Thanks for the hard work and tremendous effort youve put in your videos, everytime i watch them, the care and interest shines. You have incredible dedication, discipline and determination. I think you can tell, but your work clearly invokes emotions and reactions that are long lasting, and also somewhat philosophical. In a time where too many people pretend to know everything, it feels comforting seeing your videos knowing we're both clueless. I hope you see this, and honestly it kind of turned into a stream of my thoughts, but i hope they find you well. Cheers.
I think its very important to note that Gbay made an excellent video with brilliant discussion points, all while changing their shirt to more fantastic shirts between scenes 👌
Back when I played League regularly, my frustrations were that Riot kept removing champions I liked by reworking them, and all the new champions had the trappings I really disliked (multiple dashes, 3 hit passive, percent health damage) so I felt like the game I loved was being ripped from my grasp by the devs
i had a break from league fot about 2/2,5 years and when i came back it was like peak 200years game design that is still going on, idk why im still playing, mostly cause its the only game my friends can play with me since weve very different tastes edit: i lost katarina, volibear and ryze with reworks and many other champions cause they cant keep up with the "dashines" and "tank-eatiness" (and also invisibility and untergetability gosh i hate it)
@@TheSabaton1 To be fair volibear is one of their best rework ryze didn't get any 200 years mechanics and katarina design always was the teleporting assassin. I think 200 years is more of a new champion thing that rework. The problem with some rework imo is when they lose the identity of the champion like aatrox or aurelion sol.
@@sneakysunset1765 i probably should've written that differently, I lost the champs I liked is one thing and the 200years is about all the other champs and items added
This video speaks volumes to me. I’ve been playing league collectively for 7 years now. Made a ton of friends and had some ridiculous moments on the rift, but as time progressed I played with them less and less as I started to view them as less than. This was be it they were so low level or rank or even if they just played Aram. This game has made me feel like a terrible person for judging my friends who I have fond memories with of doing something stupid and seeing it actually work and then belittling them later for their lack of skill. It’s got to the point where I chose to not play with them cause I thought I was better, which led to me losing some pretty close friends. Now 7 years into this game I try to be the positive player in all of my games win or lose. I want the players I play to know they did their best and to continue to have fun with this game. I have become a better person and many players that I have ran across in games have added me as a friend and told me they find the game more enjoyable when gaming with positive people. This is why I still play. To make it to my friends of the past and myself that league can still be fun even if you lose or make a mistake. We all aren’t pros and we just want to play this to have fun so let’s have fun
Thats an amazing redemption arc! Great character development! Jokes aside, i see myself in your story a bit - the game changed us for better and worse, but its now part of who we are and try to be - our best versions :)
I love the fact you can take a huge break from the game and still love it to death. Your documentaries are amazing and we can easily tell you pour your heart into them. Dont chase the algorithm and enjoy yourself gbay
ive had a healthy, consistent but non-addictive relationship with league for 10 years and can happily say i have loved the game the entire time, apart from some odd patches. i dont think this is very strange, but everyone else seems to. people dont believe me and often accuse me of having some sort of developmental disorder because of it. i think that says a lot about the relationship people have with league by and large. the concept of someone enjoying it over a long period is seen as very unusual. great video btw, dont mean to just make it about me. probably best made video ive seen from you. feels so fluent and authentic. really enjoyed this. your points about identity in league were put so well and i couldnt agree more. what bothers me is the proposition you make.. the two choices, to quit or to complain. i dont like this. i dont see why its the case. i have no comprehension of why people cant play the game without sinking their life into it like a full time job. i certainly did that when i was a kid of course.. but now ill play between 0-3 games a day. just feels natural to me. still one of my primary hobbies but it doesnt control my life. i mention this not to brag but just because i dont understand why this cant be the case for most people? or is it that, most people are like me, but they dont tend to be the ones complaining online so you dont hear about them. i dunno. i just dont get this culture.
I've never quit LoL, I just take long breaks from it and play other games. I believe the main reason why so many people complain and quit LoL is because this is the only video game they ever played the last past 10 years and feel burned out of it. What most people lack is self control or having a healthy playtime, most people exaggerating with the playtime (which me and my friends used to) where we played LoL 8-10 hours per day and nothing else.
@@koaladyslect9153 I believe the reason we aren't vocal about it is because we don't need to, since we actually enjoy the game. Also negative outcry is far louder and popular than positive ones sadly.
I’ve been playing since s2. I’ve had moments when I quit but have always came back. I hate the cycle of addiction I have with the game. It causes me stress and anxiety but I can’t simply stop. Maybe one day I can let it go for good
I used to play this game for about 8 hours a day, maybe more, on average. After I worked on my studies/work and got employed, I still play League but I barely average more than 2 hours a day. Honestly speaking, this game is great, and I don't think anyone has to quit unless it's making your life a total mess. Try going for shorter sessions, get used to muting toxic players, and don't stress over losing (because you're always gonna go back to the "can't end on a loss" loop). That's how I dealt with it and it worked for most of my friends too. Love the game but don't take it too seriously still.
As someone who started in season two and who used to watch Gbays really, really old videos about getting better, i think he once again his the nail on the head. Playing this on and off (more on that off i would say) over more than ten years, League of Legends for all its flaws, gave me a very unique gaming experience. Ever since i saw that first clip of Insec doing an Insec xD i have been obsessed with Lee Sin. The 1v1 and outplay potential was something i had never seen in a game like say Counter-Strike before. I have similar stories about all the champs ive mained and played thousands of games on over the years.
I also quit during the pandemic, i noticed that i have a much healthier relationship to the real world and also online. Reconnected with old friends, got into the dating scene, and even started playing my old favorite games instead when league took up all that time. I didnt realize how dominant it was in my life until it was gone
Ive never played League, but I have noticed this much more invested and involved culture compared to other games, it truly looks like an obsession to me viewing from the outside rather than a simple tale of "this game is solid fun!" that you get from 'normal' videogames.
Love these non-documentary introspective videos so much. This one and 'Not playing LoL is TERRIBLE' are my favorite ones you've uploaded and I've seen ALL your videos. Keep it up!
Simply put, League is too addictive. Quitting it is like quitting smoking or drugs, you don't simply quit when you want to. It's a monumental effort for some people.
But *why* is it addictive? Calling it such isn't constructive. I don't think it's that addictive though. People just need their reason so to leave and they will. Everyone I've seen quit, myself included, simply needed a decent reason. If it's addicting a reason isn't good enough.
@@RuneKatashima it's addictive because it's unbalanced. As counterintuitive as it sounds, people don't like to play balanced games. They like to play op champions that can faceroll the rest. That's why Riot shakes up the meta every patch, so that everyone gets to have a taste of their champion being op.
League was an abusive, codependent relationship hardcore for me. No matter how much I hated it and felt despair playing I kept running back when it beckoned for me. It was a severe addiction and I kept trying to quit for multiple years. I took breaks for up to 8 months between seasons 5-8 but then just revamped my severe addiction for a bit longer and finally got to a point where there was nothing left of what I once loved in the game. There was only pain and hatred and it was as ugly as every abusive relationship I had ever been in, so it honestly felt the same kind of push and pull of an abusive relationship. I hated it I would get mad and quit but go back in a couple weeks or months after I cooled down because it sounded enticing to go back to and try again. But, now I can't imagine wanting to go back, because I don't have rose tinted glasses obstructing my view anymore, there is only a hollow carcass of what I once loved, pretending to be the same. I don't even want to talk about my addiction to buying skins and collecting them and gifting others. I've spent right below 3000$ at $2950 after 8 years. Now, seeing it's been 10 years and some months after 2 years of not playing...I feel so free without it. I miss it and want to play it but I absolutely can't go down that path of ruin ever again. It's so destructive for people with addictive personalities, and especially for mentally ill people who feel lonely and league becomes comforting. Because league felt like home, it was my sanction, and I'm sure it felt that way for others who fell in love with the game. It was so expensive with it's lore and lost bits and bobs... I'll always miss the memory of what league was. At some point I just realized, my love for the game wasn't enough for how much I dreaded and hated playing it.
The beautiful scenery worked so well as a backdrop to you talking, like god damm. And the script had a super nice flow with an easy to follow red thread. I do think it's important to mention that Dunkey lied about the whole quitting league match in the footage, which is part of why it got so popular
You might be sober but you keep coming back to make amazing content adjacent! Love the time for ambience and space in this video - not just walking around or the change(s) of scenery - but distance from the camera and so forth. Amazing video as ever that helps illustrate how deep this game is and holistic landscape of video games in general. Thanks always, Gbay!
i remember i used to watch a lot of your videos before i took my break, my break wasn't planned one day i stopped and that was it for two years. i had to focus on school and such. but i loved and instill do love league's universe,art,and stories they created i used to check up the skins and read what they posted for a really long time without playing. i never uninstalled the game, tho i never planned to come back to it, i was playing overwatch at the time which gave me some satisfaction and i thought i would be finally over it. idk i felt nostalgic i missed playing my ekko and so i started again. now im way more chill about it. i think you put it perfectly there just isn't anything to replace it. thank you gbay your videos are always so interesting, also i see you played disco elisyum an amazing game :>
I started playing league because I loved MMORPGs but I didn't want to spend hours grinding the same resource. Having a match based system that reset each time meant that I didn't feel like I was falling behind by not endlessly grinding.
Gbay, I love how you mentioned Leavue gives such a unique feeling/experience... and I know the reputation Vayne players get. Toxic, never grouping, vaynespotting, etc... but the feeling of popping ult and outplaying 3/4, even 5 players sometimes is truly something I'll never find in ANY other game. Been sober from league for nearly 2 years now. Oh, the memories.....
This issue applies to FPS games as well, but I think the more universal issue is people being burned out and/or losing what made them want to play the game to begin with. Most of the people I meet online recal their childhood with games being a fun session with their buddies late into the night. They didn't have to deal with as much toxicity since all they had was each other to deal with. Once their friends abandoned ship and moved on with their lives, they were left with the usual SoloQ misery and toxicity. I never had that luxury. I've been a SoloQ warrior all my life, so not only am I able to enjoy a game by myself without feeling depressed, but I also learned how to tolerate toxic experiences, but for everyone else, it's just miserable.
When I quit, I went to a few other games, ultimately selling my PC. Hit the gym, went to church, met my wife and had a baby. It took a long time, but I just can’t sit in front of my pc like I used to.
Hey Gbay, long time fan sense like s4 irelia. Anyways, yes I have quit league (atleast normal / ranked league) as it was just life sucking. Now I will play arams every now and then which are quick and fun most times. But I really just clicked on this video due to the familiar face and am glad you are still on the youtube grind, and can say you have certainly gotten way better with these historic type videos. Might not watch your vids as consistently as younger me may have, but I am happy you are still going.
if riot didn't delete aatrox and replace him with a dog shit version of riven I would be more into the game. Also get rid of brain dead champs, make a separate queue for solo players and premades. Make ranked easier to climb instead of having these garbage lp gains that get you no where no matter how many games you play/win. Bring back the fun old gamemodes like 3v3 twisted treelines, dominion ect. Make a 1v1 casual/ranked gamemode.
You've really developed your subscriber base. I'm really happy to see it for you. I've always appreciated the introspective and questioning approach you take with things. Continually hoping the best for you and everyone!
I was introduced to league by friends, and we used to 5-stack constantly, but then everybody seemed to trickle away, and now the only people left are the hardcore ranked players who are much better than me and get easily tilted and flame, which really bugs me (feels like when your friend is yelling at the waiter and you're just like ??? Dude stop), so I'm usually playing alone. I just wish more people played casually, didn't necessarily care about getting better and were just nice to each other. the expectation of toxicity is what did most people in
The only issue with playing against bots in league is that the bots suck so it's an easy stomp every game. League should introduce custom bots like in Dota 2 where you can play against the bots that beat a top pro team in a tournament lol
@@lussor1 I actually enjoy League's lore, e-sports events and the mechanics in a non-competitive environment =] (Patiently waiting for Riot's MMO, too!)
Speaking from my own experience, it took me getting flamed by both opponents and teammates in a 10+ game losing streak for me to realize I just don't do well in a team setting. I learned that putting 100% of yourself only to still have an 80% chance one of your teammates won't perform for whatever reason was just not something I wanted to deal with in my gaming time. That's why it felt so good when I fully pivoted to Fighting Games, skipping the entirety of Season 11. I think why I transitioned so smoothly was cuz I knew friends in the FGC, but i realized certain fighting games with large rosters could supplement what League had with their massive pool of champs. Sure no single fighting game can ever compare with league's roster size, but having a variety of games to jump inbetween the FG genre as opposed to MOBAs was an immediate breath of fresh air that just seemed to work with me. I only came back for a brief stint when Riot took back the SEA Server, still don't like playing in a team.
There are two kinds of games, the ones that no one talks about and the ones that everyone complains about. Pick your poison, League and Riot are both great.
I actually am amazed on how i was able to get to a point where I ACTUALLY casually play league. I’m able to get on one night and play a few matches before getting off knowing that I’m getting a bit frustrated after a bad loss and I’m able to stay off for a few days before cycling that process over and over with the occasional group of friends that get on here and there. It’s honestly so much better this way
6:33 - about 9:40 is honestly such a beautiful and accurate analysis. As someone who's been playing league off and on since season 1 (Brand release weekend) this resonated SO hard with me. Also regarding the comparison to RTS games: Age of Empires 4 (multiplayer) is absolutely stunning, but as a now 28 year old, man (who's always had older friends) I don't really have anyone to play with!
I think you summarized it perfectly, the feelings players have about League, you just cannot find it anywhere else. League, it feels like home. Its all one big dysfunctional family where you kind of want out, but at the same time, its familiar, and you love it no matter how much it hurts you.
You just described an addiction/dysfunctional relationship. Leagues continued exploitation of that bond over actual gameplay is why it's a terrible game and everyone should quit
@@bensheard3969 I originally wrote a longer comment and redacted a lot, but I even write that its a dysfunctional relationship. I dont think that makes it a terrible game and people should quit though. It has its problems absolutely, but does that mean you should just give up on it? There have been seasons that i cant stand playing the game, and ones where I laugh, having so much fun i play for hours and feel great. Everyone has a "last straw" or maybe even people have an idea that like a marraige I have invested too much? The people behind league's development change all the time. Right now they are bringing back static shiv and reverting items to be closer to what they had 6 years ago. Its a different bike but you know how to ride one. I think its a great game despite problems and I think it is fine if it is not a game for everyone.
@@evanlakey6904the game has lost its soul fundamentally. I don't find it enjoyable and I know EXACTLY why and I know it was riots fault for prioritizing pro players and sponsorship. By making a game free they have no incentive to improve it but to motivate you to spend as much money and spend as much time playing it as possible to sell merchandise
@@evanlakey6904 ultimately it's a Boring game. Even pro players say the best way to play is to farm and do nothing for 30 minutes. Too much rides enjoyment rides on fights and even there are always a small pool of champions that are fundamentally broken. Their over reliance on "perfect imbalance" fosters caos over any kind of learning curve that would keep you playing
@@bensheard3969 I appreciate your perspective on this, but its an opinion that you have that I disagree with for myself personally. They shake up things all the time. Today there is a patch that is going to toss up the meta and fundamentals of the game once again. They have about 2-3 of these throughout the year and balance patches every 2 weeks. Sure they incentivize you to pay for the cosmetic items and want you to play long hours, but there has never been a time like now in League. Pro players and high elo players know the fundamentals so well it doesnt matter to them, but Riot has said that there are essentially 4 different types of the game based on things like elo and they try to make changes to impact all of them not just 1. I have found this to be factually true in the last 6 months of the game. Not every game is exciting obviously, and plenty of league players get pissy over losing and want out. Many people are trying to do things that are non-optimal and troll to have fun and get banned for some time for it, but now more than ever bans don't mean too much. The biggest thing is finding ways to enjoy it for yourself. Some people almost exclusively play ARAM because they simply like the teamfighting and dont really enjoy laning phase. Others like the 1v1 of laning against an opponent in volatile lanes. There are 10 people in every game trying to make their own fun. If you aren't having fun maybe its not your turn too, and if you don't like that you can go play another game. The thing is the other game won't be league. I find most Battle Royales and Strategy FPS games boring, but people still like them. I don't like most Turn-based strategy or RTS games because they are boring, but people like them. League is the only MOBA that feels like a good fit for me, I even liked Smite more, but it doesn't have the same feel League does. It is really a one of a kind game, for me, and if it isn't for you at all, then don't be salty make your own "League" game or find something else to fill your time.
Wow has it really been 2.5 years since you announced you were stopping League? Time really flies, I remember going from thinking your early video essays were pretentious, to loving your daily Road to Diamond and Mastery Level 5 videos, to missing your Kenshi series, to cheering you on as you embarked on the longer form documentaries. I've grown up too in this time and will continue to support your channel regardless of if I'm playing League or on a break. Thanks for all the videos over the years Gbay! The good, the bad, and the experimental.
I remember way back when I used to watch this channel for the 'Jouney to Mastery 5' videos. Now whenever I see an upload I think 'oh shit, Gbay99 has uploaded yet another banger, lets grab the popcorn'.
I was a hardcore league fan for 10 years. From 2012 to 2022 I enjoyed my time on the rift but felt the gradual decline. 2013 and 2014 were the peak years.
As someone who has watched you from your earliest days making content, I can honestly and easily say that this is your magnum opus. Really well done, man.
Damn, I had forgotten about Gbay... I used to watch his content nearly a decade ago. I quit LoL after like Season 3 because I didn't like the direction it was needed. I've not looked back since. 😅
I've been so long removed from league of legends content that when you said Gbay, I was taken aback. I didn't recognise you without your pink sweatband! I've only started playing again recently, and watching champion and season guides, so i guess that's why I was recommended this video. So glad to see you still around, mate!
League was not the first commercial release of a moba after the Dota mod on WC3. That honor goes to HoN aka heroes of newerth. It showed the industry that there was an interest in such a project and because of that we got LoL, Dota2 etc.
absolutely fantastic content. I always liked GBay truly a down to earth g with a calming aura. I can't say I watch a lot of his content I was more interested in his road to diamond series for example but everytime I come back it's a good experience to hear him and this.
I quit League of Legends about 3 years ago and now I have a good paying job, a house, a wife and a kid. It's actually crazy how much time I was sinking into that damn game.
Nice video with nice explanation, I think people get so mad with this game because we are all addicted to this game and the symptoms are the same as a bad dopamine rush or as a withdrawal symptoms… which is frustration, irritability, angryness etc
I liked the part where you said that the best way to know for sure was to "come back and play another game", then the camera panned to a rope. GOAT cinematography. You'll soon discover the new and improved MIA ping "Bait", if you play that is. But to be real, your video hits home. League is a game that can be very indicative of how balanced your life is. Coming back from time to time, to play with friends, is super fun. But I could never play as much as I used to, this isn't how I actually enjoy it. It took me a lot of time, just like others, to realize I was barely playing out of enjoyment. Big pre-season and mid-season updates are amazing for that, it brings out novelty and you're always sure people you know are gonna be online after those big patches hit. At some point, you figured out what's new and fun. You may start to drift away from the game again, eventually reaching the end of that cycle and putting time into new hobbies and/or games. And then you don't feel the need for League all that much. Love you Gbay, always a blessing to see a bit of what's up with you :).
gbay doing what no one has yet to do... get me nostalgic for league of legends. there is a reason ive put so many hours into a game i hate... and it was nice to remember them :)
Wow, that was surprisingly mature and well thought out. Very insightful to the nature of how people respond in the gaming community, and I think Riot should definitely watch this and have a good long discussion with their leadership team about it. Heck, I think the leadership of many major game companies should watch this and have a discussion about it, regardless of the genre. If you want a healthy gaming community, thinking about these types of factors is really the way to go.
You very much got the nail on the head about why i fell a want to play the game. I haven't played in 2 years! I was looking into the game again because I was interested in playing again but ultimately just won't still. I miss the many styles of playing the game that were all valid as a way to have a victory!
Been following you since around season 4-5, absolutely love the content. Think a huge part of the reason people get so frustrated is they get locked in the hyper competitive ranked space. Everyone wants to be the next #1 NA and when they can't they get frustrated at the game and quit. Same thing happens in most games with a competitive scene. The only difference is, like you said, there is nowhere for MOBA players to go to that is adjacent to League. As someone who has barely played since around 2019, I can say that I still have not found any game that hits that same itch. There's nothing out there like it.
I have 3 million mastery on my favorite champ Pantheon, a few million on other accounts, some of which were unjustly banned by the corrupt company themselves because I defended myself in game when people verbally lashed out on me. Since then, I just don't have fun with this game anymore. My favorite champion feels ruined after his rework to the point riot even named a skin after it "Ruined Pantheon". I don't even have fun if I win games anymore, the game feels like a chore and the community has no idea how much better the game used to be in the past...
Years after i quit league i still followed your "climbing" series, you know, the diamond climbing and so on. I felt as it was my own, i rooted for you, i never followed esports, but you were my "team" i rooted for! Now for some time its gone. I'm so glad you found other content you wanna work on. Cheers from coastline balkan thief! Edit: oh and ps: i agree with what you said, the most frustrating thing isnt even the community, in most cases they are either idiots or want you to play only the most op champions, id just ignore them as an adult. What frustrated me the most is I mained mosly Yorick, WW etc, so when they were unbalanced and got nuked to the ground my few loved champions couldnt do shit, when they were normal, id win.
Love this, like genuinely i have floated on the fringe of uninstalling since the introduction of mythics that there would be a few weeks between games but it seriously is one of the few games that I havent been able to replace with anything that feels quite the same. Like, I get told smite but that's awkward to me. I have stopped summoner's rift altogether just because the way the community is in terms of what has happened to the dodge systems and people just making new accounts frequently, do proceed to do the same thing I see regularly in games, be it just running it down or the toxic behavior that Dunkey left for. I get questioned frequently by people I used to play with before they quit, but it's just... as you said, where is there really to go after if it's something you enjoyed as an experience outside of the flaws?
Stopped playing League nearly a decade ago. As a result, I also stopped consuming Gbay's videos too. Not sure why this video was suddenly recommended to me, but it was a fun little trip down memory lane. Quitting League was the best decision I ever made, btw. Lol
league just isn't the same anymore. I quit without even reallying makin an effort to stop playing i just was tired of it all, the anger, the rage, the fact my friends were so toxic while we played it just felt so bad to play and hard to enjoy.
I have been playing for 10 years. I never took a break for more than 3 months. I am aware that it's that addiction that pushes me to play but I am content with it. You don't need to quit the game to feel good about yourself. You just have to not fall short on your daily responsibilities. Be it studying or working or socializing.
The phenomenon you're describing is in my opinion caused by Riot games' protracted capture of the teen market, especially in Asia. It began with an absolutely massive advertising campaign and more or less concluded with the game being by far the most popular e-sport in the world. The whole scene is artificially, and weirdly (***IMO***) propped up by the company making the game, from paying off tournament organizers to ignore DotA 2 tournaments, to giving pros a straight up salary to play. The LoL scene is easily a top 3 video game franchise overall (Minecraft and Pokemon), so quitting is a financial decision for content creators; and as you pointed out, Dunkey's quitting video has absolutely massive viewership. The argument can be made that they're just trying to capture as much of their own target audience as possible.
No matter if you play or not, please keep doing your esports documentary videos, we love these !
Those will keep coming out, don't worry, a big one's coming soon :)
@@gbay99 lets gooooo can’t wait!!!
@@gbay99 Whatever it is, its going to be amazing! My guess is the DRX cinderella run! :D
@@gbay99 I have really looked for LoL alternatives. I loved Pokémon Unite for it’s controller use, fast gameplay and short games, but this game is run by the worst development team I have ever seen. I honestly can’t believe what they’re doing to their players. The search continues… hopefully not owned by Tencent
Yeah, these documentaries in their small formats are the best thing left about league my dude
A tick bit me while making this video so I really hope you like it
yeah, go touch grass they said...
Not to freak you out but go get yourself tested. Ticks carry very dangerous diseases (Lyme disease and encephalitis being a few of them) many of which have a long incubation periods.
That's what you get for swapping shirts every two sentences in a forest!
Where'd you get those shirst? I'm tryna upgrade my closet and your fits are clean
Yooo I saw you in the field and was genuinely worried. Stay safe especially if you spend time in New England. They're really bad this year because it never got cold enough to kill last year's off.
For me the nail in the coffin was the realization that it takes one person to ruin your game. Furthermore i found myself that in order to not get tilted by my teamates i had to mute all communications from them at the start of every game. So i basicly played a game which was similar to 9 other computers playing but i had to hope that mine wont be that much worse than theirs
these sentiments were prevalent for the past 12 years. why is tilt getting to you now that you're older with (assumingly) better mentality?
@@BloodyHowl69 after having some experience and maturing around the toxic playerbase you start to understand and manage the proper way to deal with it. that's how I improved my tilt in League. this community actually made me a better person in real life too, so flamers... thank you xD
@@Kepitano my man
For me it was the fact that there's no way to keep people that ruin games away and you had two options: try your best to ignore them, or tell the assholes they were. Sure, you can report them after the game and send a ticket, but most players don't care about being banned for 14 days and even if they get a permanent suspension they can just buy a new account or create one. Dealing with the idea you are playing a game in which 90% of the times you are going to find someone ruining your game is not healthy, even if you expect it
I left when I finally found people to manage the community I built for the champion I played. It kept me around and I didn't want it to. I had to stay updated on the game and that meant keep playing it. Furthermore I was severely tired of how Riot had been balancing and not only treating the game, but the champion I played, or the lack thereof.
You hit the nail on the head with your discussion on uniqueness and identity in League. People play this game to express themselves, that’s why there’s so many weird OTPs (present commenter included) and weird strategies.
Oh hi petu
I am a enthusiastic xPetu fan (I was even in your last years bootcamp), and currently also watch thebausffs and rav for their creative, unique personal approach to playing the game and making videos about it. I enjoy this at least 600% more than any generic feeling PantsareDrgon/ProfessorAkali/Zwag reaction video with super fed carry montage gameplay.
Also I enjoy the genre "League News" that Rival and Ryscu have mastered.
Climbing series can be interesting if you do it like xPetu on Talon, but they seem to generally force you into playing the game around certain repeatable win conditions and current meta, that don't really allow you to naturally express your favourite playing style and your forms of skill expression and can be very challenging mentally with that added pressure. Hence many good content creators having problems during climb series because they don 't want to dissapoint with a "below diamond or masters peak" of their strategy. And hence few professional high rank players putting their peak performance games into entertaining narrated videos. Can you name any good ones? Even thebausffs and T1 went off steam during their climbing grinds this season only showing occasional 1v9 games, tilted teammates or laning accidents.
I am playing mostly jgl since season 2020 at currently Iron 1 MMR in Bronze 3 trying out new stuff a lot of times, playing casually with friends and not really able to apply what I hear about pressure and tempo and win conditions because I don't want to limit my champion pool and force tryharding games on on single role I understand. (tiagula EUW)
What do you think about the rise of unhinged creators like KeshaEUW and Doneal? Is the approach of getting views by showing your deterioating mental state during a grind concerning to you? Has this been a bigger problem in the latest two seasons more than in early T1 era?
I think League players are prone to gambling addiction. A slotmachine has bright colors, and high pitched sounds like League, and you win 60-70%, then they start losing. You win money in a slotmachine, then you start losing money. Maybe I am a sober gambling addict projecting.
@@Skoopyghostthis^
All the champions I played and loved to main are gone after reworks and aurelion sol was the last one I loved so now I'm done with the game, too tired of this repeating process.
Thanks for this. I turned 30 this year and felt it was time to move on from League. I had played for ten years. There was a lot of highs and lows for sure. But one thing broke me. ALL THE DAMN YUMMI PLAYERS. That was it for me. This game changed so much from when I started.
When I started taking a 15 minute break after every match that made me angry I noticed that I played the game less and less since after the initial anger faded I just felt dread over the possibility of being locked in more horribly frustrating matches for 30+ minutes.
After I noticed this I realized how little enjoyment I actually got from matches that I would say I had fun (independently of losing or winning) and how i engage with this game more out of frustration than enjoyment
i had the same issue, you should try palying champs and roles that arent impacted much by losing or being behind. i found that support is probably the most fun role in the game because of the champion diversity, build and rune diversity within that champ pool and the fact that every game you play you are not going to be much stronger or weaker than the game before, you are jus there to have fun.
@@zezanje1 over time I stopped caring so much if get gapped or lose a game, worst case scenario I can farm and play with the team.
the frustration comes down to the other players’ behavior really, since you can’t do anything to stop someone from screaming at their teammates (well muting makes it better but knowing the person is still flaming you is frustrating) or trying to sabotage your team.
Playing with friends is fantastic 99% of the time tho
@@zezanje1 or just quit
@@zezanje1 or you can play any other game. But truth is league is addictive, it makes you dream that hp bar getting lower while you make combos and aa resets... Its good to quit it asap, even when high rank
@@spicesmuggler2452 i quit for years and got dragged back in can i get a rip
i agree with op tho sometimes when im binging at night and i have a bad game or whatever and i spam q up again the q time takes several minutes and by like the 5th minute i realize that i actually dont want to play anymore and just go to sleep
Great video Gbay, very unique and fun to watch :)
When you were talking about the 10 years of playing LoL and why people do it - it reminded me of people playing Chess or Tennis. People play things like them for the same reason- Joy, fun and then deep competition + executing their learnings.
Of course league is less healthy than a sport like tennis, but it's funny that it often isn't seen as a viable long term hobby like Chess. I think people expect to quit LoL at some point simply because it's a video game, but people don't play e.g Chess or Basketball expecting to quit
I originally played lol expecting to hate it. Its been one year and i nearly have 900 hours so im probably never going to quit.
Oh the man himself!
You inspired me to ignore tierlists and the meta and focus on having fun while inventing something unique.
You and Gbay are honestly my top two favorite lol youtubers.
@@MusssabM I think that's the best way to play as a noob. Have fun with all the different goofy champions, items and runes that are out there and the interactions between them. Is it objectively good? Doesn't matter :D
People don't expect to quit chess or basketball because those sports never change and anybody can just not play for 5 years, then come back to it and it's the same as 5 years before - which makes it super easy to start doing the activity again.
Whereas with league, as it is not a 'sport' in it's traditional sense, but rather a commercial product that has to change constantly to bring new consumers and generate more profits.
League changes so much every season which makes it very difficult to come back to the game after some time, since you have to learn so many new things.
@@timofeygladiyenko4598 I think you're right about how league is more volatile. I would play devil's advocate and say that a similar thing happens to sports but over a longer period of time. Like Bodybuilding is a hobby and has gone up and down in popularity because of the profit motive. Its more of a competitive perspective are they making money? and are people still interested in watching the best? if you're able to keep the masses entertained which is super hard than you will keep longevity.
Man that was straight facts, almost teared up hearing you talking about the good parts of league, made me realize why I loved it and not why I hate it, so much of my life spent playing this game. Thank you Gbay.
For real. No other game has spanned so many phases of my life. Its actually insane when I think about it.
I feel both of u 😢
Stop thinking like that "years SPENT of my life".
Playing a videogame for years doesn't mean spending years of your life, or wasting time. Only you can make it like that if you mindlessly play videogames but that doesn't just apply to videogames, you can play futboll and make it a waste of time even if you enjoy it.
I think that many people in the gaming community need to change their mindset about playing videogames, I'm sure League can be a source of happiness if you recognize why you love or enjoy the game, and remember that playing videogames is only a aspect of your life.
I want to advice people to recognize the good things and the beauty in the sky, the clouds, people, humanity, the universe. And don't judge this words I'm listing here so fast because they surely mean something different for you than they do for me.
@@miguelheredia4123 I'm not quite sure League and football can be compared like that in your analogy
@@Kyulnjir Why not? I think both offer joy but if you do too much of any thing is not correct
Gbay, I resonate with a lot of what you post. I quit league as my passion slowly faded out, but you were able to capture and display a pivotal moment in the downward spiral of my passion for the game that I hardly ever see represented. I loved old Aatrox, and I got such a thrill playing him. Your two videos about old Aatrox before his rework really emphasized what I loved about him and how his game design was actually really well done. Thank you for making those videos, and this one. You've done a lot in helping me mourn the loss of something I've spent hundreds of hours doing because I loved it. I don't care how corny or cheesy it sounds, it's true. Whenever I need to explain why I miss old Aatrox and why there's still nothing like him in the game, or any game for that matter, I show them your videos about him.
They fr reworked him just when he was op too 😭
I literally quit years ago because Aatrox was one of my top 2 favorite characters to play and they completely destroyed him.
@@Dave-co2ye Amen brother. Those who know, know
@@foshizznet1117 My main mode was TT and I continued to play after they removed it... but yeah I quit..
There were 2 things I really loved. Old Aatrox and Twisted Tree Line. Now that their both gone what reason do I have to play this cancer game anymore? I also liked to play a little bit of old Gangplank, Urgot, and Pantheon but league change so much just for the sake of change I don't have interest to play anymore because riot deleted all of it. They ruined their own game.
I think the power fantasy aspect isn’t to be overlooked. If you get an early gold lead, you feel like a god. Even if you feed for the next 5 games, you still hang onto that one game you got a penta and gapped the enemy team.
I loved League of Legends.
I met my friends back in Season 4 and religiously played the game with them. We've seen a ton of changes, played a lot of champions, and watched a lot of games and tournaments. Sleepless nights, losing streaks, winning streaks, and everything about playing League of Legends with friends was amazing. But a few months ago, something struck me hard that woke me up.
League of Legends changed me in a way that I never wanted to. I became ignorant of other players' feelings. That may be just me, but it felt like when I play the game, I see other people based on their skill level. If they're good, I respect them. If they suck, I belittle them to the point I don't even recognize myself.
There was this game where the jungler came to bot side, wastes a flash and fails the gank, and died later on. He went to bot again, failed another gank and the opposing AD carry got a double kill out of it. I ignored the first mistake, but the second time, I had to say something, and what I said was something I did not expect to say to a person I am talking to face-to-face. It felt like because of the anonymity given by League, as well as the frequency of extreme banters and toxic retaliations happening in the game, people can say whatever they want. The surprising part is that after calling him out, he responded and said, "Sorry mate, I just got off work and am really tired. My bad."
It made me realize that I've been hooked on this cycle of being toxic just because the community is just too toxic right now, I became part of it and I don't want it no more. I wanted to play the game and enjoy it with friends, but talking shit about others I don't even know, looking at them downwardly for every mistake as they try to enjoy the game, it wasn't for me anymore. Everyone almost gets upset with small things in this game, and it creates this whirlpool of negativity that pulls everyone in without them even knowing.
Everyone may have a different response, or reason as to why League isn't the same anymore. People may say that I can just mute them all. But where's the fun in that? The ability to communicate with random people in a lobby as a team should never be in the first place be a way to be toxic in any way. I don't want to look at a champion in the game and see them as another shit-ass player instead of a living, breathing person that has a life of his own and just trying to play a game. Solipsism? Yeah, went down that rabbit hole and will never let myself slide back down it again.
Thank you and as much as I agree that sharing or announcing the reason for leaving the game is because of the experience you had and the want to find a new one that will itch that part of us, I feel like announcing is just a way to tell others that League of Legends is not the only game out there and if we aren't having fun anymore, we just have to leave and find a new place to call home. For me, it doesn't have to be another MOBA, just a new game away from the toxicity of this game. Touch some grass, maybe.
I'm very happy you snapped out of it, buddy. Many people never do, and others, never even acknowledge their own toxicity at all. And believe all they do is warranted because "everyone else is doing it". I managed to do the same very early in my "League career", and by doing that managed also to grow a team of friends and play competitively together for more than a year, before life got in the way and forced me to quit. But that is the thing. We are very big outliers. And even new players now days feel 100% free to be toxic from the get go from the fame of the community alone. Which is bonkers ridiculous to think about.
I respect you. Good job. Have a good life.
i love u mate, good job..
The community's toxicity is the biggest thing I've always hated about the game. I've been playing since the start.
I've been playing since nearly the start and I have seen riot push the competitiveness and the delusion that everyone can make challenger and go pro if only...
They've encouraged this.
I took and continue to take massive breaks when I realize I'm getting more angry and frustrated than having fun. It's a game. I am not going to make pro. I'm not even going to hit challenger. There's literally no reason to touch it if I'm not having fun. And I think this is something that makes the community more toxic. Grinding out a game for hours a day every day that they have maybe 10-30 minutes of fun with.
That's not a "game." That is a "job."
Rofl too many words for my adhd brain to keep focus 😂
Don't often comment on videos, but I have to give props to you Gbay because every time I watch your content it feels like it has some soul behind it that other content does not. People pick "hot topics" that they aren't actually interested in or provide empty calorie content to binge. Your scripts and content as a whole always feel intentioned and well thought out. It's great to see.
Great video! And also nice choice of Disco Elysium music there at the end :)
I'm one of those guys that made the quitting video but still plays League from time to time! I was never looking for large-scale change or trying to get others to quit, but it's fair to say that on a surface level, I did just toss another video into a growing pile of negativity. Instead of just saying "game bad," I wanted to offer my own perspective on how content creation (and feeling creatively restricted) affected my feelings, along with how my general feelings about video games had evolved. How major updates, the creative content sphere and playing with friends got me hooked, but then later made me feel less "at home" in the community as things shifted (as most things do with time). League was where a lot of my initial audience came from, and it felt like an interesting topic to discuss even years after I had moved into a wider variety of content... and the views were nice, this is true.
I still think the game is really fun with a group of friends, and you hit the nail on the head talking about the pure excitement of coming back for years on end to learn a game that feels endlessly complex and rewarding. I have met so many people and made so many great memories through League that I still consider it to be one of my all-time favorite games. Even though I hate it sometimes, and its complexity makes it hard for me to recommend it to new friends, I find myself coming back to League more than any other live-service game, so I definitely don't see it "dying" any time soon, and would love to see a potential overhaul or "League of Legends 2" in the future to update the engine and foundations that limits Riot from expanding in other directions (or fixing the mysteriously broken Nexus Blitz).
God gives youtubers the easiest job because they are his weakest soldiers
I get how frustrating being linked to a brand or genre of content can be, but i feel like youtuber be taking that branding personally to heart. You make your videos not the other way around
@@theredgoblin562 real
That's one of the reasons why I quit. The game was being more restrictive and hard to be creative without being punished. I loved the days when Magikarpusedfly made funny league videos. Now league is filled more with people try harding then having fun.
I quit back in 2017. One of the best decisions I ever made too. I loved the game back in S1 and S2, felt like it started going downhill from S3 and onward. My reasons for leaving were that the game was starting to upset me more than I was having fun, and that was starting to effect me even outside of the game when I wasn't playing. The community being so toxic was another factor. It's so much better to just play games that are fun, with irritation not even being present.
toxic or shit at the game.
Seasson 2 was insane I came in o the riven patch
I actually stop it yesterday the early days of League was fun and now it hits different it makes me feel tired and frustrate the other players.
@@lewisk3725 I wouldn't have called myself a casual back then, I would occasionally play with my girlfriend and friends for days at a time with little rest for food and sleep. My college days. Part of the problem for me was my personality doesn't mesh well with heavily competitive games. I eventually started to take the game too seriously and began to realize I was no longer having fun, because I was just playing to win, so it began to negatively impact my relationships when things would go poorly. I was angry more often than not. It just got worse as the community became more and more toxic which of course exacerbated all of that, so after 5 or so years of playing I just dropped league. It took a while but eventually I found out I just don't get anything positive out of playing those types of games. Maybe it's part of getting older.
I started playing league around the end of S4 and the beginning of S5, and that was the best time I had playing this game. I quit because I realized it will never go back to what it was anymore, it's just not the same game I used to love...
I almost got kicked out of university because I couldn't stop playing during my first and second year. My grades, friendship, and social life suffered to the point where I cannot even recognize myself anymore. Moreover, my life was completely filled by playing league everyday for countless hours, and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about my gaming addictions. I tried to quit by uninstalling the game quite a few times before, but it was only since June of 2020 when I managed to quit completely. On the day that I quit, I was so angry and frustrated that I lost countless ranked games in a row, to the point where I almost raged after I lost a couple of meaningless ARAM games just trying to win for once. I was no longer having fun but rather playing just because couple of friends who introduced me to the game were still playing. What really hit me was the sudden realization that I've put my blood and sweat over all these years, yet I was still hard stuck in Gold and couldn't win a single game that day no matter how hard I tried. I had never lost my mind like that before and I knew that I just couldn't take it anymore, so I deleted the game one last time for good. Since then, I haven't touched the game and I absolutely don't have any desire to play it again.
I regretted wasting six years of precious time, life, and money on this game, and it's something that I can never get back. Looking back at it, I don't miss this game at all. It was simply one of the best decisions I've made as it changed my life completely. I became a much happier person, as I found my purpose and calling in life through my church. In terms of my career, I made the decision to pursue a career in education after I quit. More importantly, just a few months after I quit I met my girlfriend, and we have been dating for over two years now. Honestly, I don't think I would have gotten a girlfriend if I continued playing. Your life will be in a much better state when you stop wasting your money and time on something that's literally a virtual reward and data. Seriously guys life is just too valuable to continue to waste it on something like this... it's never too late to quit and turn your life around.
I'm so glad to hear that. My life got better after I quit too.
Your story was great to read. All it takes is a few friends to introduce you….and then it’s history. That’s crazy that you met a girlfriend, because you stopped playing. Kudos to you.
I always wonder how esports players feel. Like those who “made it” I guess. Do you think they are happy where they are at? Or no?
@@checor Glad you have chosen to quit as well
@@usernameassistance9891 Thanks man, I hope my story can encourage more to quit the game for good.
I’m not exactly sure how esports players feel. I would assume some are doing it as they really like it(ex Faker), but most of them are just doing it as job cuz they can’t think of anything else to do and that it pays good money. But tbh I don’t think it’s worth it especially after we’ve seen so many content creators quit because of how addicting and unhealthy the game is
@@justinwang701 im currently in the sale situation i dont enjoy anymore playing League the main problem is my Friends only playing League i tried many Times to delete the game After tilt void sensations the problem is that everytime i am boring, i download it again and play with my Friend i just feel lost
Easily one the of the best RUclipsrs out there. I love his content and how he matured greatly over the years this is pure talent
definitely, for some reason every time I hear a person praise gbay I remember how back in the day he was being harassed and that makes me so angry and sad, he is just a person and so are we
He started as the League of Legends teacher then became the League of Legends philosopher
Honestly, discovering your channel kind of saved me from falling too deeply into the loud negative rabbit hole that sadly dominates lol-related content. Your videos highlight what’s amazing about this game and it’s scene and that is exactly why I love this game and can’t find a game like it.
And this is coming from someone who came to lol after watching Arcane and saw all the warnings about how I will “hate my life if I play lol, etc.”
I’m glad I ignored those comments.
And thank you Gbay!
agree completely. It was mainly due to GBAY that I started to see things in a more positive light, even though I quit sometime ago, I still watch the documentaries religiously and still tune into the esports competitions with my jersey put on and a few beers.
@@ilypo HELL YEAAAAH !!!
I quit league after I got diamond, I realized the skill ceiling past diamond is so insane that I would need to dedicate my life just to reach any sort of new goal, wasn’t worth wasting my time doing something like that. Switched to playing mmo’s, I’m surprised you only mentioned shooters, riots mmo being good is prob the only thing that could bring me back to league.
Kinda same, after peaking at diamond 2 i stopped taking the game seriously because of the same reason, then i quit and now i play casually every once in a while.
Funnily enough, same thing happened to me in Apex legends where to be honest it seems even worse in the sense that after diamond (if playing solo) it feels like people are playing like superhumans
Same here. I got to master and realized how much LP I'd need to gain to reach the next rank (700Lp) and without putting multiple hours into it EVERY day it just isn't possible. Haven't touched the game ever since
And the worst part you just recieve a chroma for your victorious skin
Kudos to you for talking about "LoL and the Moba genre", "the mod that inspired League" and "other popular games with gameplay similar to League" and not once mention Dota
But yet you came here to mention it xD Dota just lives rent free on league players minds bc they know its better lol
@@tundaja Wot? Defense of the Amcients is literally League's ancestor.
@@tundaja Clown.
dota shit league shit
shuddup
7:37 “Freedom” can be a mighty subjective term. ***stares at Tencent***
I quit league 2.5 years ago but I still enjoy watching league and LCS content. I love the game to death but it's so frustrating that I don't regret quitting. The playerbase and the difficulty to carry in your elo made me feel helpless at times. I was furious when losing and just relieved when winning. It just wasn't doing it for me anymore and it frustrates me that it doesn't because I still haven't found anything that scratches the same itch.
I was in the same boat and personally, Path of Exile scratches some of the same itches for me even though they are very different games.
Omega Strikers
The fact anyone can enjoy LCS, or just pro play in general, is baffling to me
Truly strange
@@rushink true it is super weird watching lcs when you don't play the game
skill issue tbh
I play ARAM with up to five friends after work if we want some mindless fun to do while talking with each other. This made me realize that the fun part of the league gameplay for me is teamfights, experimenting with champion builds, and playing with friends, all of which are only possible in a fast-economy single lane map. Then I went back to SR and had a top laner rage quit after being ganked once 5 minutes in, so I was like I'm probably quitting SR for good if it's always 50/50 that I'm going to play a proper game.
Exactly my case. I have only played ARAMs with friends this season and do not have a reason to play SR.
It sounds to me like the problem isn't so much SR as it is the lack of competitive integrity/the community. In early LOL, people didn't really care about winning or losing norms. They tried out new builds and practically nobody flamed in normals. This isn't entirely the community's fault. Many of riot game's changes have been geared towards esports. Games have been shortened, comeback opportunities have been lessened, and more emphasis has been placed on earlier stages of the game. It's so disgustingly easy to push towers and crack inhibitors nowadays that you can feasibly do it in less than 15 minutes. These are all things that may be entertaining to watch but that isn't necessarily conducive to being entertaining to play. Frankly, the statistics speak for themselves. If you were to look at recovery from gold deficit, winnability down 1 teammate, etcetera, these are all down significantly from earlier seasons.
It's quite incredible seeing a content creator mature and grow parallel to myself. Realizing that the aspects you bring forward are thoughts that have been sat in the back of my head for some time. Ive been a sub for years now, watching your videos on and off, but i always appreciated your creative and artistic perspective. I know ive struggled with my mental a lot, and i recall moments where things have been shaky for you. What gave me more comfort was knowing we werent evolved for the hyper efficient and fast paced life we have now, but humans are incredibly adaptive and we can push ourselves past comfort. It seems like your feeling well, and that makes me smile. Thanks for the hard work and tremendous effort youve put in your videos, everytime i watch them, the care and interest shines. You have incredible dedication, discipline and determination. I think you can tell, but your work clearly invokes emotions and reactions that are long lasting, and also somewhat philosophical. In a time where too many people pretend to know everything, it feels comforting seeing your videos knowing we're both clueless.
I hope you see this, and honestly it kind of turned into a stream of my thoughts, but i hope they find you well.
Cheers.
I think its very important to note that Gbay made an excellent video with brilliant discussion points, all while changing their shirt to more fantastic shirts between scenes 👌
Back when I played League regularly, my frustrations were that Riot kept removing champions I liked by reworking them, and all the new champions had the trappings I really disliked (multiple dashes, 3 hit passive, percent health damage) so I felt like the game I loved was being ripped from my grasp by the devs
i had a break from league fot about 2/2,5 years and when i came back it was like peak 200years game design that is still going on, idk why im still playing, mostly cause its the only game my friends can play with me since weve very different tastes
edit: i lost katarina, volibear and ryze with reworks and many other champions cause they cant keep up with the "dashines" and "tank-eatiness" (and also invisibility and untergetability gosh i hate it)
@@TheSabaton1 they reworked them cuz they were easy af to play by league standar ... thats all lol
@@TheSabaton1 To be fair volibear is one of their best rework ryze didn't get any 200 years mechanics and katarina design always was the teleporting assassin. I think 200 years is more of a new champion thing that rework. The problem with some rework imo is when they lose the identity of the champion like aatrox or aurelion sol.
@@sneakysunset1765 i probably should've written that differently, I lost the champs I liked is one thing and the 200years is about all the other champs and items added
Mord rework zzzzzz go next
This video speaks volumes to me. I’ve been playing league collectively for 7 years now. Made a ton of friends and had some ridiculous moments on the rift, but as time progressed I played with them less and less as I started to view them as less than. This was be it they were so low level or rank or even if they just played Aram. This game has made me feel like a terrible person for judging my friends who I have fond memories with of doing something stupid and seeing it actually work and then belittling them later for their lack of skill. It’s got to the point where I chose to not play with them cause I thought I was better, which led to me losing some pretty close friends. Now 7 years into this game I try to be the positive player in all of my games win or lose. I want the players I play to know they did their best and to continue to have fun with this game. I have become a better person and many players that I have ran across in games have added me as a friend and told me they find the game more enjoyable when gaming with positive people. This is why I still play. To make it to my friends of the past and myself that league can still be fun even if you lose or make a mistake. We all aren’t pros and we just want to play this to have fun so let’s have fun
You did amazing mate, you went through quite the journey, I'm proud 💪
Thats an amazing redemption arc! Great character development! Jokes aside, i see myself in your story a bit - the game changed us for better and worse, but its now part of who we are and try to be - our best versions :)
I love the fact you can take a huge break from the game and still love it to death. Your documentaries are amazing and we can easily tell you pour your heart into them. Dont chase the algorithm and enjoy yourself gbay
ive had a healthy, consistent but non-addictive relationship with league for 10 years and can happily say i have loved the game the entire time, apart from some odd patches.
i dont think this is very strange, but everyone else seems to. people dont believe me and often accuse me of having some sort of developmental disorder because of it. i think that says a lot about the relationship people have with league by and large. the concept of someone enjoying it over a long period is seen as very unusual.
great video btw, dont mean to just make it about me. probably best made video ive seen from you. feels so fluent and authentic. really enjoyed this. your points about identity in league were put so well and i couldnt agree more.
what bothers me is the proposition you make.. the two choices, to quit or to complain. i dont like this. i dont see why its the case. i have no comprehension of why people cant play the game without sinking their life into it like a full time job. i certainly did that when i was a kid of course.. but now ill play between 0-3 games a day. just feels natural to me. still one of my primary hobbies but it doesnt control my life. i mention this not to brag but just because i dont understand why this cant be the case for most people? or is it that, most people are like me, but they dont tend to be the ones complaining online so you dont hear about them. i dunno. i just dont get this culture.
I relate to you hard. There are more players like this. I think we just arent as vocal about it.
I've never quit LoL, I just take long breaks from it and play other games.
I believe the main reason why so many people complain and quit LoL is because this is the only video game they ever played the last past 10 years and feel burned out of it.
What most people lack is self control or having a healthy playtime, most people exaggerating with the playtime (which me and my friends used to) where we played LoL 8-10 hours per day and nothing else.
@@koaladyslect9153
I believe the reason we aren't vocal about it is because we don't need to, since we actually enjoy the game.
Also negative outcry is far louder and popular than positive ones sadly.
Agreed agreed
I’ve been playing since s2. I’ve had moments when I quit but have always came back. I hate the cycle of addiction I have with the game. It causes me stress and anxiety but I can’t simply stop. Maybe one day I can let it go for good
I used to play this game for about 8 hours a day, maybe more, on average. After I worked on my studies/work and got employed, I still play League but I barely average more than 2 hours a day.
Honestly speaking, this game is great, and I don't think anyone has to quit unless it's making your life a total mess.
Try going for shorter sessions, get used to muting toxic players, and don't stress over losing (because you're always gonna go back to the "can't end on a loss" loop). That's how I dealt with it and it worked for most of my friends too. Love the game but don't take it too seriously still.
The nature background gave the video calmer atmosphere,
and it's great. :)
As someone who started in season two and who used to watch Gbays really, really old videos about getting better, i think he once again his the nail on the head. Playing this on and off (more on that off i would say) over more than ten years, League of Legends for all its flaws, gave me a very unique gaming experience. Ever since i saw that first clip of Insec doing an Insec xD i have been obsessed with Lee Sin. The 1v1 and outplay potential was something i had never seen in a game like say Counter-Strike before. I have similar stories about all the champs ive mained and played thousands of games on over the years.
I also quit during the pandemic, i noticed that i have a much healthier relationship to the real world and also online. Reconnected with old friends, got into the dating scene, and even started playing my old favorite games instead when league took up all that time. I didnt realize how dominant it was in my life until it was gone
I quit this game six months ago. Still watching league based videos everyday. This game has more impact on me than any other field. Cannot get over it
Ive never played League, but I have noticed this much more invested and involved culture compared to other games, it truly looks like an obsession to me viewing from the outside rather than a simple tale of "this game is solid fun!" that you get from 'normal' videogames.
The rope in the end made it feel like League of Legends for sure with the ''new'' bait signals.
Love these non-documentary introspective videos so much. This one and 'Not playing LoL is TERRIBLE' are my favorite ones you've uploaded and I've seen ALL your videos.
Keep it up!
Thanks Gbay. I walked away once I started full time work and wanted career progression since I was using all my spare time with league.
Simply put, League is too addictive. Quitting it is like quitting smoking or drugs, you don't simply quit when you want to. It's a monumental effort for some people.
It seems like it isn’t the case for everyone, but for those of us with addictive personalities you’re 100% right.
But *why* is it addictive? Calling it such isn't constructive. I don't think it's that addictive though. People just need their reason so to leave and they will. Everyone I've seen quit, myself included, simply needed a decent reason. If it's addicting a reason isn't good enough.
@@RuneKatashima it's addictive because it's unbalanced. As counterintuitive as it sounds, people don't like to play balanced games. They like to play op champions that can faceroll the rest. That's why Riot shakes up the meta every patch, so that everyone gets to have a taste of their champion being op.
League was an abusive, codependent relationship hardcore for me.
No matter how much I hated it and felt despair playing I kept running back when it beckoned for me. It was a severe addiction and I kept trying to quit for multiple years. I took breaks for up to 8 months between seasons 5-8 but then just revamped my severe addiction for a bit longer and finally got to a point where there was nothing left of what I once loved in the game. There was only pain and hatred and it was as ugly as every abusive relationship I had ever been in, so it honestly felt the same kind of push and pull of an abusive relationship. I hated it I would get mad and quit but go back in a couple weeks or months after I cooled down because it sounded enticing to go back to and try again. But, now I can't imagine wanting to go back, because I don't have rose tinted glasses obstructing my view anymore, there is only a hollow carcass of what I once loved, pretending to be the same. I don't even want to talk about my addiction to buying skins and collecting them and gifting others. I've spent right below 3000$ at $2950 after 8 years.
Now, seeing it's been 10 years and some months after 2 years of not playing...I feel so free without it. I miss it and want to play it but I absolutely can't go down that path of ruin ever again. It's so destructive for people with addictive personalities, and especially for mentally ill people who feel lonely and league becomes comforting. Because league felt like home, it was my sanction, and I'm sure it felt that way for others who fell in love with the game. It was so expensive with it's lore and lost bits and bobs... I'll always miss the memory of what league was. At some point I just realized, my love for the game wasn't enough for how much I dreaded and hated playing it.
@@benamisai-kham5892 this game legit can give people PTSD
The problem is, watching you talk about league, remembering all the pains and frustrations of the game... makes me want to play it again... :p
The beautiful scenery worked so well as a backdrop to you talking, like god damm. And the script had a super nice flow with an easy to follow red thread. I do think it's important to mention that Dunkey lied about the whole quitting league match in the footage, which is part of why it got so popular
Nothing about what Dunkey said in his video was wrong tho.
You might be sober but you keep coming back to make amazing content adjacent!
Love the time for ambience and space in this video - not just walking around or the change(s) of scenery - but distance from the camera and so forth.
Amazing video as ever that helps illustrate how deep this game is and holistic landscape of video games in general.
Thanks always, Gbay!
This series is gonna be goooood. Great work
i remember i used to watch a lot of your videos before i took my break, my break wasn't planned one day i stopped and that was it for two years. i had to focus on school and such.
but i loved and instill do love league's universe,art,and stories they created i used to check up the skins and read what they posted for a really long time without playing.
i never uninstalled the game, tho i never planned to come back to it, i was playing overwatch at the time which gave me some satisfaction and i thought i would be finally over it. idk i felt nostalgic i missed playing my ekko and so i started again. now im way more chill about it. i think you put it perfectly there just isn't anything to replace it.
thank you gbay your videos are always so interesting, also i see you played disco elisyum an amazing game :>
also i get it we need to touch grass but how do you sit on grass without anything under, man id be so scared of the giant bugs there xddd
I started playing league because I loved MMORPGs but I didn't want to spend hours grinding the same resource. Having a match based system that reset each time meant that I didn't feel like I was falling behind by not endlessly grinding.
And then you endlessly grind soloqueue lol
@@segurojames still more fun than mmorpg quest grinding, to be honest
@@OPUP you make a fair point my fellow moba addict
Moba's are kinda like the whole rpg in 30 min... without a storyline.
Gbay, I love how you mentioned Leavue gives such a unique feeling/experience... and I know the reputation Vayne players get. Toxic, never grouping, vaynespotting, etc... but the feeling of popping ult and outplaying 3/4, even 5 players sometimes is truly something I'll never find in ANY other game.
Been sober from league for nearly 2 years now. Oh, the memories.....
This issue applies to FPS games as well, but I think the more universal issue is people being burned out and/or losing what made them want to play the game to begin with. Most of the people I meet online recal their childhood with games being a fun session with their buddies late into the night. They didn't have to deal with as much toxicity since all they had was each other to deal with. Once their friends abandoned ship and moved on with their lives, they were left with the usual SoloQ misery and toxicity. I never had that luxury. I've been a SoloQ warrior all my life, so not only am I able to enjoy a game by myself without feeling depressed, but I also learned how to tolerate toxic experiences, but for everyone else, it's just miserable.
hmmm, that's interesting, i can see it, i totally feel this myself too
When I quit, I went to a few other games, ultimately selling my PC. Hit the gym, went to church, met my wife and had a baby. It took a long time, but I just can’t sit in front of my pc like I used to.
Hey Gbay, long time fan sense like s4 irelia. Anyways, yes I have quit league (atleast normal / ranked league) as it was just life sucking. Now I will play arams every now and then which are quick and fun most times. But I really just clicked on this video due to the familiar face and am glad you are still on the youtube grind, and can say you have certainly gotten way better with these historic type videos. Might not watch your vids as consistently as younger me may have, but I am happy you are still going.
I came to league as a huge rts fan back in the day. and only now you helped me realize that.
if riot didn't delete aatrox and replace him with a dog shit version of riven I would be more into the game. Also get rid of brain dead champs, make a separate queue for solo players and premades. Make ranked easier to climb instead of having these garbage lp gains that get you no where no matter how many games you play/win. Bring back the fun old gamemodes like 3v3 twisted treelines, dominion ect. Make a 1v1 casual/ranked gamemode.
You've really developed your subscriber base. I'm really happy to see it for you. I've always appreciated the introspective and questioning approach you take with things. Continually hoping the best for you and everyone!
I quit in Season 5 and havent played since, best decision ever. shit game
Great video by the way!
league drives its own players away with afk buster ect, trapping players in lobbies with trolls, im surprised it survived this long
I was introduced to league by friends, and we used to 5-stack constantly, but then everybody seemed to trickle away, and now the only people left are the hardcore ranked players who are much better than me and get easily tilted and flame, which really bugs me (feels like when your friend is yelling at the waiter and you're just like ??? Dude stop), so I'm usually playing alone. I just wish more people played casually, didn't necessarily care about getting better and were just nice to each other. the expectation of toxicity is what did most people in
Playing continuously against bots since 2013. Odyssey was awesome and I'm looking forward to more PVE content.
The only issue with playing against bots in league is that the bots suck so it's an easy stomp every game. League should introduce custom bots like in Dota 2 where you can play against the bots that beat a top pro team in a tournament lol
Bots? Bro you should play MMOs instead
@@lussor1 I actually enjoy League's lore, e-sports events and the mechanics in a non-competitive environment =] (Patiently waiting for Riot's MMO, too!)
Speaking from my own experience, it took me getting flamed by both opponents and teammates in a 10+ game losing streak for me to realize I just don't do well in a team setting. I learned that putting 100% of yourself only to still have an 80% chance one of your teammates won't perform for whatever reason was just not something I wanted to deal with in my gaming time. That's why it felt so good when I fully pivoted to Fighting Games, skipping the entirety of Season 11. I think why I transitioned so smoothly was cuz I knew friends in the FGC, but i realized certain fighting games with large rosters could supplement what League had with their massive pool of champs. Sure no single fighting game can ever compare with league's roster size, but having a variety of games to jump inbetween the FG genre as opposed to MOBAs was an immediate breath of fresh air that just seemed to work with me. I only came back for a brief stint when Riot took back the SEA Server, still don't like playing in a team.
There are two kinds of games, the ones that no one talks about and the ones that everyone complains about. Pick your poison, League and Riot are both great.
I actually am amazed on how i was able to get to a point where I ACTUALLY casually play league. I’m able to get on one night and play a few matches before getting off knowing that I’m getting a bit frustrated after a bad loss and I’m able to stay off for a few days before cycling that process over and over with the occasional group of friends that get on here and there. It’s honestly so much better this way
God, I love the environment you're filming these in.
6:33 - about 9:40 is honestly such a beautiful and accurate analysis.
As someone who's been playing league off and on since season 1 (Brand release weekend) this resonated SO hard with me.
Also regarding the comparison to RTS games:
Age of Empires 4 (multiplayer) is absolutely stunning, but as a now 28 year old, man (who's always had older friends) I don't really have anyone to play with!
I think you summarized it perfectly, the feelings players have about League, you just cannot find it anywhere else. League, it feels like home. Its all one big dysfunctional family where you kind of want out, but at the same time, its familiar, and you love it no matter how much it hurts you.
You just described an addiction/dysfunctional relationship. Leagues continued exploitation of that bond over actual gameplay is why it's a terrible game and everyone should quit
@@bensheard3969 I originally wrote a longer comment and redacted a lot, but I even write that its a dysfunctional relationship. I dont think that makes it a terrible game and people should quit though. It has its problems absolutely, but does that mean you should just give up on it? There have been seasons that i cant stand playing the game, and ones where I laugh, having so much fun i play for hours and feel great. Everyone has a "last straw" or maybe even people have an idea that like a marraige I have invested too much? The people behind league's development change all the time. Right now they are bringing back static shiv and reverting items to be closer to what they had 6 years ago. Its a different bike but you know how to ride one. I think its a great game despite problems and I think it is fine if it is not a game for everyone.
@@evanlakey6904the game has lost its soul fundamentally. I don't find it enjoyable and I know EXACTLY why and I know it was riots fault for prioritizing pro players and sponsorship. By making a game free they have no incentive to improve it but to motivate you to spend as much money and spend as much time playing it as possible to sell merchandise
@@evanlakey6904 ultimately it's a Boring game. Even pro players say the best way to play is to farm and do nothing for 30 minutes. Too much rides enjoyment rides on fights and even there are always a small pool of champions that are fundamentally broken. Their over reliance on "perfect imbalance" fosters caos over any kind of learning curve that would keep you playing
@@bensheard3969 I appreciate your perspective on this, but its an opinion that you have that I disagree with for myself personally. They shake up things all the time. Today there is a patch that is going to toss up the meta and fundamentals of the game once again. They have about 2-3 of these throughout the year and balance patches every 2 weeks. Sure they incentivize you to pay for the cosmetic items and want you to play long hours, but there has never been a time like now in League. Pro players and high elo players know the fundamentals so well it doesnt matter to them, but Riot has said that there are essentially 4 different types of the game based on things like elo and they try to make changes to impact all of them not just 1. I have found this to be factually true in the last 6 months of the game. Not every game is exciting obviously, and plenty of league players get pissy over losing and want out. Many people are trying to do things that are non-optimal and troll to have fun and get banned for some time for it, but now more than ever bans don't mean too much. The biggest thing is finding ways to enjoy it for yourself. Some people almost exclusively play ARAM because they simply like the teamfighting and dont really enjoy laning phase. Others like the 1v1 of laning against an opponent in volatile lanes. There are 10 people in every game trying to make their own fun. If you aren't having fun maybe its not your turn too, and if you don't like that you can go play another game. The thing is the other game won't be league. I find most Battle Royales and Strategy FPS games boring, but people still like them. I don't like most Turn-based strategy or RTS games because they are boring, but people like them. League is the only MOBA that feels like a good fit for me, I even liked Smite more, but it doesn't have the same feel League does. It is really a one of a kind game, for me, and if it isn't for you at all, then don't be salty make your own "League" game or find something else to fill your time.
Wow has it really been 2.5 years since you announced you were stopping League? Time really flies, I remember going from thinking your early video essays were pretentious, to loving your daily Road to Diamond and Mastery Level 5 videos, to missing your Kenshi series, to cheering you on as you embarked on the longer form documentaries. I've grown up too in this time and will continue to support your channel regardless of if I'm playing League or on a break.
Thanks for all the videos over the years Gbay! The good, the bad, and the experimental.
I remember way back when I used to watch this channel for the 'Jouney to Mastery 5' videos. Now whenever I see an upload I think 'oh shit, Gbay99 has uploaded yet another banger, lets grab the popcorn'.
I love how you showed a draven clip when you said “animosity towards other champions” so true
I was a hardcore league fan for 10 years. From 2012 to 2022 I enjoyed my time on the rift but felt the gradual decline. 2013 and 2014 were the peak years.
As someone who has watched you from your earliest days making content, I can honestly and easily say that this is your magnum opus. Really well done, man.
Damn, I had forgotten about Gbay... I used to watch his content nearly a decade ago. I quit LoL after like Season 3 because I didn't like the direction it was needed. I've not looked back since. 😅
Bro actually touching grass talking about League
I've been so long removed from league of legends content that when you said Gbay, I was taken aback. I didn't recognise you without your pink sweatband!
I've only started playing again recently, and watching champion and season guides, so i guess that's why I was recommended this video. So glad to see you still around, mate!
The commentary in nature was oddly relaxing. I really appreciated it
anyways see you next season
He quit league of legends and went and touch grass haha
People are loud about leaving game because they care. They want to see game improve and making it public is a final cry for help
The start of League was a mod map for Warcraft III, called "Defence of the Ancients" or DOTA for short. I remember playing it at Lan parties.
League was not the first commercial release of a moba after the Dota mod on WC3. That honor goes to HoN aka heroes of newerth. It showed the industry that there was an interest in such a project and because of that we got LoL, Dota2 etc.
absolutely fantastic content. I always liked GBay truly a down to earth g with a calming aura. I can't say I watch a lot of his content I was more interested in his road to diamond series for example but everytime I come back it's a good experience to hear him and this.
Whirling Cafeteria always gets me! Also, loved your Irelia climb content back in the day.
I quit League of Legends about 3 years ago and now I have a good paying job, a house, a wife and a kid. It's actually crazy how much time I was sinking into that damn game.
Nice video with nice explanation, I think people get so mad with this game because we are all addicted to this game and the symptoms are the same as a bad dopamine rush or as a withdrawal symptoms… which is frustration, irritability, angryness etc
I liked the part where you said that the best way to know for sure was to "come back and play another game", then the camera panned to a rope. GOAT cinematography. You'll soon discover the new and improved MIA ping "Bait", if you play that is.
But to be real, your video hits home. League is a game that can be very indicative of how balanced your life is. Coming back from time to time, to play with friends, is super fun. But I could never play as much as I used to, this isn't how I actually enjoy it. It took me a lot of time, just like others, to realize I was barely playing out of enjoyment.
Big pre-season and mid-season updates are amazing for that, it brings out novelty and you're always sure people you know are gonna be online after those big patches hit. At some point, you figured out what's new and fun. You may start to drift away from the game again, eventually reaching the end of that cycle and putting time into new hobbies and/or games. And then you don't feel the need for League all that much.
Love you Gbay, always a blessing to see a bit of what's up with you :).
Very dark plot twist at the end, didnt expect it hahah your vids are definetly getting better man, keep up the work!
Tge fact that you literally touched grass for this video is such an amazing and subtke touch.
Love you Gbay
gbay doing what no one has yet to do... get me nostalgic for league of legends. there is a reason ive put so many hours into a game i hate... and it was nice to remember them :)
Wow, that was surprisingly mature and well thought out. Very insightful to the nature of how people respond in the gaming community, and I think Riot should definitely watch this and have a good long discussion with their leadership team about it. Heck, I think the leadership of many major game companies should watch this and have a discussion about it, regardless of the genre. If you want a healthy gaming community, thinking about these types of factors is really the way to go.
Brilliant video. Love to see such a deep dive into the matter, mixed with your shots and the old league/game footage.
The nuances and options are what drew me in when my friends invited me to play in 2017 and kept me coming back
It’s been almost a year. No desire to go back.
Thank you for the documentary/discussion Gbay99
You very much got the nail on the head about why i fell a want to play the game. I haven't played in 2 years!
I was looking into the game again because I was interested in playing again but ultimately just won't still. I miss the many styles of playing the game that were all valid as a way to have a victory!
Been following you since around season 4-5, absolutely love the content.
Think a huge part of the reason people get so frustrated is they get locked in the hyper competitive ranked space. Everyone wants to be the next #1 NA and when they can't they get frustrated at the game and quit. Same thing happens in most games with a competitive scene. The only difference is, like you said, there is nowhere for MOBA players to go to that is adjacent to League.
As someone who has barely played since around 2019, I can say that I still have not found any game that hits that same itch. There's nothing out there like it.
We just relapse. I went 4 years clean. Just cracked out of bronze yesterday and the climb is just painful and amazing as ever.
only wachting a few vids of u a year but when i do i really enjoy ur thoughts!
I have 3 million mastery on my favorite champ Pantheon, a few million on other accounts, some of which were unjustly banned by the corrupt company themselves because I defended myself in game when people verbally lashed out on me. Since then, I just don't have fun with this game anymore. My favorite champion feels ruined after his rework to the point riot even named a skin after it "Ruined Pantheon". I don't even have fun if I win games anymore, the game feels like a chore and the community has no idea how much better the game used to be in the past...
i love the outside setting and the shots you setup
Years after i quit league i still followed your "climbing" series, you know, the diamond climbing and so on. I felt as it was my own, i rooted for you, i never followed esports, but you were my "team" i rooted for! Now for some time its gone. I'm so glad you found other content you wanna work on. Cheers from coastline balkan thief!
Edit: oh and ps: i agree with what you said, the most frustrating thing isnt even the community, in most cases they are either idiots or want you to play only the most op champions, id just ignore them as an adult. What frustrated me the most is I mained mosly Yorick, WW etc, so when they were unbalanced and got nuked to the ground my few loved champions couldnt do shit, when they were normal, id win.
Thanks got this video, great one. i played league in season 2-4, will always have good memories with it
Love this, like genuinely i have floated on the fringe of uninstalling since the introduction of mythics that there would be a few weeks between games but it seriously is one of the few games that I havent been able to replace with anything that feels quite the same. Like, I get told smite but that's awkward to me. I have stopped summoner's rift altogether just because the way the community is in terms of what has happened to the dodge systems and people just making new accounts frequently, do proceed to do the same thing I see regularly in games, be it just running it down or the toxic behavior that Dunkey left for. I get questioned frequently by people I used to play with before they quit, but it's just... as you said, where is there really to go after if it's something you enjoyed as an experience outside of the flaws?
Stopped playing League nearly a decade ago. As a result, I also stopped consuming Gbay's videos too.
Not sure why this video was suddenly recommended to me, but it was a fun little trip down memory lane.
Quitting League was the best decision I ever made, btw. Lol
league just isn't the same anymore. I quit without even reallying makin an effort to stop playing i just was tired of it all, the anger, the rage, the fact my friends were so toxic while we played it just felt so bad to play and hard to enjoy.
I have been playing for 10 years. I never took a break for more than 3 months. I am aware that it's that addiction that pushes me to play but I am content with it. You don't need to quit the game to feel good about yourself. You just have to not fall short on your daily responsibilities. Be it studying or working or socializing.
The phenomenon you're describing is in my opinion caused by Riot games' protracted capture of the teen market, especially in Asia. It began with an absolutely massive advertising campaign and more or less concluded with the game being by far the most popular e-sport in the world. The whole scene is artificially, and weirdly (***IMO***) propped up by the company making the game, from paying off tournament organizers to ignore DotA 2 tournaments, to giving pros a straight up salary to play. The LoL scene is easily a top 3 video game franchise overall (Minecraft and Pokemon), so quitting is a financial decision for content creators; and as you pointed out, Dunkey's quitting video has absolutely massive viewership. The argument can be made that they're just trying to capture as much of their own target audience as possible.