Over the years, there have been many online games that have seen a growth in popularity, in terms of both players and viewership. However, many of these games are gone as quickly as they came.
This makes LoL an anomaly in the genre. Since its creation LoL has always been popular, and its popularity has steadily been growing as the years go on.
But have you ever wondered how it is still such a popular game after all this time? In this article, we will discuss the popularity of LoL and the many reasons why this might be.
So, if this sounds like an article you would be interested in, then read on for more!
What Is LoL?
LoL, also called League of Legends, is an online game that was launched in 2009 by Riot Games. The game is a battle arena video game with customizable characters and multiplayer options.
In the games industry, games have seen a short time in the spotlight before, thanks to a blend of competing releases and technological advances, they fizzle out of the spotlight in favor of a different game.
Let’s check out some of the key reasons for LoL’s popularity.
The Gameplay
Many people enjoy the gameplay of LoL, which is one of the key reasons for its remaining popularity. In LoL, players must rely on their strategy and critical-thinking skills to take down the base of another team.
You must destroy the big hitters of the other team, while avoiding computer-generated opponents as you fight to destroy their base.
League of Legends requires players to use their thinking skills to succeed. This makes it a challenging game, with a lot of trying and failing involved.
However, this has worked in the games favor – it has improved its longevity and sustained interest from players, whoo are determined to beat the game, and find many different ways of doing so,
It also helps that this is a game you can play for no additional costs, and you can level up and earn upgrades for the characters by gaining experience.
A Huge Audience
Not only are there a lot of people playing LoL, but there are also a lot of people watching other people play LoL!
According to Newzoo, in August 2019, the viewing hours of LoL was 69.7 million hours, which is more viewing hours than all of the other games.
A substantial viewership helps maintain the popularity of the game.
Game Time
Something that has also boosted the popularity of LoL is its short game time. League of Legends is a 35 minute game.
This means that it is not disruptive to people’s lifestyles! For example, many people can fit in games of LoL before work, after work, before they go to school or go to bed, if they have an hour or so to kill, etc.
So, because the game is so short, it is a lot easier to play and get invested in, which has boosted its popularity.
Competitiveness
Playing LoL makes people more competitive.
While this may not initially seem like a positive, and it can certainly be a bad thing for some, this competitiveness is what drives people to play – because they want to improve upon their skills and become excellent players.
League helps drive this competitive spirit, too, as the game makes it very easy to see how you are playing compared to friends.
Esports
The popularity of LoL has helped to establish esports. There have been organized online game competitions online for many years, but LoL boosted the popularity of online gaming.
Today, there are 100+ LoL teams that play professionally. There are also 13 global leagues, with 800+ professional players.
These tournaments bring in millions of viewers each year and have inadvertently led to the development of many new esports games and the esports industry.
The esports industry is expected to be worth $1.8 billion by 2023.
LoL Is Mainstream
LoL has collaborated with “The Simpsons†and the “Ballers†series on HBO, pushing it into the world of mainstream media.
Many people consider the word “mainstream†to be a bad thing.
However, going mainstream and being popular outside of people who love video games and online video games is a great thing!
It means more and more people get to hear about LoL, which brings in a wider audience and boosts its popularity, and longevity, even further.
Evolution
The creators of LoL, Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, felt very disenchanted with the game industry model of selling games for high prices that were later totally abandoned in favor of more popular, profitable games.
They wanted to create a game that expanded on itself, continued to evolve and could be played for generations to come. From here, LoL was born!
After every World Championship ends, Riot Games will update LoL, so players always have something new and exciting to look forward to, which keeps them coming back to play the game over and over again.
Final Thoughts
League of Legends is an online, muilti-player strategy video game that has been around for well-over a decade. While most games would have been laid to rest by this time, the audience for LoL keeps on growing and growing.
This is due to a plethora of reasons. Namely, because it is a game that has boosted the popularity of esports as a whole. Not only that, but it brings in a wider audience from outside of the group that traditionally plays games.
And for the older fans, LoL is an ever-growing, ever-changing game where there is always something new to do.
Overall, LoL requires players to do some strategic planning and thinking to win, which boosts the longevity and the viewership of the game.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
