As an invasive team-based game, League of Legends has much in common with sports like soccer, hockey and rugby. Like in many team sports, teamwork and strategy are the difference between winning and losing in League of Legends.
That’s why the game is considered an esport: an online competitive game that shares features with other popular team sports. Everyone plays by the same rules—from the brand new player to salaried professional. For young people, this means League of Legends can provide many of the same learning opportunities available in organised team sport.
Learning together
League of Legends is first and foremost a team game, where young people share the same experience together. As they come to understand that games are won and lost as a team, they learn to value team cohesion and develop strategies to improve their teamwork.
Managing disruptive behaviour
Disruptive behaviour is present in all competitive activity: both traditional sports and esports. League of Legends is no different, and players are often faced with high-pressure situations in which they have to process hundreds of different pieces of information before making a quick decision.
These pressure points can lead to players losing their cool, impacting the experience of everyone else. While we can’t (and shouldn’t) dampen the pressure of competitive play, we can help young people cope better and choose appropriate, sportsmanlike responses.
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is a code of acceptable behaviour for players to abide by in their pursuit of fair play. It’s the foundation of positive shared experiences in sports, and a large part of the League of Legends learning initiative revolves around helping young people to understand and strive to uphold the six aspects of sportsmanship.
High performance
Elite sporting teams around the world like the All Blacks rugby team have demonstrated time and again the link between sportsmanship, team cohesion and high performance. Our learning materials equip you to help young people discover this link for themselves, and pursue victory through sportsmanship.
Resilience
Like any sport, competing in League of Legends doesn’t always lead to a satisfying victory. Players can’t always control the circumstances around them, but they can control their attitude and how they respond to challenges. With some guidance, young people can become more forward-focused, active thinkers.
“The Alannah & Madeline Foundation is passionate about creating safe online environments for young people. By bringing gaming to schools through clubs, we hope that teachers can set examples of fair play and guide discussions to create positive and healthy behaviour in students.
