Over 100 million people play League of Legends every month while more than 10 million players log in every day for one or more games. That DID NOT happen by accident.
All the popular video game titles are addicting in one way or another and LoL is not an exception. Every developer knows that they have to make their game addicting so the players keep coming back to it. In their eyes, that’s a measurement of success.
So Riot Games have also strategically made decisions to make League an addictive game. Some of these decisions are obvious, like super-fast and engaging gameplay. But others are more sneaky and take advantage of our human psyche.
So I’ve outlined the main 6 reasons why League of Legends is so addicting in this post although I’m sure there are more.
Take a look and see whether you agree with me. Then tell me your thoughts on my social media linked below.
And if you’re already struggling with a League of Legends addiction, take my 10-Steps Program to Stop Your League of Legends Addiction (it’s from someone who’s actually done it).
1. Engaging Gameplay and Skill Progression
At its core, League combines elements of strategy, teamwork, and mechanical skill, creating a complex and rewarding gameplay loop. Each match presents a new set of challenges, requiring you to adapt and make split-second decisions almost all the time.
Because of how fast-paced LoL is, the combat sometimes lasts for less than a second. And the amount of dopamine a single teamfight produces in our brains is at insane levels. Evolutionary speaking, we can’t even imagine what could’ve been the equivalent of it.
Another aspect that contributes to the addictive nature of League is your own skill progression. As you invest time and effort into the game, you’re inevitably becoming better and better at it.
That’s when you’re rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and growth, making you want to keep playing and improving to achieve the same feeling eventually.
As your skill grows and you move up the ranked ladder, the competitive aspect of League of Legends becomes increasingly addictive. The ranked system is actually one of the primary reasons why so many players are addicted and can’t stop playing.
The desire to reach Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and even Challenger is enough fuel for people to play the game for 12 hours on end. the “Victory” screen or gain +LP is so satisfying to them that all they want to do is relive that same feeling again.
So, the continuous pursuit of mastery, victory, finding new ways to outplay opponents and climbing through the rank is what keeps people hooked to playing LoL every day. But that’s not the only thing.
2. The Thrill Competition and eSports
A big reason why League is so addictive is that sooo many people play it. And also, there’s a thriving competitive eSports scene that contributes so much to the game’s addictive appeal.
In fact, LoL’s eSports is a global phenomenon and attracts millions of players alone to log back in every month. Watching the pros play your favorite champions feels exciting and makes you want to work on your skills even more so you can eventually become as good as them.
But that’s not all of it. Riot Games has organized smaller, regional leagues all over the globe. Even they compete on an international which you can be a part of if you’re good enough. And that high-stakes competition is too appealing for too many players, including myself.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a pro League player and get paid for playing his favorite game? Keeping that dream alive makes half of the LoL players perform as well as they do. But it also keeps them playing the game, even when they don’t really want to.
On top of that, the community (all of us who watch LoL eSports) generates a lot of excitement around the pro players, leagues, and events.
For example, when the League of Legends World Championship starts, almost every player talks about it for a month. People go to stadiums and arenas to watch the professionals perform live. There are also ceremonies and cosplay events. And it’s hard not wanting to be a part of it.
So the eSports scene plays a key role here. I’m not sure what the solution for it is since I personally think that eSports is a good thing. But if you’re trying to quit League, then you better stay away from watching LCS/LEC and the thrill that it makes you feel.
Read Also: 7 Healthy Habits for LoL Players & How to Build Them
3. Teamwork and Social Interaction
It’s no secret that success in League of Legends is largely based on teamwork and cooperation with teammates. The game encourages you to work with others for a common goal which is to win the match.
But this happens on a smaller scale as well. Let’s say the Dragon is up and your jungler starts pinging it. Well, you need to sacrifice experience and gold in lane to go help him out. But the buff that you’re getting from the Dragon is worth it 99% of the time and helpful to your entire team.
The game is full of these team-based opportunities. So you need to strategize and collaborate with your friends or complete strangers if you’re playing solo queue if you want to win. But when you do that and succeed, the reward system in your brain goes nuts.
Seriously, there’s a huge emotional benefit to working with your team and accomplishing a common goal. There’s an evolutionary reason why we enjoy it and are willing to sacrifice private success for the success of the group.
With that, the social aspect of League of Legends is another key why the game feels so addictive to us. True, we may flame from time to time and we sure as hell do “/mute all” here and there, but we’d never queue up for a game of LoL if we knew we’d play alone.
On the flip side, if you play with your friends, winning a LoL match can strengthen the bond between you. Let me tell you a story.
In high school, I met a guy who played jungle and I played mid. We bonded because of League and over time became best friends simply because he was constantly camping my lane and we were on Discord sharing the joy of torturing the enemy mid. And his willingness to play League and have those kinds of moments kept me addicted to the game as well!
But this happens on a larger scale as well. League of Legends has a huge live community, and Riot Games does a good job of creating social events. Moreover, there are subreddits for all champions and hundreds of Discord servers where you can find teammates to play with.
All in all, no one can underestimate the social aspect when it comes to gaming and addiction.
4. Continuous Updates and New Content
One factor contributing to League of Legends’ addictive nature is its commitment to regular updates. I mean, the game has a new patch every week which definitely too much if you have a life and responsibilities outside of the game.
Nonetheless, when a new patch arrives, certain champions are nerfed while others are buffed. Sometimes there are changes to the map. And sometimes the whole in-game shop is reworked.
But even though these frequent changes can sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful, they also keep the game fresh and new. League of Legends is now an old game but the regular new content makes it feel much younger than it actually is.
On the other hand, there are also new champions who excite many players. Each new addition brings unique abilities, playstyles, and aesthetics, so it’s another way to feel something “new” in League of Legends even if you play it every day.
And the same can be said for old champion reworks which are not more frequent than ever before. Not to mention all the events such as Snowdown or Soul Fighter which introduce new skins as well.
On top of it all, Riot Games (at least) tries to bring new ways to enjoy the game, either by giving us other modes such as ARAM, 2v2v2v2, URF, or creating other games and shows like Wild Rift, TFT, and Arcane.
All of this combined creates a very dynamic and interactive universe that players can lose themselves in. As big as it currently is, League of Legends can become your whole world if you aren’t careful. It can entertain you in ways beyond Summoner’s Rift, so in other words – it can keep you addicted for a very long time.
Read Also: Is League of Legends Still a Fun Game?
5. Psychological Triggers and Rewards
Like every video game, League of Legends incorporates various psychological triggers and reward systems that contribute to its addictive nature. The gap taps into the fundamental aspects of human psychology and stimulates your motivation and engagement.
I already mentioned one of the biggest psychological games Riot Games plays is in the ranked system and your sense of progression. As a human, you’re wired to respond positively to an LP gain and climbing ranks. That’s why after reaching Plat 4 you want to get to Plat 3, and so on.
But the rewards in League extend beyond the ranked system. There’s also the collection of champions, skins, emotes, and ward skins. You may not be a collector that has to have everything, but all of us want as many skins as possible, especially for our mains.
I’ll say that Riot Games does a good job of giving us free skins via the loot system. But for some people, buying and collecting skins can become a real addiction that can cost them thousands of dollars besides their sanity and time.
But even if you’ve never spent a dime on League, the concept of random rewards after each level or every time you open a chest is very addictive. The dopamine is similar to the one you get by scrolling endlessly on social media or playing the fruit machines in the casino.
Another aspect I want you to consider is the social validation in League of Legends. If you have at least one friend that plays LoL and he congratulates you for outplaying the enemy, that positive talk can massively influence your wish to play the game.
On top of it, the desire to reach Master or Grandmaster so you can show your accomplishment to your friends is huge. It’s what keeps so many players logging in day after day, trying to prove that they’re better than everyone else around them.
When you combine all of these things together, it’s no surprise that there are so many people addicted to League of Legends. It’s almost impossible to say “no” to it when you’re so engaged in its world.
6. Sense of Identity and Belonging
I mentioned that League’s ability to keep you hooked extends beyond the game itself. Well let me explain that even further.
League of Legends has a passionate community. We all have an emotional connection to the game whether we like it or not. And if LoL has been a part of you for a long time, it’s also a part of your identity and purpose in the world.
Take your main champion for an example. You mainly like them because of the playstyle but you also resonate with them on a personal level. You can identify with their personalities, backstories, visual appearances, and even philosophical views.
Self-identifying as Sylas or Yasuo isn’t a bad thing by any means, especially if it motivates you to train in the gym or be stronger in general. But at the same time, it makes you spend even more time with their characters and eventually play League of Legends even more.
On top of it, Riot Games often organizes live events in avenues where people can meet their favorite content creators, share ideas, cosplay as their main champions and so on. This induces in us a sense of belonging which is one of the oldest psychological triggers in us humans, i.e. to belong in the tribe.
League’s social events are strengthened by the eSports scene and the game’s ability to link players together is what makes it extremely addictive.
Every LoL player, and a person for that matter, wants to share emotions and experiences with similar people like him. But if you feel like you’re addicted to the game and want to change that, you must be aware of the effect these events can have on you.
Read Also: 4 Ways to Avoid Tilting in League of Legends
Conclusion
League of Legends combines different strategies to trigger addiction in players. From engaging gameplay to rewarding players and appealing to their social needs. It’s hard to escape its addiction if you aren’t aware of it, so I’m glad you decided to read this post.
As League of Legends continues to evolve and grow, it will undoubtedly maintain its addictive nature. But understanding the elements it uses to produce that effect can give you the opportunity to break free from the addiction when you want to do so.
Those same elements are what make League so popular and loved by so many people, so keep that in mind as well.
