Psychology of League of Legends: Tilt

The Psychology of League - Tilt

Staying focused and mentally resilient when things aren’t going well is one of toughest obstacles to overcome when playing League of Legends; here are some tips to avoid tilting in-game and between games.

Avoid impulsive decisions

We’ve all made basic errors that make us very frustrated, whether that be failing a Flash or missing an easy to land skill shot. It’s easy to let this one misplay throw off your entire game, as you desperately scramble to make up for your mistake by over-investing abilities or over-extending. This makes you vulnerable to being punished, which can make you tilt even more and thus begin the snowball of tilt.

It’s really important to not act rashly and impulsively after you make a basic error: they happen, we’re all human, and we all make mistakes. If you take a step back and consider the game from a wider perspective, it’s easy to remember your one mistake is unlikely to impact the game that much. On the other hand, if you start to tilt because of this mistake, that will dramatically affect the game and ruin your chance of a victory.

Reflection

One of the essential skills to improve at League is being self-critical and taking time to reflect and review on your gameplay to identify your weaknesses. This mindset can also be applied to tilt, as it’s common for patterns to emerge when similar things are causing you to tilt. For example, I’ve recognised how I get unreasonably frustrated if I miss my first skill shot in the laning phase.

By taking the time to look back at your games and specifically identifying what makes you tilt, you can prepare for them and not let them throw your game off. This can be done through looking back at your match history and banning any champions that you are prone to tilting against, or watching your replays and seeing what in-game event caused you to start tilting.

Taking breaks

League is a mentally draining game, and being tilted can make it an even more exhausting experience. After having a bad game where you feel tilted, it is essential you don’t dive straight back into solo queue because you want to quickly gain your LP back; your tilt will carry over into the next game, and you are making the game harder for yourself.

Instead, take a small break away from your PC before hopping back in. The time away from your PC can reset your mentality, and prevent the tilt from your last game from spilling over to the next. These breaks don’t have to be long, but taking 5 minutes to stretch your legs, grab some water and shake off your tilt can make a huge difference.

Summary

Tilt is inevitable when playing League, and it can have a huge impact on our gameplay. Recognising what makes you tilt, avoiding reckless and impulsive decisions, and taking small breaks whenever we are tilted can have a huge impact on our overall mental game.