The Psychology of League: Staying Cool

The Psychology of League - Staying Cool

At times, League can be a frustrating experience when you’ve become so emotionally invested in winning and things don’t always go your way. Getting frustrated in game can drastically weaken your performance, so here are some tips to staying cool and keeping your eye on the prize.

Avoid venting frustrations in chat

It’s really easy to fall into the trap of flaming your teammates in chat whenever they make a mistake, but doing this will only worsen the situation. Not only does this distract you from the game as you’re spending time typing out your anger rather than focusing on the game, but it can also throw your teammate off and make them feel even worse about their mistake. Most of the time, flaming in chat only results in anger and a loss in focus, as teams spend time flaming each other rather than figuring out how to make up for mistakes.

Muting teammates

If your teammates are the ones flaming or are clearly tilted in chat, mute them straight away - they are not going to say anything that is going to help you or the team, and instead will spread more negativity and throw you off your game. This also gets rid of the temptation for you to join in with the flame.

One of the great aspects of League is how you don’t need to communicate with your team with chat in order to win, as the pinging system is a very effective way of communicating strategies.

Taking a break

Experiencing an aggravating loss can stay with you for a while, and carry over into your next games. Taking a break can make a huge difference in clearing your mind and helping you re-adjust your mental state before you dive back onto the Rift: take 5 or 10 minutes away from your computer to stretch your legs, hydrate and grab a snack, and clear your head. This will also ensure you aren’t teamed up with the same teammates who are probably just as frustrated as you are.

Summary

Despite League being a game focused on mechanics and macro plays, your mentality has a huge influence on how well you are able to perform. Therefore, it’s very important that you work on your mental state and take steps to avoid becoming frustrated.