In League of Legends, North America (NA) is know for being the least competitive major region to play in. But why? What is wrong with North America’s competitive environment compared to the other regions? Well, it seems obvious that there are issues in solo queue related to AFKs, griefing, and toxicity. But, why is it worse in North America than any other region. To solve these issues, it is essential to understand why these three issues occur. It comes down to culture, and mentality.
NA Culture
What are some things that come to mind when you think of people from North America? Independence? Pride? Driven by Results? Directness? All of these characteristics apply to the majority of North Americans and create an environment that can easily lead to the type of issues we experience in NA Solo Queue.
Independence
Let’s start with Independence. Independence is a great thing, but the problem is that it emphasizes individual achievement over group achievement. That’s a big problem for solo queue. I’m sure you have experienced a game where your teammate clearly cares more about how they do over the rest of the team. Just think of that top laner you had that cried about not getting any ganks and lost lane, while spamming ff@15 when the rest of your team destroyed the enemy in every other match up. This is a really bad mentality to have because it means you do what is best for you and not your team. If this is you, you need to stop. It’s doing yourself a favour in the long run to play for your team and not for yourself. This leads into the next characteristic.
PRIDE
Pride is something that can keep you motivated and determined, but in a team game, it can cloud your judgement and cause you to believe you are in the right when in fact, you may be wrong. Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride, take responsibility for actions and apologize. How often have you, or anyone else in your games apologized? Rarely, if ever… just think about how wrong that is, and understand that your pride can hinder your attitude and the overall quality of your game. Don’t be that player, apologize if you did something wrong.
driven by results
When you are driven by the end result and don’t care about how you get there, it will hurt you more than you may realize. I think a lot of players see this in other people, but fail to see it in themselves. For example, how often do you lose a game and feel like you wasted your time? I bet all of us have. Sure, some more than others, but that mentality is what makes it a waste of time. The more you consider what you can learn from, and get out of every game (regardless of the result), the more worthwhile each game become. In fact, many professional sports and esports players happen to have the opposite mentality when it comes to this (and that’s why they succeed and we don’t). Your everyday league player will think that losses feel like a waste of time, whereas pros learn more from losses than wins, because they care about the process, not just the end result. They care about their development, and the best way to determine how to improve, is by considering why you lose. If you are in a mindset where a loss ever feels like a waste of time, then all of your games are a waste of time. If half of your games are a waste of time, then the mindset you go into each game with is essentially a coin-flip as to whether your time was worth it.
Directness
Directness, more specifically, bluntness and confrontation. When the average person messes up, the last thing they want to hear is that they made a mistake, because they already know. Confronting someone puts the spotlight on them, and when you do that after they make a mistake, its embarrassing for them. And because of the characteristics of NA players that I have mentioned above, the player becomes defensive and irate. Although you may be correct, you have to trust that they will figure it out on their own, its bluntness and poorly timed comments that cause most players to tilt, and eventually grief or AFK. It’s really not that common for a player to do either of these things from the start of the game.
Another thing to keep in mind regarding comments on teammates play, is their interpretation. Even a simple comment such as “nice try” is enough to set someone off. How do they know if you’re being genuine? To them, you’re being sarcastic and they’ll tilt. When you’re playing in NA, and you hit the enter key to start typing, just know that you are playing with fire, so be careful.
Conclusion
Overall, there are so many reasons why NA solo queue is in the state it is, and these are just the main ones that I think exist primarily in North America. Although it seems grim, I have hope in NA. Recently it has been very clear that we all see these issues in solo queue and want them fixed. The problem is that it will not change overnight. It is an endless commitment we need to have to each other. Remember, in the end, the only thing you can control is yourself. So the only thing that needs to change is yourself, and the rest will follow. So here are a few things to remember:
1. As much as it’s hard to put faith in other people, in the end, it’s a team game and it’s a requirement to win.
2. If you make a mistake, swallow your pride and own up to it, take a step back and remember that it’s not all up to you, and it’s okay to be wrong.
3. Remember, a successful person never loses. They either win, or they learn. It’s cheesy, but it’s true.
4. Solo queue is a room of gasoline, and when you hit the enter key, you’re lighting a match… be careful, your LP and mental depend on it.