League of Legends Value System
Using cognitive principles to encourage positive player interactions and reduce in-game toxicity in League of Legends.
Duration
4 months
My Role
UX Researcher, UX Designer
Team
1 Project Advisor
7 Designers
Methods
Contextual Interviews, Surveys, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, System Usability Scale
Responsbilities
During the research phase, I conducted secondary research and expert interviews on gaming toxicity. I then pitched three potential ideas to combat toxicity, then later refined the concept for the League of Legends values system. I also prototyped the feature, and conducted usability testing and contextual interviews with League of Legends players.
BACKGROUND
League of Legends is one of the popular online games in the world.
With over 150 million registered players and boasting a large esports presence, it is one of the most successful multiplayer online games today.
PROBLEM
Player-to-player toxicity is widespread in League of Legends.
74% of players in multiplayer games, including League of Legends have reported witnessing or experiencing toxic behavior, from in-game tampering to harassment and predatory behavior.
Players rationalize toxicity as an inherent, natural part of gaming, but research has shown that this type of behavior has long-term negative impacts that extend beyond online gaming.
OPPORTUNITY
Research shows that encouraging positive behavior is more effective in sustaining long-term behavioral changes than discouraging negative behavior.
So, how might we mitigate gaming toxicity by promoting positive player interactions in-game?
FINAL DESIGN
Players choose 3 values they wish to grow in while gaming
These values include resilience, collaborativeness, and friendliness. Players then explain why these values are important to them.
Players endorse teammates for modeling positive in-game behaviors
After each match, players select all of the player values that their teammates displayed during the game.
Players get rewards for progressing in their chosen values
As players accumulate endorsements from their teammates, they gain experience in those values to unlock cool rewards.
THE PROCESS
More to come soon!
NEXT STEPS
Extended this project to a longitudinal study to test our system with a more diverse player pool
One of the biggest constraints of the initial project timeline was not having the time to test the values system with a bigger participant pool. In the next few months, we recruited League of Legends players across the US to try out our system during their matches and tell us their thoughts and takeaways through weekly interviews.
Writing a research paper to showcase our findings and how developers might facilitate healthier gameplay experiences
With advising from Geoff Kaufman, we’ve collected data from the longitudinal study and are now planning to write a research paper that encapsulates our insights.
