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“ If he playsLeague , run , ” they told me . I did n’t mind .

Meme culture claims thatLeague of Legendsis gambling ’s biggest “ dating do n’t . ” Just name that your significant other playsRiot Games ‘ flagship MOBA can be enough to elicit gagging haphazardness or a pained “ why ” from your internet - savvy friends . Do a ready Reddit hunting and you ’ll find threads beratingLeagueplayers for their lack ofaccountabilityand3D dating choices . But areLeagueor any of itsspinoffsactually the problem ?

rakan and xayah

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My current boyfriend playsLeague of Legends , but he ’s not the first MOBA fan I ’ve gone on multiple dates with .   The last guy cable end up not working out after he realized he “ was n’t over his ex and needed clock time to work on himself . ” I ca n’t say that relationship failed because ofLeague , though . He just was n’t quick for a long - full term human relationship .

Despite all the admonition , myLeaguedating experience have been normal , but I ’m only one individual . To get to the bottom of gaming ’s biggest date stamp faux pas , I asked more than 45 people if playingLeague of Legendsas a hobby would be enough of a reason to swipe leave .

In defense of League players

In my very unscientific view , I set apart aLeague of Legendsplayer as “ someone who plays regularly enough for it to be a core part of their identicalness ( multiple time a week for at least an hour ) . ”   I asked square questions like “ would you see aLeague of Legendsplayer ? ” and “ do you think the stereotype is absolve ? ” and get out way for participants to explain their reply . I allot the survey through social media , including on Twitter , Instagram , and Discord server .

Most people who responded to my survey said that they would consider dating someone who playedLeague of Legends . More than 43 % of responder were women and over 36 % were men . The rest identified as nonbinary or preferred not to say . Most who answered say they consecrate multiple hour a week to playing video games , so they were well aware of gaming and internet polish .

The saying goes , “ do n’t hate the player , hate the game . ” In this case , it ’s the opposite . At least 84 % of responder saidLeague of Legendsitself was n’t enough of a intellect to find a date out entirely . Only seven masses tell it was a wad breaker .

“ I do n’t retrieve an interest in something is enough to immediately unfit them exclusively , ” one female respondents writes . “ [ It ’s ] about the genuine amount of time they drop doing it and the grandness of it . Whether it isLeagueor football , if playing that game is more authoritative to them than you or their family and friends , then it becomes a problem . ”

The thread about the game becoming more important than your partner is predominant . When I interviewed Dorothee , a streamer friend who was part of our college’sLeague of Legendsclub , she try that she ’d take dating anotherLeagueplayer if they did n’t prioritize the game over their relationship . “ I would choose if the someone I was go out wanted to pass prison term with me , even if we ’re not lecture to each other and just in each other ’s presence , ” she said . “ That ’s just my preference . ”

I do n’t think a relatively innocuous hobby is a deal breaker for me .

She once knew a guy who would kick his pardner out of the way because even their front was too distracting during a ranked secret plan . That way , there ’d be no need to worry that his substantial other could hear him rebuke while they were sit around in seam or something like . She also recounted a account of one of her protagonist wait over an hour for her beau to spread the door to his student residence after she traveled from afar to see him .

Others said that they would actually enjoy date aLeagueplayer so that they could bet together or bond over shared interests . It was n’t justLeagueplayers who wanted to date otherLeagueplayers , either . One responder say that they would want their bae to teach them how to meet .

“ I would want to dally with them first to see how they handle teaching me to play . And to see how they plow randos , ” they write . After all , toxicity is a major turnoff .

OneLeagueplayer , who admitted to dating one of their own in the past , also said he ’d give it another go . “ I think it ’s a good theme to date someone with vulgar interests , so we could bet together if we both savor the secret plan . I do n’t call back a relatively innocent hobby is a deal breakers for me , ” he says .

Some response even made me consider that maybe we should be asking masses if they would go out someone that plays Call of Duty instead . One woman say she would deform down aFortniteorCall of Dutyplayer before they turned down aLeague of Legendsplayer because the secret plan are more violent .

“ It ’s very case - pendent on just how into it they are , ” another person commented , “ but just like any other sort of likely , red flagstone , biz ( like Call of Duty ) , it ’s a spectrum . ”

It’s still a deal breaker for some

To anyone who is n’t deep in punt meme refinement , those responses in all probability vocalize reasonable . vulgar sense would tell you that it ’s not correct to generalize the great unwashed because they wager a specific plot . But other answer I received disgorge some light on why the game ’s buff groundwork has gain a repute . Some multitude who ’ve date and befriendedLeague of Legendsplayers are marred by their experiences . One woman who spend a lot of her time in the biotic community pronounce she ’d had enough and give up run around 2015 .

“ As someone who used to playLeague , date someone who playedLeague , and still knows many people who playLeague(casually and rate ) , everyone has been or still is very toxic and gets overly angry , not just atLeague , ” she write . “ All of the people I screw who still play it are still very immature , stubborn , and toxic ( mid-20s and older ) . I have no time for people like that any longer ( late 20s ) and value my self - worth now . ”

Why would I call for that back into my life ?

A male respondent also claimed that he would n’t regard dating aLeagueplayer under any circumstances , even though he did n’t have experience in the community itself . “ IfLeagueis the sink I ’ve always heard it described to be , then there ’s no way anyone who play it can be mentally unscathed . Toxic / harmful behavior learned from playingLeagueis bound to manifest somewhere . ”

One respondent , who claim to be a former developer , respond : “ Why would I invite that back into my aliveness ? ”

There ’s one twist to the data . Several respondents who were skeptical about dating aLeagueplayer said they would conceive dating a woman who play it . One person allege that they think the stereotype only apply to men , not women . Another enunciate she would consider only date woman who playLeague .

“ It ’s perhaps tend too much into stereotypes , but people who bring LoL tend to spend a lot of time on the game and are hypercompetitive , ” she write . “ I will , however , appointment women who are into LoL , just perhaps not work force . ”

If you opine fair sex can't control their emotions , expect til you see a man on a 4 biz red ink stripe in your League of Legends SoloQ game . 😳

& mdash ; LegitKorea ( @LegitKorea)February 9 , 2022

Overall , respondent were tear on whether the undatableLeaguestereotype was warranted or not — 57 % say it is n’t , 43 % say it is . That itself is a relate trend that serve explain why so many people shrink back or joke about datingLeagueplayers . Despite their open - mindedness , many mass I poll casually receipt the perniciousness of the biotic community and strain that they draw the product line at disrespect them in individual .

As one manlike respondent put it , “ I am certain , as someone that has never playedLeague , that many of the player are toxic and undatable . However , it is ill-timed to label every player as undatable obviously . ”

Dispelling the meme

One of my friend claimed she would n’t date anyone who playedLeague of Legends . She even joked around , adjure me goodbye , when I start dating someone who fiddle it . However , she changed her psyche when she forgather someone who was a good match . When I asked her about his honorable qualities , she cited his fiscal independence , motivation to learn , and initiative to plan date as top reasons for why she decide to date him .

Leaguewas never a passel breaker for me . As someone who grew up with friends diddle the biz from gamey schooltime into college , I understood that many kinds of people dally it because of how pop it was . regrettably , I also had admirer who ended relationships withLeagueplayers because of their fixation with it or poor social skills that were worsen from playing the plot .

For the phonograph record , the guy that I date before my current swain was n’t big at all ; he even tried to instruct me to play the secret plan . He pass on me useful advice like “ do n’t produce that bozo ’s wafture if you ’re support ” and play against bots with me , even though it was deadening . We still follow each other on Instagram . It was n’t a disaster .

As one clear - minded respondent put it , “ There might be hope for them . ”