How to get your grandparents to understand League of Legends

Electronic sports, better known as eSports, is a growing industry. With more than 27 million total unique viewers for the 2014 League of Legends World Championship watching eSports is no longer unpopular and just for nerds. During CS:GO’s most recent event they peaked at over 500,000 viewers, possibly hitting the 600,000 viewer mark. DOTA 2’s International Championship had 20 million people tune in to watch. From casual gamers, to dads of gamers, to people who play entirely different games, eSports is growing in all directions and gaining a lot of traction. Articles about the games, tournament, and top players can be found on ESPN, Fox Sports, and The New York Times.

Now that more people are watching it is something that you shouldn’t be ashamed of anymore. Maybe your parents will question why the first thing on your Christmas list is some great Dignitas swag, and there is no better way to get what you want than the truth. In fact, when it comes to the holidays you might want to answer truthfully to the question of: “What have you been up to?”. If it’s around Christmas then you’ve just finished watching the expansion tournament, NACL new years tournament, and OGN qualifiers.

Many of us had to explain what Twitch.tv was, and why it cost so much when Amazon purchased it for 1.1 billion dollars a few months ago. The definition, “A live version of youtube” wasn’t enough to encompass since Twitch.tv only focuses on streaming video games. When adding to the definition with, “ where people stream themselves playing popular video games. Which allows for viewers either enjoy a show with their favorite personalities or to watch high-tier players in order to help improve their own play.” Most people just laughed at the idea. It was in these cases that it was important to point out that streamers like SivHD raised $106,000 for charity in one day.

League of Legends and eSports are much larger subjects, and subsequently they are much harder to explain. First and foremost, when people here eSports they have a problem with the word sport being in it. So the question comes down to, how do you explain it to your family members? You love the the game, you spend a lot of time watching it being played, now let me tell you how to best explain it to those closest to you and technologically illiterate.

How to Explain League of Legends to Your Parents

“Teams of five players are pitted against each other, each of them play a different Champion which has its own spells and playstyle. The objective is to destroy the other teams base in a game that lasts 30-45 minutes on average.”

This basic explanation of the game doesn’t show the excitement of of the game or how it is different than any other MOBA, but that isn’t the point, at least not yet. You may like League for a certain very eccentric reason, but your parents won't care about this and it won't get them to understand the game. Now that you’ve gotten into the play style, explain a bit more about the community, this allows parents to feel okay that you play it.

- The world's most popular video game
- 27 million daily players
- World's largest esport (will allow you to segway into what eSports is easily)
- Professional players can earn over $100,000 a year

It is very important to stick to the basics and the facts, straying from this can make the conversation much more confusing. It is also very important to try and tie it to things that can be related to. You playing League of Legends is no different than your friends who play pick-up hoops on the weekend. You get to play a game that’s fun, interact with friends as you play, and act like the pros you watch.

How to Explain League of Legends to your Grandparents

There is a pretty good chance that your grandparents have very little knowledge on what video games are and why you would possibly spend so much time on your computer. You want to simplify as much as possible, but remember to not make it confusing with over-simplification.

“Five friends get together and play on a team to beat the other team. It’s a lot like basketball, it’s face paced and depends on individual skill to win as a team”

The fact that the win objectives and game play is nothing like basketball has nothing to do with this argument, you simply want something that is easy to visualize and relate to.

The Hurdle of eSports

As mentioned at the start of the article, when the word “eSports” is mentioned a lot of people get caught up on the idea that it’s a video game and therefore can not be a sport. By definition, League of Legends is not a sport, but its structure and organization is very similar to that of major sport franchises. Explaining the LCS as electronic entertainment, but in a more serious tone, requires focusing on the big picture.

“A group of ten teams compete in weekly matches to gain the better record, which allows them to move into the playoffs. Teams have coaches and game-play analysts and they work every week to hone their skill and best their opponents. The fanbase is just as loyal and fanatical as any other sport teams. Also, there are commentators narrating the game who can become more passionate than any other commentator out there.”

No, it isn’t an athletic sport, but it is no different than chess or poker. Both of those are high-paying games played on a professional level that can be found on ESPN. Where kids play a game of two-hand touch and emulate their favorite players; we get to play the same game as the pros with millions of people around the world. Unlike traditional sports, its possible to get into a game with those very same pros and play along side them, no other sport allows for such an intimate connection.

The LCS was created brilliantly by Riot where they modeled the structure after the best sport-leagues in the world. It is created with professionalism and production value that is unrivaled. Something that other eSports are not known for, with hundred of tournaments hosted by a handful of different organizations, not allowing for the casual fan to easily follow the scene.

Your Conclusion
ESports are no different than regular sports, except one is done outside and one is done on the computer. Everyone can play it, but only a few will be the best, and its entertaining to watch them play a game you already like to play at its peak ability. It’s a game that require practice, determination, and dedication and at it’s core its entertaining to play and entertaining to watch. When in doubt, stick to the facts, millions of players and fans can't be wrong.