STACK #128 Jun 2016

GAMES

FEATURE

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Legend League Of The

A project that began as an ambitious multiplayer online battle arena from Riot Games back in 2009, League of Legends now has the world’s largest online gaming community, and arguably one of eSports’ most competitive scenes.Though the Australian front is still finding its feet, those passionate enough are making a name for themselves. STACK ’s Alesha Kolbe caught up with DireWolves’ Curtis Morgan to talk about his transformation from casual gamer to Oceanic Challenger.

games for the competitive system, and the League ranking system is really well developed.” The fact that it’s “free-to- play” (tell that to my wallet) worked in Riot’s favour, too. “Riot were really smart making it free to play; it attracted heaps of people”, says Morgan. “More people got hooked because it was free to play, and once people get hooked, it’s easy to make money through in-game

A s it turns out, it’s best to start young if you’re hoping to get into competitive gaming. It also helps if you’re leaps and bounds ahead of the people you’re playing against. “I’ve been playing since I was a little kid”, muses Curtis Morgan. “I used to sit on my Dad’s lap and play Counter Strike ... When I

Curtis Morgan

TheWolfpack

started playing CS I was so far ahead of everyone else at my age, I was 12/13 playing against 20 year olds, it was crazy”. He also acknowledges how privileged he was in his situation: “I was lucky because not many other parents are so accepting of gaming”. Though it’s good to have a steady background in games, it also comes in handy to have a bit of natural talent. Games like League of Legends and other MOBAs require fast reflexes and an ability to make decisions on the fly. “You have to have some sort of natural ability; that’s the first step”, says the mid-laner. “You’ve gotta have a bit of natural talent, a lot of dedication, and a willingness to accept mistakes and be critical of yourself”. In playing a popular game like League of Legends , you always have to be aware of the game itself, its community, and how it constantly changes. Morgan began playing on Season One, and since then the population of gamers has “increased exponentially”. He says it’s largely due to the World Series and competition. “Any game with rankings and ladders attracts a lot of people; heaps play

work being done by the game’s developers to promote them, noting that being put on the front page of the client, as well as the now-implemented OCE League Championship Series, is “good for the scene”. But why choose League of Legends over, say, DOTA or SMITE ? According to the Challenger, “ League has so many champs to choose from, and it reaches out to so many people”, meaning it has something for everyone. “People can be shields, assassins, carry the game... that’s what League ’s all about”, and that’s what makes Riot’s creation stand out so much. Turns out it’s more than just the frogs on Summoner’s Rift after all. So what advice does “Sharp” have for those wanting to jump head-first into competitive gaming? “Use Solo Queue, get a high Solo Queue rating” Morgan says. “Me, personally, that's how I got noticed, I got top 10 or whatever. I was some random player that was crappy at the game before that”. So basically, keep trying, don’t flame, and cry a hell of a lot less than Amumu. GLHF.

You’ve gotta have a bit of natural talent, a lot of dedication, and a willingness to accept mistakes and be critical of yourself.

purchases”. Just think – if every one of the game’s 27 million players spent $5… That’s a lot of Badger Teemos. Many people are initially hesitant about joining the online gaming community; eSports specifically, as we in Australia (the Oceanic server in Riot’s world) are often deemed to be in an entirely different – and lesser – (pardon the pun) league than those in Korea or North America. “It’s hard for pro-players to hear it all the time – that we aren’t as good as [North America] or [West Europe]. It’s frustrating if the community as a whole don’t support us”. Morgan does, however, appreciate the

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