League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer PC game that is played online by millions all over the world. Since it’s release over a decade ago, LoL has become one of the worlds most popular games. This game has also perfected the Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) category of video games, and has made Electronic Sports (Esports) one of the fastest growing entertainment events in the world. Tournaments for LoL have paid out over $29 million worth of prize money as of 2016, and that number has and will grow even more. The game is even played competitively in NCAA athletic conferences all over the country. How did League of Legends become one of the biggest video games in history? What happened to take this game from a free-to-play PC game to everybody’s new favorite obsession?

            League of Legends was released in the fall of 2009 by Riot Games. The main objective of the game is to destroy the opposing teams “towers” (which is basically the opponents defenses) and eventually their “Nexus”, which ends the game. To start the game you choose a Champion. There are over 140 different playable Champions (characters) in the game. Some of them you unlock through playing the game, and others can be bought with real money. You are joined by four other Champions and that makes up the team you will battle against the opponent with.

            LoL is free to play online and does not require an extremely fancy/expensive gaming computer due to the simple graphics and gameplay. This is one of the main reasons that this game has become so popular. The developers make most of the income from the game in the form of “microtransactions”, which when players buy new maps, Champions, and upgrades with real money. League of Legends was one of the first games to rely heavily on microtransactions, and the microtransaction process is used in almost every video game released these days. As of 2016, Riot Games estimated that there are over 100 million active players. Developers of the game have released multiple add-on’s for the game and has begun development on a mobile game.

            League of Legends is by far one of the most popular Esports games on Earth. So popular that tournaments are held monthly world wide. First place teams can receive millions in rewards and make money from sponsorships and live streaming themselves playing the game online to thousands of viewers at a time. Game tournaments are viewed by millions online and sellout arenas in multiple continents. LoL is looked at as a “Gateway Game” which is a term used to describe a game that is often times the first game a new owner of a PC will install onto they’re system. Since the game is easily accessible and free, people often become deeply involved into the community and this causes them to form relationships with online friends, which in turn causes players to try new games or new forms of Lol, like playing it competitively.

            In conclusion, the future of League of Legends is very bright. The popularity of the game has not seen any decrease since its release in 2009. What started as a cheaply developed strategy game became a globally played, multi-million dollar industry that has influenced how the video game business will be run for years to come. Most importantly, gamers will continue to find joy, frustration, and excitement in a simple strategy game for years to come.