Overseas Players Discuss Why League of Legends Struggles to Attract Newcomers: Barriers, Environment and Competition

As a MOBA game that has operated for nearly 20 years, League of Legends faces challenges in attracting new players, not only in one region but also overseas.

Foreign forums recently held discussions about this topic.

One player said that after playing StarCraft and Age of Empires, they enjoyed the mouse-focused control style.

However, with console gaming and WASD controls becoming mainstream, mouse controls may feel unfamiliar to newer players.

Competition in the AAA game market was less intense in the early 2010s.

A teacher said many children learning Minecraft do not even know WASD controls and only use controllers.

Children born in the past 15 years have largely grown up with touchscreens.

If they cannot adapt to WASD controls, they may find precision mouse-based games even harder.

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A player said his 12-year-old brother used a mouse like a controller and sometimes switched to mobile games after frustration.

He said it took time for his brother to learn, showing that old skills are not universal.

Another player said younger gamers have less tolerance for the frustration older generations experienced.

They expect constant success and may move to other games otherwise.

League of Legends' learning curve can cause newcomers to quit before enjoying the game.

The game requires learning many systems and details.

Players must endure significant difficulty before they can truly enjoy it.

Long matches can also make poor experiences difficult to escape.

The game also has a negative public image because of some player behavior.

Young players often prefer fast, simple experiences with immediate rewards.

One player said many newcomers eventually leave because of the environment.

New players often face criticism or negative behavior after making mistakes.

Veterans may be used to this, but newcomers may simply quit.

Some believe improving the environment is necessary to reduce entry barriers.

Some players blamed matchmaking, saying veteran players can be overly angry at mistakes.

New players often encounter such players and cannot enjoy the game.

This is also a result of having fewer newcomers.

Some believe the continued existence of accounts causing poor experiences is a problem.

Players said experienced users in lower levels and multiple-account behavior affect new player experiences.

There are now far more game choices than before.

In the past, many players had limited computers and fewer multiplayer options.

League of Legends still has many players, with some streams attracting large audiences late at night.

Some players recalled the era of low-end computers fondly.

Free games and affordable titles have created more choices and easier options for younger players.

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Some said many young people mainly use phones and are unfamiliar with computers.

One player said they discovered League of Legends after looking for alternatives because their computer could not run Fortnite.

They said they might never have found League of Legends with a better computer.

Because of the steep learning curve, new players do not want to spend a long time losing before improving.

One summary was that the game has a steep curve and lacks learning rewards.

In Asia, children once went to internet cafes for PC games, but many now play on phones.

Internet cafes are declining as mobile games are easier to access and play with friends.

The complexity of the game means new players often get defeated early and struggle to play with experienced friends.

One player said they started during an early version when there were fewer champions.

Years of updates helped existing players adapt, but newcomers face a larger gap.

Some believe controls are also a factor, as other cross-platform games are easier to access.

The biggest barrier for newcomers may be the game itself, and many quit if it feels completely unfamiliar.

Some believe even FPS or MMO players may struggle because MOBA feels very different from controller-based games.

Some argued the core issue is that the game does not sufficiently support beginners.

One player said the game lacks a proper tutorial and leaves much information unexplained.

They said the game has become more complex and earlier versions were easier to understand.

Matchmaking can also put beginners against experienced players and lead to teammate criticism.

One suggestion was adding a complete tutorial explaining roles and objectives.

Another suggestion was improving AI with adaptive difficulty.

Better AI teammates could help beginners practice decisions and understand economy and resources.

Some believe young players still like MOBA games but have moved to mobile platforms.

One player said Honor of Kings shows mobile MOBAs remain attractive because shorter matches are easier to accept.

One player said they stopped playing League of Legends ten years ago and did not want to repeat long frustrating matches.

Some players summarized several major factors.

The first factor was reputation, as the game is often viewed as having a poor environment.

Even if that perception is not always accurate, many players still receive negative reactions when mentioning the game.

The second factor was difficulty and onboarding, requiring long periods of failure before improvement.

Younger players did not grow up with RTS and MOBA games, making them more unfamiliar.

The third factor was esports and operations, though some considered its impact smaller.

Some believe many players do not want competition or improvement and only want casual fun.

Many people play because friends do, and leave when friends stop.

League of Legends was once successful because it was free and ran on many computers, but competition has increased.

High entry barriers and slower pacing push some young players toward faster games.

Some again pointed out that the game is generally unfriendly to newcomers.

Young players want more immediate feedback, which League of Legends does not always provide.

Even after overcoming the learning stage, some players believe the environment affects long-term retention.