More than 15 years after its release, LoL is a hugely popular game with more than 130 million active players. This makes it roughly 15 times bigger than its competitor, Dota 2, which is a very impressive statistic.
Both games are excellent, but Riot Games invested a lot more in advertising their product than Valve, on top of having the first mover advantage. League of Legends was released in 2009 while Dota 2 appeared only several years later. Both games were built on the same foundation, the Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients.
The Popularity of LoL
LoL’s popularity has many causes. Some are related to the game’s exceptional quality, others to its esports scene. The fact that Riot Games invested significantly over the years in creating great skins, music, cinematics, and tournaments helped the LoL community grow.
Usually, games are popular for a short period of time, or several years at best, and then they lose most of their player base. But LoL grew significantly over time, becoming one of the most played video games on Earth.
Many players take it so seriously that they even decide to buy lol smurf account to practice more efficiently. Only one person out of 5000 reaches the top rank, named Challenger, and even at that level, only a small percentage of players become professional esports athletes.
Despite this discouraging statistic, millions of people play LoL every day and enjoy it more than any other game.
Reasons Why LoL Is Popular
League of Legends is popular for the following reasons:
It’s Relatively Easy to Learn and Fun to Play
LoL is easier to understand than Dota 2. In Dota, there are so many rules and mechanics that it will take you years just to figure it out. Thanks to its simplicity, LoL can be learned much faster.
The game is fun to play. No two games are the same and unless your teammates are very toxic, which can sometimes be an issue, you are likely to have a good time experimenting with champions and strategies.
One of the aspects that I enjoy about it is the fact that I’m allowed to pick the role that I want to play. Specializing early makes the experience so much better because it allows you to improve at a faster rate and climb the ranks.
LoL may be a huge game, but you only need to fully understand 20-30% of it to get good results. You can learn the rest as you go along. By comparison, imagine that you’re playing football. If you get to be the team’s goalkeeper each time you compete, the fact that you won’t understand much about the midfielder’s role won’t matter.
It Has a Thriving Esports Scene
LoL leagues are being played each year in more than a dozen different regions. The game’s esports scene is huge and very carefully built, with sustainability in mind.
Every year, there’s a world championship and another international event called the Mid-Season Invitational or MSI. The popularity of LoL’s leagues and tournaments helps tremendously.
The Game Is Always Fresh
Riot Games regularly updates LoL. Each patch will buff some champions, nerf others, and improve the game’s balance. This means that players need to constantly adapt and find new ways to win, which can be very exciting.