Pushing Buttons: At the League of Legends finals, I saw unmatched talent – ​​and pure joy | games

GGiven the deluge of bad news from the gaming industry over the past decade, it was somewhat comforting this weekend to sit in a crowd of 20,000 happy, passionate fans watching the biggest event on the esports calendar: League of Legends -World Cup finals. The event at the O2 Arena in London was the culmination of a five-week globetrotting competition to determine the best team in the world. Having never been there before – especially since the final is usually held in Asia, where the best players usually come from – I wasn't really sure what to expect. Could I follow what was happening? Would I care? It turns out that the answers to these questions were “kind of” and “hell, yeah.”

For the uninitiated, League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA for short) in which two teams of five players each select warriors from 170 warriors and then fight for control of a fantasy map before destroying each other's home base . The arena is divided into three lanes, with an area known as the jungle in the middle, and each team member patrols their own area – like any traditional team sport. Adding to the complexity is the fact that all champion characters have their own abilities, weapons and magical attacks, and as the game progresses they must also defeat monsters and dragons to gain experience points that make them more powerful. It is both a deep strategy game and a bewildering riot of stampeding warriors, galloping riders and soaring wizards.

This year's final took place between the experienced South Korean team T1 and the Chinese newcomer Bilibili Gaming (BLG for short). The latter were riding high after defeating local rivals Weibo Gaming in the semi-finals, but T1 were the clear favorites and have already won the trophy four times. They were almost eliminated from the competition at one point, but seem to have a habit of storming back into contention when everyone has written them off. In the arena, I manage to sit next to James Lynch from esports news site Dexerto, who volunteers to guide me through the action. He describes T1 as the League of Legends equivalent of the Netherlands' 1974 World Cup team – freewheeling, unconventional and full of neurotic genius. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, widely considered the greatest player in league history, is the master at center – their Johan Cruyff. “His movement is so strange and unpredictable,” Lynch says. “He’s so hard to kill.”

Before the finale even begins, there's a 10-minute mini-concert with US rapper Ashnikko and Linkin Park, which features amazing art direction with pyrotechnics, huge LED displays and dozens of dancers. The whole thing has the feel of a major sporting event mixed with a K-pop performance – a frenzy of color, passion and stagecraft. In the hours leading up to the finale, fans gathered at the venue, purchased personalized merchandise, met friends from the community and, of course, dressed up as their favorite League of Legends characters.

It turns out I was extraordinarily lucky in that this was my League of Legends spectator debut. It's an exciting encounter. Once the showdown begins, the best-of-five games format is pushed to its limits, with the two teams taking turns slaughtering each other over the first four games. Throughout the finale, Faker is the dominant playmaker, constantly jumping in and out of skirmishes, taking out enemies and then somehow escaping despite having barely an inch of his life energy left. In the arena we follow the action on huge screens above the stage, where the ten young players compete against each other. Instead of separating us from the action, these performances captivate us. The crowd of mostly twenty-something fans loudly roars their approval of clever moves and chants when their team gains the upper hand.

The decision is a subdued affair, with the warriors poking and prodding each other as they cautiously sneak around the map – until the whole thing explodes into a sprawling clash that makes the Battle of the Bastards look like a small brawl outside a kebab shop.

T1 emerged victorious, but this was also a victory for the entire concept of esports. The scene has struggled — at least economically — to live up to the hype of the 2010s, when inflated estimates of its global value attracted major investors and sponsors, leading to outsized team organizations and bloated salaries for star players. Over the past year, many of these organizations, events and tournaments have been shut down, including Activision Blizzard's highly acclaimed Overwatch League. However, this weekend's event attracted a peak viewership of 6.94 million viewers – most of whom watched from home on streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube – a new record for esports.

Sometimes it's easy to think of video games as an industry rather than a culture that brings people joy. Sometimes it's important to look beyond sales and attendance and sit in an arena with 20,000 enthusiastic fans. Outside the O2 Megaplex I spoke to one attendee, Morgan, perfectly dressed as Aphelios (in his Heartsteel outfit to be precise), who explained the appeal: “There's such a competitive spirit, everyone is here to cheer on their favorite teams. but it is very good-natured. Plus, there are so many different communities in League. It's great to see them come together and be able to rise above the one thing they have in common and are truly passionate about. That’s the really beautiful thing about it.”

What to play

The original Metal Slug, released in 1996, was a thrilling pastiche of the side-scrolling military shooter in which lone, muscular soldiers took on armies of swarming bullet fodder. The brand has never really gone away, with dozens of sequels and spin-offs over the last 30 years – the latest of which is Metal Slug Tacticswhich takes the look and feel of the SNK franchise and turns it into an addictive, stylish turn-based strategy game. Here you assemble a team of warriors and take on the rebel army, using a huge range of customizable weapons and special attacks.

Recognizing its heritage as a run and gun game, the emphasis is on movement and dodging, with characters increasing their defenses the more steps they take, giving each round a dynamic feel. And while there's real depth to the strategic gameplay, the isometric pixel art graphics perfectly capture the series' lighthearted atmosphere. Metal Slug veterans will love it, of course, but fans of Advance Wars, XCOM and Into the Breach will also enjoy it.

Available on: PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC
Estimated playing time: 20+ hours

What to read

• PC Gamer has a great immersive stage production feature Silent Hill 2 by Niko Wilkins, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. I'm definitely looking forward to the West End musical adaptation.

• Thank you, Polygon, for this handy guide to best board games from 2024. It's a diverse bunch, covering everything from city building to alien discovery; I particularly like the sound of Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen.

• GamesIndustry.biz has an interesting article about it Accessibility issues that video game content streamers face, including the punishing demands of YouTube and Twitch audiences.

• Minecraft fans looking to fill their Christmas list might be interested The world of Minecrafta massive new tome with lots of concept art, archival materials, and interviews with the Mojang team about the game's creation.

What you have to click on

Ask block

This week's question comes from the reader Turlough:

“I always avoided it FromSoftware Games thought they were too difficult. Then, in 2021, I experienced a very painful bereavement and began gambling Elden Ring. It helped me process my grief and was one of the best games I've ever played. I have I worked through everything FS souls and souls-like games, This also helped me through a particularly difficult phase at work (I'm a child psychiatrist). Are there others? Are the Souls likes just as good? I am play Lords of the Fallenwhich is definitely fun, but lacks the magic of the others. I fear that FromSoftware has easily ruined all other games, aside from the Zeldas, for me.”

Thank you for your question and for reminding us that games can help us through difficult experiences. I hope it will be easier for you. Speaking of Souls likes: Many of my colleagues really liked it Lies from Pa complex adventure based on the adventures of Pinocchio – although the narrative is extremely dark. Alternatively, I really liked it Nioh Series from Team Ninja, which offers incredible depth in terms of combat and weapon systems; The Nioh Collection for PS5 brings together remastered versions of the original game and its sequel.

If you're willing to stray a little further from the Souls archetype, I'd recommend that too Hollow knight, Starblade And Nier automatathat contain all the elements that make FromSoftware's games so beguiling and captivating.