You may be wondering why #TSMwin is trending on Twitter, or why the front page of reddit is full of video game highlights. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend an eSports event in the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Sunday afternoon, with millions more streaming the games online. League of Legends is quickly becoming one of the biggest spectator sports in the world, and if you're curious about eSports or simply trying to decipher your timeline, we're here to help.
First let's talk about League of Legends as a game and an eSport - but before you do anything, watch this hype video for Sunday's final.
What is League of Legends?
League of Legends is a computer game in the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre, and it's the biggest PC game in the world. According to Riot Games, there were more than 27 million daily players and 67 million monthly players as of 2004. It's also the most popular eSport in the world - 36 million people watched the season 5 world championship finals last October.
So what's the point of the game? How does it work?
League of Legends is a five-on-five team based game. Each player controls their own individual "champion" in the game, and each champion has a specific set of abilities. Each team has a base, which contains the "nexus" and is guarded by turrets spaced around the map. To put it simply, the objective of the game is to destroy the enemy team's base and blow up the nexus.
There are three lanes: top, middle and bottom. In between the lanes is the "jungle." Each team fields one top laner, a mid laner, a jungler (who roams around the entire map), an "attack-damage carry" and a support, who work together in the bottom lane (typically). Part of what makes League so interesting is that despite being played on the same exact map, every game is unique. It's simultaneously the best and worst time to get into League of Legends right now - the game's so big (there's 130 different champions!) that it's almost impossible to thoroughly explain. You really just have to experience it.
What am I looking at here?
When you first watch League of Legends, it's going to be incredibly confusing. It may sound like the commentators are speaking an entirely different language. Fortunately, the games can still be compelling even if you have no idea what everything's called.
There will be one blue team and one red team in every game. On this screencap from the European playoff final Sunday, OG (Origen) is in blue. The displays will sometimes show you the different items each player has bought, but you probably shouldn't be worrying about that yet.
The important information is in the top bar. At this moment in the game, Origen was up 13 kills to six, and had amassed 44.4k gold (which is the currency used to buy items and become more powerful). For a beginner, you just focus on these two numbers. If a team is up in kills and gold, they're likely winning the game at that point.
So there are professionals making money to play this game?
Quite a few! There are professional leagues all over the world, and each has dozens of players who play League as a full-time job. Twice a year, the best teams from all over the world gather for international tournaments (the next big international event, the Mid-Season Invitational, takes place in one month in Shanghai).
League of Legends has seasons, just like any traditional sport, and each season is split into Spring and Summer "splits." In North America and Europe, for example, 10 teams play an 18-game regular season in the spring, and six teams move on to the playoffs (which conclude this weekend. After MSI, the Summer split will begin, leading into an extensive tournament to determine the year's world champion.
Why should I watch the playoff final?
Sunday's North American LCS Spring final pits reigning champion Counter Logic Gaming against Team Solo Mid, arguably the most popular team in the world. This is the Yankees-Red Sox, Duke-UNC rivalry of eSports. Both teams have been around for as long as the game has been played professionally, and they've repeatedly met in huge matches over the year.
An interesting subplot of the match is that TSM star Doublelift is playing in his first playoff final for the team after leaving CLG last offseason. The winner of Sunday's championship match will earn a spot at MSI.
The NA LCS Spring final will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. You can stream the games online via Twitch, or at lolesports.com.
How can I play League?
League of Legends is a free-to-play game, and you don't need a particularly powerful computer to run it either. You can download League here.
