League of Legends
2000's Era Game
Class of 2022 Inductee
League of Legends (LoL), commonly referred to as League, is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games.
Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, a custom map for Warcraft III, Riot’s founders sought to develop a stand-alone game in the same genre.
Since its release in October 2009, League has been free-to-play and is monetized through purchasable character customization.
Gameplay:
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in which the player controls a character (“champion”) with a set of unique abilities from an isometric perspective.
As of 2025, there are 170 champions available to play.
Over the course of a match, champions gain levels by accruing experience points (XP) through killing enemies.
Items can be acquired to increase champions’ strength, and are bought with gold, which players accrue passively over time and earn actively by defeating the opposing team’s minions, champions, or defensive structures.
In the main game mode, Summoner’s Rift, items are purchased through a shop menu available to players only when their champion is in the team’s base.
Each match is discrete; levels and items do not transfer from one match to another.
eSports:
League of Legends is one of the world’s largest esports, described by The New York Times as its “main attraction”.
For the 2019 and 2020 League of Legends World Championship finals, Riot Games reported 44 and 45 peak million concurrent viewers respectively.
Harvard Business Review said that League of Legends epitomized the birth of the esports industry.
Accolades:
At the first Game Developers Choice Awards in 2010, the game won four major awards: Best Online Technology, Game Design, New Online Game, and Visual Arts.
At the 2011 Golden Joystick Awards, it won Best Free-to-Play Game.
League of Legends has received awards for its contribution to esports.
It was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards in 2017 and 2018, then won in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Also at The Game Awards, Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 League World Championships.
Reception:
Publication and Score:
1Up.com A−
Eurogamer 8/10
GameRevolution B+
GameSpot 9/10
GameSpy 4/5
GamesRadar+ 4/5
GameZone 9/10
IGN 9.2/10
PC Gamer (US) 82/100
