What is League of Legends boosting?

Introduction

Over the years online gaming has become one of the world’s biggest industries. Now commonly referred to as e-sports, the industry has become highly competitive. Tournaments in games include prize pools of millions of dollars, with the largest one totaling over $20,000,000.

To keep track of how well players do there is often a form of rating. This rating has different names but functions similarly. Based on how well players perform in their games, they will either increase or decrease their rating.

League of Legends uses the ELO / MMR (Matchmaking rating) system. Players get points based on their performance, and this contributes to various badges that they earn – showing other players their level. Based on what level you are, you will be able to enter higher ranked competitions and areas of the game – thereby increasing your chance to become professional.

What is boosting?

With these newly found rating systems, came a new phenomenon – boosting. Boosting refers to higher ranked players, who assist lower-ranked players in improving their ELO/MMR.

This means that instead of having to play the games, and prove your skill yourself, players are able to get help from other players – allowing them to improve far quicker than normal. These players then get all the benefits from their higher ranking, as if they had earned it themselves.

Players from all over the world, in all different competitive games, take part in boosting.

Why do people boost?

The reasons for boosting can vary, but the result is the same – increased ranking. Some of the reasons that players may choose to boost their ratings are as follows:

∙ Popularity – With the growing trend of e-sports, comes newfound popularity. Highly skilled players are the superstars of the industry. This new-found popularity has attracted millions of players from across the globe. In order to become more popular themselves, players need to be a skill level above the rest and this is where boosting comes in. By boosting to a higher ranking, players are immediately seen as superior and will be invited into areas of the game that were previously out of reach.

∙ Priority Access – These rating systems also serve as a means to limit exclusive content to players with high rankings. If you are below a certain ranking, you may be limited from taking part or experiencing certain ‘limited’ parts of the game. This drives people to boost their accounts, so that they too may gain access.

∙ Tournaments – Similarly to priority access, some tournaments will only be accessible to players of a certain ranking. These tournaments usually involve prize money and make it very attractive to new players. Players will choose to boost their account to potentially become professionals.

∙ To play with friends – Some people aren’t interested in boosting for the fame and exclusive access, but only want to play with their friends. If your friends are higher ranked than you, you will be unable to play with them. Some players boost to a level similar to their friends so that they can join in on the fun.

Who boosts people?

There are different people who assist lower-skilled players in boosting. Here are a few examples:

∙ Higher ranked friends – If you want to play with your friends, but you do not have a similar ELO ranking, you will be unable to. Higher ranked friends will then help boost their new friends to their ranking. This makes the game more enjoyable for both players.

∙ Higher ranked gamers – Sometimes, if you are lucky, a higher ranked player might just offer to boost you. They would normally do this in exchange for something of interest to them, like an item that you can trade them.

∙ Professional boosters – As the gaming industry grows, people see opportunities in every field. Professional boosting has become a very profitable industry over the years, especially in League of Legends. Players can go online and find players that will boost you – for a fee. It is simply business for these people and they will often do it very quickly. For example, check out op-boost.com .

Public opinion on boosting

There are mixed opinions on the role of boosting in e-sports. Some people are against it, while some think there is no problem with it. Here are some of those opinions:

∙ Oversaturated skill levels – If everyone is at a high-skilled level, then that level soon becomes redundant. Some players think that by boosting, it over-saturates the higher skilled aspects of the game, making it less enjoyable for those who have gotten there based on their own skill.

∙ Everyone wants to enjoy the game – Other supporters of boosting say that there is no reason why it shouldn’t be allowed. If people are willing to help them boost, then they should be allowed to. If someone will enjoy the game more by being at a higher skill level – even if they didn’t get there themselves – why should they be denied?

∙ It is just a game – Some people are not so worried whether players boost or not. They argue that it is just a game and there is no valid reason for not allowing people to boost. If it bothers players so much, they should use their skill to push themselves to levels beyond where most people boost.

Conclusion

No matter your opinion on boosting, there is no denying that it is a major part of all competitive online games. Instead of worrying about what other people are doing, online games were started for enjoyment. If this aspect of gaming bothers you, then perhaps you should reconsider competitive gaming or get good.