League of Legends

I'm interviewing the Girl today about League of Legends, while she is playing the game in question.

Mom: How did you find out about League of Legends?

Girl: I found out about it via my gifted friends. It was something that they had been talking about since the beginning of the school year. I didn't know about it so I asked them and they said I would like it, so I checked it out.

Mom: If you had to describe it in ten words or less, what would you say?

Girl: I'd describe it as -  complicated, strategic, but really fun. The game is a real-time strategy game. It's really heavily oriented around making decisions quickly and making the right decisions. There are a lot of moving parts to the game because there's a lot vocabulary you need to get used to, and the game play in general, but once you get used to it, it's really, really fun.

Mom: How does this game differ from others that you play?

Girl: It differs from others in that, even though it's a MMO, it's focused on just the battle arena aspect. There's no story mode; it's just player versus player. As I describe it, it's like a virtual capture the flag. Everything just is, no story ... just fight.

Mom: Tell me about your characters.

Girl: The two characters that I currently play are Ashe and Annie. Ashe is a ranged type character. She has a bow and arrow and she shoots things. She is not that strong but she is powerful in her attacks. She's good with giving debuffs and buffs to her teammates and enemies. If she shoots enemies with her arrows, she can freeze them in place, giving stronger teammates the chance to pounce on the enemy in question. Annie is a mage character. She casts spells, especially fire oriented spells. Her main feature is the giant bear named Tibbers that she can summon to fight for her. He is more durable and can do more damage. Your strategy is to hide behind Annie while Tibbers smashes things. I am a lot more comfortable with Ashe than Annie but Annie is more powerful in health and damage dealing.

Mom: I've been hearing you talk a lot about Jinx. What's up with that?

Girl: Jinx is my big goal that I am trying to get to. Over time, you can unlock more powerful characters. She just came out last week and I think she would be suitable for me because her play style is more like Ashe's - she is also a ranged character; she uses guns and grenades but her attacks are a lot more powerful than Ashe's. In addition, I just like some of the aesthetic of the character herself because, even though I am not at all like this, I like that she is a trouble maker and likes to have fun, even though her actions have dire consequences. 

Mom: Any other characters interest you?

Girl: I'm working towards two other characters: Miss Fortune and Vayne. Much like most of the characters I've been mentioning, they are range classes and in between Ashe and Jinx in terms of their powers. They were recommended to me by my gifted friends so I thought it would be a good idea to get them as well.

Mom: League of Legends is a free-to-play game but players can buy cards. What's the advantage to buying cards? Is there a class system between those that are free-players and those that pay?

Girl: From what I can tell, there is no hierarchy in terms of players. Free-to-play and cards are about the same - what matters is how well you play the game. The benefit to buying the cards is that you are able to get points which you only usually get by winning games. 

Mom: I hear you give compliments at the end of your matches, Why is that?

Girl: One of the reasons I give compliments to other players is that there is this thing in the game called the honour system. It happens when you compliment a player. It gives them extra points in the end of the game. My rule, even though others don't abide by it, is that if I give compliments to others, that they will give compliments to me. 

Mom: Why doesn't your brother play?

Girl: The reason he doesn't play is because the game is rated T and I thought that since it's T, it might be too complicated or too mature for him.

Mom: Are there any final words about the game you want to share?

Girl: Not really. (She's too busy playing right now.)