Page 45 - PC Gamer - UK (February 2020)

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS how League has shaped the scene. The entire
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
infrastructure of esports as a business was pioneered by
Riot. When it created the NA and EU League
RELEASED October 27, 2009 | DEVELOPER Riot Games | PUBLISHER In-house
Championship Series, it turned esports into a year-round
event much like any other sport – in turn also legitimising
Steven: League of Legends isn’t an esport, it’s the esport. competitive gaming as a full-time job. And that shift didn’t
When Riot Games first started hosting world just enable players to go full-time, it also created jobs in
championships and investing in its competitive scene, it commentating, esports journalism, and production. With
was also inadvertently building the template that nearly Riot’s help, esports went from being a hobby to a career.
every other competitive game would follow – but none That still doesn’t cover all the ways League of Legends
would ever fully replicate. Though esports tournaments has influenced the games industry, either. Riot was one of
had happened before, Riot turned League of Legends into the first companies to adopt an aggressive update
a spectacle, investing heavily in stage productions and schedule that continually added to and rebalanced the
musical performances that turned what would’ve been game, creating a meta that kept players engaged for
just another nerd tournament into a mind-bending thousands of hours. It also was a major contributor to the
multidimensional spectacle. In 2017, for example, Riot growth of Twitch and remains one of its most-watched
used augmented reality tech to make it look like a giant games, helping legitimise an entire industry of streamers.
dragon stormed the main stage during a musical And though League of Legends isn’t solely responsible for
performance. Or just last year, when musicians performed any one of these innovations, you’d be hard-pressed to
alongside 3D hologram characters. It’s bonkers. find a game with a wider impact this past decade.

JULY 9, 2013 AUG 8, 2013 DEC 7, 2013
DOTA 2 SPELUNK Y VG X AWARDS
While Valve’s sort-of The highly influential After a questionable
sequel isn’t the first 2009 freeware game rebrand, Spike TV
major MOBA, it gets a definitive PC hosts one last
makes a serious remake, enhancing impossibly awkward
splash on launch - its looks but and dysfunctional
and has a huge preserving its game awards show.
impact on the world near-perfect core of Geoff Keighley sets
of esports. roguelike action. out to make his own.

FEBRUARY 2020 45