For my English 419 class, I conducted a study that looked at how League of Legends was a global network.

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Andrew Yim
League of Legends Global Network
Introduction
Throughout the past three weeks, I have observed the online game League of Legends as
my global network. I chose to study League of Legends as my global network because I have
many friends who currently play League of Legends. I wanted to observe and determine what
made this game so popular for many individuals. First, I created a Qualtrics survey that asked
six questions that gave more insight into why League of Legends is so popular. Furthermore, I
also conducted three interviews with friends and made a recording of my own observations on
YouTube. Finally, I attended a League of Legends tournament, which was hosted by the Purdue
League of Legends club and filmed about ten minutes of this tournament. All of this data has led
me to conclude that many players from all over the world play League of Legends establishing
the fact that this game is truly a global network. My Google map will demonstrate the
relationships between this data and determine how this network can be shared with other
individuals.
Background
League of Legends was released in 2008 and can be downloaded onto most laptops.
According to Forbes Magazine, League of Legends is the most played PC game in the world
based on the number of hours logged by players from North American and Europe. (Forbes).
Forbes reported that individuals who play League of Legends have played more than 1.3 billion
hours between July 2011 and June 2012. These findings do not include data from players from
Asia and demonstrates how popular the game is around the world. The main goal of League of
Legends is to create a profile and a character that possesses powers and use this character to fight
against other players online. There are over 100 different characters to choose from and there
are many different types of games that can be played. Most games consist of trying to eliminate
the opposing team's tower, which is heavily protected. Players have the opportunity to improve
the skills of their characters and gain money to buy supplies to improve their character's
equipment. Overall, individuals can do numerous things on League of Legends and this helps
make the game enjoyable for all ages.
Observations
In-Depth Interviews
I had conducted three in-depth interviews with friends who currently play League of
Legends. My first interview was with Landon Barger, which took place on October 20, 2014. I
had asked him questions off of my survey and I was able to prefect my second and three
interviews due to my observation of him. The link to this interview is on the map and is located
at www.youtube.com/watch?v=patS-1mZBng. My second interview was with Mark Wen on
October 23, 2014 and I asked him about his experiences with League of Legends. This
interview is located on the map and Mark helped me with my data. This interview is at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXtcLdEMiY. My third interview was with Yuntao Zhang on
October 25th, 2014. This interview is recorded on the map and can be found on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxhl0fxtn0w. Overall, these interviews were helpful for my map
because I was able to have face to face interaction with people for my map. I was able to see

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how my interviewees would respond and I knew that I was getting quality answers to my
questions. Each point on my map indicates where my respondent is from which makes the
global network more clear.
League of Legends Tournament
On October 25th, 2014, I had recorded a ten
minute video that showcases what happened at this
League of Legends Tournament in Stewart Center. This
observation is recorded on the map and can be accessed
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBHe8bxX6Cs. There
were close to one hundred people who were attending
this event and the Purdue League of Legends club
hosted it. The club's events can be accessed at
www.facebook.com/groups/purduelol/. When I first
arrived, there was people who registering for the
tournament and there were numerous chairs set up for the tournament. There were about
sixteen teams who were registered for the tournament and there were many observers. Teams
had five players each and each team were put into separate rooms. There was a television in the
main room so all spectators were able to view a match. I had recorded the first match which is
seen in the YouTube video above. At the end of the tournament, Team Omega Magma won the
entire tournament without losing a single match.
Personal Observations
On October 19, 2014, I had downloaded League of Legends onto my computer and I
played the tutorial, which introduced me to League of Legends. When I first logged into the
tutorial, I was assigned a character and I played an archer. I am not a huge online gamer so I was
glad that there was a tutorial session to help me understand the game. As a archer, I could fire
arrows at long-range targets and I was able to learn magic spells. I collected money and was
able to upgrade my armor for my character. Furthermore, I had to determine a strategy as I took
down enemies and made my way to my enemy's tower. I experienced a sense of euphoria as I
played League of Legends and this game has definitely has its strong points. I have never been
a huge online gamer; however, I could definitely see why League of Legends can be really
addicting. People have the ability to choose their own character and their character's abilities. I
have indicated this experience on the map and this observation can be accessed at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTlvy4NTio4.
Connections-Line 7
This huge line helps demonstrate how global the network is by showcasing every point,
which demonstrates that players are from all over the world. These players are connected
through various experiences that make the game more appealing to the user.
Survey Results
I wanted to interview many people; however, I knew that I would not be able to do in-
depth observations with every single individual. I decided to create a Qualtrics study, which I

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had sent out to close friends who played League and I posted the Qualtrics study onto the Purdue
League of Legends Club Facebook. The link to this Qualtrics study is going to be located at
https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_204JQqzaGLm08xD.
I wrote six survey questions that are listed below:
1. Where are you from? (Please list the country, city, and state.)
2. Have you heard of League of Legends? If so, how did you hear about it?
3. Would you be interested in playing League of Legends? Why would you like to play League
of Legends?
4. Do you interact more with strangers or good friends when playing League of Legends?
5. What types of things do you like to do when you are playing League of Legends?
6. On average, how many hours of League of Legends do you play per week?
0-5 hours, 5-10 hours, 10-15 hours, 15-20 hours, 20-25 hours, 25+ hours
In total, I had sixteen responses which was not as much as I expected; however, I am glad
I was able to get data from both players from the United States and other countries. I recorded
all of the respondents' answers within each of the points. Each of my respondents had provided a
variety of answers that I have recorded on my map. These answers indicated that these students
were introduced to League of Legends through friends mostly; this indicates that many people
play League of Legends. Furthermore, these answers indicate that people mostly play with good
friends compared to strangers and many students spend a considerable amount of time playing
League of Legends. All students stated that they do numerous different things as they play
League of Legends. Overall, the responses indicate that many different people like to play
League of Legends which showcases how this game is a global network. Each point represents
where each of the respondents come from.
What Makes League of Legends A Network
A network is defined as "a group or system of interconnected people or things." There
are numerous individuals who play League of Legends and this game is accessible by so many
people. League of Legends is considered an online network because numerous people have the
ability to access the game through their laptops supported by the data from the Forbes article.
My map indicates that numerous people play League of Legends and all of my data suggests that
League of Legends is a game that many can enjoy. Each point on my map indicates where an
individual is from and these points are scattered across the United States and other countries.
The long line drawn highlights the connection between all of these players as they play League
of Legends from one location; however, this game allows people to have access through one
another. Overall, all of the data highlights why League of Legends is a global network.

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Spreading Awareness
In the end, League of Legends is a popular game among many online users and I have
learned so much more about online gaming from creating my map. My plan to spread awareness
of this map is to tell my friends about my experiences playing League of Legends. Some friends
have never played League of Legends; however, they have pre-conceived notions about the
game. They believe that this game is too addicting and there is no reason why anyone should be
playing this game. Thus, I will tell them about this project and refer them to my map to
showcase how popular this game really is. I will tell them about the Purdue League of Legends
club and tell them they should attend a meeting. Also, I would tell them to download the game
and actually create a character. Ultimately, users need to experience things firsthand if they want
to learn more about games.
Works Cited
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/07/11/riot-games-league-of-legends-officially-
becomes-most-played-pc-game-in-the-world/