From the granular changes in their stats to the particle effects of their ultimates, LoL players know their favourite Champions. But they don’t know whether they’re 18 or 80, and some players find that a bit odd. Why haven’t Riot put ages to the scores of names in LoL’s roster?
“This is a tricky area,” says Riot loremaster and lead designer Kitae. “We’ve considered doing it but there are drawbacks.”
The biggest issue, says Kitae, is that players have filled the gap themselves – many have inevitably (and perhaps unconsciously) decided on an age for their favoured Champion, and they’ll never agree on a number.
“If we put a number to a champion, many people may feel this doesn’t work for them (some will be adamant Lux is 15, some will think she’s 18, some will think she’s 24),” writes the developer.
Worse, picking an age for an existing Champion risks betraying a cultural animation bias.
“Different regions feel that champion ages are different than other regions,” explains Kitae, “and may perceive that that region is being underserved (‘all the ages are done for NA!’).”
“None of this says we won’t publish champion ages, but the pros need to outweigh the cons,” she continues.
“There is some value in letting players decide for their own how old our champions are. With that said, as we develop more story it is more likely that we will reduce additional biographical information on champions.”
You might be wondering: why does it matter how old this or that magic knight is?
If you’re just jumping into League of Legends and want to know what champions to pick, check out ourbest League of Legends champions for beginners guide.
This time last year, Kitae wrote that players read champion biographies to get a better understanding of their personalties – and consequently, how they should be played.
“Bios are the first place players go to learn more about a champion’s past, and they form the foundation upon which other stories about that champion can be crafted,” said the designer. “This is true for both player-written stories as well as Riot-written ones. You deserve great stories built on a strong foundation.”
Lore is a serious business in this competitive game, then. A question for the LoL players among you: how closely is your Champion’s backstory tied to your experience in steering them?
Thanks, Reign of Gaming.