League of Legends isn’t as big of a dating don’t as you may think

“If he plays League, run,” they told me. I didn’t listen.

Meme culture claims that League of Legends is gaming’s biggest “dating don’t.” Just mentioning that your significant other plays Riot Games‘ flagship MOBA can be enough to elicit gagging noises or a pained “why” from your internet-savvy friends. Do a quick Reddit search and you’ll find threads berating League players for their lack of accountability and 3D dating choices. But are League or any of its spinoffs actually the problem?

My current boyfriend plays League of Legends, but he’s not the first MOBA fan I’ve gone on multiple dates with. The last guy ended up not working out after he realized he “wasn’t over his ex and needed time to work on himself.” I can’t say that relationship failed because of League, though. He just wasn’t ready for a long-term relationship.

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Despite all the warnings, my League dating experiences have been normal, but I’m only one person. To get to the bottom of gaming’s biggest dating faux pas, I asked more than 45 people if playing League of Legends as a hobby would be enough of a reason to swipe left.

In defense of League players

In my very unscientific survey, I specified aLeague of Legends player as “someone who plays regularly enough for it to be a core part of their identity (multiple times a week for at least an hour).” I asked straightforward questions like “would you date a League of Legends player?” and “do you think the stereotype is justified?” and left room for participants to explain their answers. I distributed the survey through social media, including on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord servers.

Most people who responded to my survey said that they would consider dating someone who played League of Legends. More than 43% of respondents were women and over 36%