‘League of Legends’ union refuses to play

Issue #138 | May 30, 2023

In a historic move, professional League of Legends players in the North American League Championship Series (LCS) are making their voices heard. Just days before its highly anticipated summer season kicks off this Thursday, these players voted to walk out.

The uproar stems from Riot Games’ decision to remove the requirement for teams to field amateur rosters. This change has raised concerns about the future of aspiring young players looking to break into the professional scene.

The vote, which overwhelmingly passed, garnered widespread support from devoted fans, pro players, and esports content creators alike. It’s a watershed moment that not only echoes the demands of player unions in traditional sports like the NFL, NBA, and NHL, but also bears a “striking” resemblance (pun intended) to the ongoing Writers Strike.

This is more than just a fight for “more pay.” Just like the Writers Guild of America, these players are challenging the status quo and addressing larger issues surrounding the trajectory of their careers. They are taking a stand against short-term profit prioritization at the expense of long-term career opportunities.

Join us as we dive into the courageous actions of these gamers, their impact on the esports industry, and the parallels drawn to the fights for fair treatment in other creator realms.

– Grace Stanley, Newsletter Editor

THE HIGHLIGHT

‘League of Legends’ union refuses to play

In a first for the professional ‘League of Legends’ scene, pro players are refusing to play at the start of the season to protest Riot Games.

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

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ONE GREAT TIP

“Just as Hollywood writers are attempting to lay out a blueprint for how the next generation will learn the ropes during the Writers Strike, creatives need to keep one eye on the horizon and think about how the work they’re doing today is going to build them an audience for tomorrow.”
—Writer Lon Harris on what creators can learn from the Writers Strike.

THE DARK SIDE

The troubling promise of Rumble

Rumble is signing banned streamers to try and bring new blood to its site. But its alt-right creators pose a threat.

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

TIPS AND TRICKS

sad woman looking at phone in front of blue to green vertical gradient background with negative social media comments icons Passionfruit Remix

How to deal with negative comments on social media in a healthy way

Dealing with jerks is the price of creating sometimes.

By Jen Glantz, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

IN THE BIZ

The World Influencers Awards took place in Cannes, France over the weekend. TikTok star Dome Lipa, language educator Marina Mogilko, fitness blogger Lisa Migliorini, beauty influencer Noha Nabil, and internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz were just a few of those celebrated.
Also in Cannes this month, for its second year as an official partner of Cannes Film Festival, TikTok doled out its own film awards, live-streamed the festival, and had TikTok stars conducting red carpet interviews, Taylor Lorenz reports.
Young filmmakers at the event seemed more and more to be allured by TikTok-like aesthetics, with fast-pacing, bright colors, and even vertical video becoming more popular.
Remember that recent dystopian AI clone of an influencer that chatted with fans, or that Snapchat AI chat bot that sparked some concern over its creepy messages? Well, now TikTok is testing its own chat bot, known as “Tako.” It’ll be interesting to see how that goes.
Twitch raised the price of Twitch Turbo from $8.99 to $11.99 without providing additional features. Turbo is its monthly subscription that allows users to remove ads, among other perks. People are already pissed off, but like most price hikes in the tech world, there’s not much they can do about it beyond boycotting. Most people have resigned to the change.
Hank Green made a tier list of articles made about his cancer diagnosis, tearing apart weird headlines, horrible scare quotes, and people referring to him as “John Green’s brother.” NPR made S-tier for providing feel-good media recommendations to him like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. The New York Post landed at F-tier due to using this bizarre picture… come on guys.