It’s nice to be recognized for being a good guy. For years online multiplayer games have had systems for reporting and banning disrespectful players, but rarely do we see the opportunity to commend our fellow gamers publicly for a good game.
League of Legends is looking to change that. The popular free PvP game developed by Riot Games added a feature yesterday that allows players to applaud their opponents and teammates with “Honor.” Players can dole out compliments for friendliness, helpfulness, teamwork, and opponent honorability by clicking the green “thumbs up” icon after a match.
One issue Riot wants to address is that Honor should not be traded or used as currency. Because Honor adds to the overall score of a player, the developer wants to be sure players aren’t illegitimately sending and receiving Honor.
Riot has implemented a system of “progressive Honor” as well, which places a premium on Honor received from never-before-met players. The idea behind this, of course, is that these players have no personal incentive to honor you, eliminating the notion that the honor may be disingenuous.
Players receive a limited amount of Honor at first, which they can then build upon by playing more games. Each players’ Honor is displayed in his/her summoner profile as a sort of toolbar toward the top of the screen. This information is public, of course, so everyone can see if you’ve been naughty or nice.
The implications of Honor go far beyond League of Legends itself. The online video game world is a fairly self-regulatory community, only relying on outside sources to resolve the bigger issues. With expanded tools like Honor, other multiplayer games like Madden or Call of Duty may decrease the instances of disrespectful behavior and “trolling.” Imagine being able to filter a game’s lobby by the Honor rating of its members.
What do you think, readers? How will Honor impact League of Legends, and is this a good direction for the industry? Let us know in the comments below!