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Image Credit: Riot Games For 17 years, League of Legends has asked players to coordinate in-game solely on pings and hurried messages typed in between clicks. Now, this could all change.
Earlier this March, Riot Games confirmed that it was exploring the implementation of Team Voice to the game, extending communication beyond premade parties.
While the feature hasn’t been released just yet, recent leaks also reported that the dev team is working on a Voicemod integration, meaning that players can alter their natural voices to disguise themselves.
On paper, this is an important addition, as it would reduce potential harm caused by discriminatory behavior. That said, it still won’t address the underlying issue: the potential toxicity that comes with such a powerful tool.
The arguments in favor of Team Voice are pretty straightforward. Being able to share information, such as calling an enemy’s flash or coordinating on how a play should be executed, can make a huge difference in the outcomes of specific games, especially at a high level.
In a dynamic environment like League of Legends, voice communication can save hundreds of seconds, especially if players already share a strategic language.
Portuguese professional player Attila described Team Voice as “the best possible news for the game to continue developing in the right direction.”
“The worst thing is that so many people think it is negative for reasons that make absolutely no sense,” he added.
La mejor noticia que podría haber para que el juego siga desarrollándose correctamente. Lo peor es que muchísima gente piensa que es negativa por motivos que no tienen ningún tipo de sentido. https://t.co/NL3xGmROBS
Challenger coach Sungod, who has been a longtime player on China’s Ionia server (where pros play), also shared in the positive sentiment.
“China has Voice Chat on Ionia for years now,” he said. “It’s a good addition. Mostly high-elo players use it anyway. [The] League community asks for the voice chat feature, then complains it gets added.”
China has Voice chat on Ionia for years now. It’s a good addition. Mostly High elo players use it anyway. Mfw League community asks for the voice chat feature, then complains it gets added. 🥸 https://t.co/6Z0FqAi9iW
Former coach and LCK caster LS also argued that better communication would reduce the value of chaos itself. “People will realize scaling and slower play is +EV and more correct,” LS wrote. “The game will become an arms race to keep pushing scaling [and] indirect advantages — draft and other things.”
He also predicts that specific class types, such as assassins, will see their win rate drop since those champions frequently create leads based on isolated plays and poorly coordinated opponents.
Voice would also reward the ability to persuade teammates. LS believes the game w…