On the second floor of the student center next to the bowling alley, a group of students sitting at the tables playing the game League of Legends can usually be found. This is where Shepherd University’s League of Legends club meets each week. It is a mixed group with students from many different majors, but they all love to play League of Legends
Started last year by club president Ian Snyers, the club is a place where fans of League of Legends gather to play and socialize. The club meets every other Monday and Friday at 4 p.m. in the Cumberland Room on the second floor of the student center.
The game attracts millions of players worldwide, and having an area to play and improve gaming skills is a welcome place for students. For new club member Chris Parrack, a junior at Shepherd University, the club is a place for him to hang out and get away from schoolwork.
“All my friends play the game and it’s something new for me to get into,” Parrack said.
League of Legends is a massive online battle arena or MOBA in which players fight for control of the map in teams of five as one of 116 different champions. The most popular map is called “Summoner’s Rift” and has three lanes and a jungle area.
Players pick their champion based on which role on the team they want to play. Champions that have a ranged attack and less health usually go into the bottom lane and are called the attack damage carry or ADC. Champions that can heal other players or stun opponents are called supports and they accompany the ADC in the bottom lane.
Champions that deal large amounts of damage but move slow go in the middle lane. They can be assassins, mages, or fighters but because of their slow movement they need a shorter lane to still fight effectively.
The top lane usually has champions that have large amounts of health and serve as the tanks for the team. They are large champions that are usually melee characters and are made to absorb more damage than actually deal it out.
The fifth player is called the jungler. This player roams around in the area in between the lanes and jumps into other lanes to help secure a kill or defend a team member from being killed.
Each champion is unique with their own abilities and play style giving the game a large amount of different ways that a team can win.
Teamwork is key within the game. Teamwork is needed for a win. The club does have two teams that practice weekly. While League of Legends has several collegiate tournaments, the Shepherd teams have not competed yet. Although the 2014 season is over, Shepherd could play in 2015 tournaments if it registers to compete.
The club is having a 3-on-3 tournament within the club. The club members are broken up in teams randomly. The winning team will receive a prize as well as most valuable player. After the tournament the club will sit down and watch every game in the tournament and comment on how the players could improve their gameplay.
Leave a Reply