Video: How developers can enhance sportsmanship in online games

"Our key mission is to make sportsmanship the path of least resistance, and we want to reward players for following that path." - Riot's Jeffrey Lin explains how the design of League of Legends subtly encourages positive player behavior.

Sooner or later, most online game developers have to tackle the problem of toxic player behavior. Riot's social systems lead designer Jeffrey Lin admirably addressed the issue in a recent talk, "Enhancing Sportsmanship in Online Games," given during GDC 2014.

During the presentation Lin discusses the lessons he and other Riot designers learned while trying to build a game that facilitates and encourages positive player interactions inside and outside of the game. Lin also presents findings from some recent studies on group dynamics and social psychology to show how different compositions of players can greatly affect the level of cooperation in a given multiplayer match.

It's a good talk, with actionable advice for any developer looking to design systems that enhance sportsmanship and good behavior in online games. We've taken the liberty of embedding the free video of "Enhancing Sportsmanship in Online Games" above, but you can also watch it hereon the GDC Vault.
About the GDC VaultIn addition to this presentation, the GDC Vaultoffers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

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