Although I don’t play it anymore, I did have a League of Legends phase, which the Extra Credits video actually used as an example of the Competition aesthetic (which I think I agree might be its main aesthetic.) It’s probably my favorite game that I’ve played (because it’s basically the only computer game I’ve played.) However, I do have slightly mixed feelings about it. Although its competitive aesthetic makes the game engaging and at times, addicting, it can get frustrating or toxic, especially when one isn’t playing with friends. (However, it is generally really fun when you queue with friends! I also really love the media that has come out of League, like Arcane and K/DA.)
Aesthetics aside, however, Hunicke, LeBlanc, and Zubek use shuffling and betting in card-games as examples of mechanics from which dynamics like bluffing can occur. Similarly, in their paper, they say that in shooter games, weapons, ammunition, and spawn points are mechanics from which camping and sniping can occur. Applying these ideas to League, one might point out that moving and basic attacking allows for dynamics like “kiting” to occur, which might appeal to more skilled and strategic players. The mechanisms of the map— three lanes as well as the jungle— allows for dynamics like ganking, which creates excitement. The mechanisms of items in the shop allows for the dynamic of builds to emerge, which might lend itself to the discovery/experimentation aesthetic (like how Minecraft players might experiment with crafting recipes), which I might argue is actually one of League’s other main aesthetics.
