There are many terms to describe virtual space, and many of them seem to have a negative connotation. Words such as troll, spam, cyber-bullying, phishing, clickjacking, and firewall all have a negative aspect to them when discussing the internet. Many people are scared to disclose information on the internet; they’re scared of having their identities stolen, or their information released.
However, terms such as the information superhighway, platform, browser and cyber-security all demonstrate that the internet is a great asset and a safe network to be a part of.
League of Legends has a lot of slang terms that are only used within the community, demonstrating how language helps define the network’s sense of place. Terms such as ADC – attack damage carry, APC – ability power carry, and KS – kill steal are used within the community. If you don’t understand certain terms it is harder to understand the chat during certain games. League of Legends’ slang terms helps define the community’s identity.
However, many more names and slang terms used by the community have a negative aspect and link back to the network’s toxicity. Tuan (1991, p688) states that “Naming is power-the creative power to call something into being, to render the invisible visible, to impart a certain character to things.” Many times, using names during a game leads to a player tilting, a poker term to express a person letting their emotions get the best of them. There are even guides on how to avoid tilting during a game.
The cycle of 'tilt' (2016).
The League of Legends community heavily draws on language and naming, whether it’s positive or negative, and without it the LoL sphere’s sense of place would be lost.
References:
How to avoid League of Legends tilt. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.lol-smurfs.com/blog/avoid-league-legends-tilt
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: a narrative-descriptive approach. Annals of the association of American geographers, 81(4), 684-696. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563430
[Image]. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.lol-smurfs.com/blog/avoid-league-legends-tilt
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