A group of students at Lake Ridge High School have come together to form their own “League of Legends.” This fairly new club at Lake Ridge provides a sense of community and an outlet for some students who have a passion for gaming. Every Wednesday after school they gather around in the tech lab for a few hours and escape to another world in the computer game, League of Legends.

A lot of people stay for the club rather than just playing it at home because they are excited to finally have a video game club at Lake Ridge. Alex Pironi, junior, was one of the students who kickstarted the club. He says that excitement about the club and the game is a lot greater than most people outside the circle of League of Legends would think. With 27 million people playing world wide everyday, its hard to beat.

“There was already a big community because we had a big friend group who played it, so we already had enough people to make a club. There’s a lot of people who play it in the school, so after we said it on the announcements a lot of people were here. And technically, this game is the biggest video game right now. Millions of people play it around the world, there’s a world championship with millions of people viewing, so it’s already got a big population. Lots of people from the school play it. So it’s a very big online game,” explained Pironi.

League of Legends is called a “multiplayer online battle arena,” in which each player chooses a champion from over 130 characters, forms a group of five, and completes the objective of destroying another team’s base. The game is a unique experience every time it is played. There is diversity in the champions that can be picked. Players can choose a passive or aggressive play style that suits their taste. The different qualities that each student bring to the table is truly what gives the game its allure. Students must use their own strategy and teamwork to win. Jacob Alvizo, sophomore, says that the game has certain qualities that tend to make players get lost in this fantasy world for a while. 

“Seen with how long matches can go on it can seem like an all-out brawl, but it’s a real fight of wits. It’s always changing, it’s never the same and never gets stale. A lot of games can get really stale really fast, and it’s just never like that with League,” said Alvizo.

The game also doesn’t simply induce players into a vegetative state, which is a common conception people have when it comes to most video games. League of Legends is a game known to keep players’ synapses firing. While the students are on the virtual battlefield together, they are talking about strategy. Team players reassure each other of what they are doing right or warn each other of danger ahead. Although the students usually play League of Legends recreationally, sometimes they will get competitive and take it more seriously, so they need to be able to talk to one another. Toba Awoniyi, junior, believes that playing the game together as a club is the best way to play it.

“Playing with people in real life is better than playing with people in the game because of increased communication. The person is side-by-side with you instead of being across the screen. It’s just a lot more interactive than playing with somebody online when you’re not there with them,” said Awoniyi.

When somebody wins a match, everyone stands up and cheers, proof that these students are passionate about this game. It is clear how it would be a lot less exciting to celebrate winning a match alone in their room. Although they stay to play the game, the students are really a part of the club for the company of one another. Even if other people don’t understand, they know that their peers in the room with them do.

Video game clubs are not as common as band or the football team, however they are still an integral part of Lake Ridge. Each club that the school has adds to its diverse environment and the excitement of having options when it comes to choosing a club to be a part of. Alvizo hopes that the League of Legends club gains some popularity within the school in the near future.

“I think it should be, but with it being such a young club, I guess it makes sense that it doesn’t have as much recognition. Eventually, I think it would be really cool for it to get there,” said Alvizo.

These students at Lake Ridge have shown that anybody can form a League of Legends if they want to. All that is needed is a group of people who are all passionate about the same thing. On Wednesdays, these students get to hang out with each other and escape from the stress of school for a while in a way that still strengthens their intelligence. It seems like only good things can come from this unique club at Lake Ridge High School.