Since I started writing about games, I’ve held the belief that scepticism does not give way to slander. There’s nothing wrong in looking at a game, film or TV show that many regard in awe and saying “it’s not for me”, but broadcasting any unjustified and defaming conclusions you’ve drawn on it is something I personally take offense to (looking at you, fanboys). You won’t know until you try.

I, for instance, once sat down and attempted to watch Twilight, to see if it merited the somewhat negative light the internet has shone upon it. I made it about halfway through before I had to stop. Not out of protest for its portrayal of vampires, or fear of catching ‘the gay’, but out of sheer boredom. It’s a dreadfully bland film, like it was written by emotionally overbearing high school students.

On the flipside, earlier this year I decided to see what all the fuss was about the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. As of yesterday, I’ve now watched every episode. I’m not about to devote myself to the ‘brony’ cause, but I will defend the show if I have to. It looks amazing, the cast is terrific, its morals are all in the right place, it doesn’t try to beat you over the head with its cuteness and - most surprisingly of all - it’s funny.

You won’t know until you try.

Which is why I’ve decided to break out the journal once again for another ‘Week With’. I’ve known about League of Legends for quite some time now - my flatmate plays it religiously and, on several occasions, has regaled tales of victory that really don’t make a lot of sense to me. I wasn’t about to consider getting sucked into it when I already had a massive back catalogue of games to work through, some requiring more devotion than others.

But recently, something strange has occurred. Like a zombie virus, or trading cards, it has spread. More of my friends are playing it. Suddenly, it crops up more frequently in conversation. And each time it does, someone attempts to persuade me to submit. A new circle has formed within my circle of friends. The LoLers. 

Now, in a scenario where I am the first to have discovered League of Legends, I would probably have steered clear of it anyway. From what I can tell, the game is essentially a combination of two things I’m hopeless at: real-time strategy and PC multiplayer.  However, I am also very keen to see what it is about the game that has captivated not only my friends, but millions more across the world. LoL now draws in more users than World of Warcraft. Any game that manages that is at least worth a look, and considering it’s free to download, it can’t hurt either.

So, this ‘Week With’ is going to be a little different from the last two. This time, it’s not so much an attempt to see as much of a huge game as possible, but more like an experiment. I’m going to try to get as much time with what LoL has to offer as I can in roughly seven hours, one for each day of the week. Enough time to form an educated opinion, I hope. 

Starting tomorrow, League of Legends is on probation. By the end of the week, hopefully we’ll see if it’s worth some laughs out loud.