Brazil is the home of one of the most dedicated LoL fanbases in the world, with hundreds of thousands tuning in to the CBLOL each split. Similar passion can be found there for many of Riot’s other esports titles. But with the passing of the
ECA Digital, Brazil’s new “Statue of Children and Adolescents,” for Brazilians under 18, those games have become only spectator sports. In accordance with the law, most of Riot’s multiplayer titles will now require age verification to prove an account is held by only players over 18; those under will have their accounts completely blocked from playing.
The sole exception to this sweeping rule in Riot’s catalog is VALORANT, which is instead seeing a new requirement for parental approval, for players 12-17. For young Brazilian non-VAL players, not much can be done to keep queuing up. In their statement,
Riot explained that these games’ age ratings are expected to be lowered back by 2027. Until then, young players will simply have to play something else, while those of age can scan identification and proceed as usual.
The laws are targeted in particular at preventing minors from playing games with gacha and loot box systems. These systems are often critiqued for being highly predatory in their reward-distribution, aimed at baiting naive buyers to gamble again and again. League, with its Hextech Chests system, launched in 2016, is certainly a pioneer in locking cosmetics behind random rolling. Recent developments in games like LoL and TFT have shifted even further towards gacha tactics, with prestige skins growing more and more expensive, and tacticians locked behind complex, costly systems. But in cracking down on Riot’s monetization, it’s the consumers, young Brazilian fans, who are punished.
FURIA’s
Pedro “Tatu” Seixas,
the jungler who just won the Americas Cup, expressed his frustration with the change online, suggesting that, rather than barring the whole games, the loot box content alone should be restricted for younger players. He explained that
LoL, which he began playing at 6, was an environment that shaped him as a person, and a place where he made many friends. Of course, now playing well both in the CBLOL and internationally,
LoL is also Tatu’s career: the player pipeline for pros in
LoL and other esports are filled with players who’ve been developing their skills since childhood. By cutting off Brazil from
LoL, the CBLOL’s talent pipeline, too, is cut off.
These changes are dire for the future of LoL and Riot’s other titles for young Brazilian fans. Prospective growth in esports, as well as the vast playerbase simply intent on having fun with the game in itself, are both cut off from their lifeblood: new players. For a game like LoL, already growing in average playerbase age consistently, such a thing could take the huge Brazilian fanbase, and fracture it greatly. Hopefully, a way can be found to get the loot boxes into compliance with Brazilian law, so everyone can enjoy Summoner’s Rift, and the many other Riot titles, once more.
