In recent years, the popularity of online video games have risen immensely. Among those games is the California originated League of Legends; which has especially attracted a high following in East Asian countries.

League of legends is a highly competitive Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game. Every battle is composed of two teams, each team includes five players that are represented by different characters known as champions.

Not only has this video game rocketed in popularity around the world, League of Legends has also sparked the attention of many Annandale students.

“I first started playing League because my friend, Kenny Pham, told me to,” said senior Daniel Kim.

Kim’s situation is not rare as the introduction to the game by a friend is a repeating trend among AHS League of Legends players. Often times, these friends would later come together and create a team of their own. Annandale High School currently has 12 teams and eight of which were qualified to participate in a school-wide tournament.

Although League of Legends may seem like a trivial game to some, it has developed skills such as teamwork, communication, fast reaction time, and time management to its players.

“[From League of Legends]I learned how to be patient and I know how to manage my time to work or play,” said sophomore Kevin Huynh.

Just like any other team based activity, League of Legends can provide students with a sense of belonging and make them feel as if they are apart of a family. The members of each team show loyalty to each other and support one another.

“One of the best things League of Legends can give you is stress relief. It could be an alternative to alcohol or drugs,” said freshman Benjamin Lee, “The game also gives you a lot of friends. Although they may not always the best of friends, they still have your back and always laugh with you.”

Even though most students at AHS who play League of Legends treat it as a hobby, there are people who play the game for a living. Also, some colleges such as the Robert Morris College in Chicago and the University of Pikeville in Kentucky have offered scholarships for students to play on the school’s team.

However, for now, most student players at Annandale High School will continue to play League of Legends as a side interest that brings them happiness.

“League is a really fun game,” said Kim.