The Case Against the Surrender Mechanic

by Zenstyle - 7 years ago

If you’ve played League of Legends, you’re no doubt aware of the existence of the surrender mechanic. Requiring 20 minutes to have passed, and a vote of 80% of the remaining players, surrendering ends the game with a loss, and players are free to walk it off or instantly queue for another match. The mechanic serves as an out for those who believe victory is impossible, or seek an escape from being ‘trolled’ by one or multiple teammates. Given how vitriolic League of Legends tends to be at times, the feature makes sense there.

Heroes of the Storm will be different, however. The matches will be a great deal shorter, as Blizzard has all but eliminated the farming portion of the hero brawler experience from the equation. Dustin Browder explained at both BlizzCon 2013 and in the first of the recent Q&A sessions that the average match should last somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes, as opposed to upwards of an hour.

What’s more, shared experience means that no hero will fall behind the rest of their team. This should prevent the all too common situation wherein supports fall behind and serve as little more than fodder for the opposing forces. If you’ve been watching the recent VODs, Naziba seems to try his hardest to feed aggressively, but even at the helm of the feed wagon, he never falls behind in levels. This will create a situation where all players can feel engaged, as opposed to just high level carries and gankers.

At present, there’s been no official word as to whether or not Heroes of the Storm will feature a surrender mechanic, but it seems unlikely, and would only serve to diminish the experience of the game. While the mechanic has its heart in the right place, it’s often utilized by unpleasant individuals who believe that the match is over because they did not get a specific lane, hero, or last hit on an enemy. Blizzard’s already taken strides to distinguish the upcoming title from others within the genre, most of which should greatly reduce the potential for team infighting. Opting out of a surrender feature would only serve to help separate their game from a good portion of the pack, and encourage gamers to play matches out, as opposed to AFK and wait for a concede mechanic to pass.

As always, we here at BlizzPro would like to hear your opinion on the matter. Do you believe a surrender mechanic would help or harm Heroes of the Storm?