Summary
- Turkey is amid a wave of protests following the arrest of the popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
- Turkish League of Legends players are adopting the champion Sylas a beacon of resistance.
- Sylas’ pick rate has skyrocketed in Turkey because of the protests.
Turkey is currently in the midst of a wave of protests following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu—President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s most prominent political rival—on charges of corruption. Since Imamoglu’s arrest, over 1,500 people have been detained for participating in “illegal demonstrations” including several journalists covering the protests.
Protesters are demonstrating against the government’s anti-democratic actions and are calling for the early resignation of Erdogan’s government. These demonstrations have spread to Turkey’s thriving League of Legends community, which is adopting the champion Sylas as a symbol of resistance (nice spot, Dot Esports).
No More Cages
Turkish players are changing their summoner icons to Sylas and posting some of his quotes online. In League of Legends’ lore, Sylas is from the city of Demacia – ostensibly a shining beacon of progress, justice and humility. However, magic is outlawed in Demacia, and those practicing magic are brutally hunted down and murdered. Sylas was originally one of these mage hunters, before he turned on his masters and became a pro-mage revolutionary. The champion is often depicted with broken shackles hanging from his body, symbolising his freedom from the hidden oppression of Demacia.
Sylas’ position as the leader of a revolution means he has a lot of quotes that are thematically appropriate for the unrest in Turkey. Lines like “No more cages!”; “Break the chains”; and “Stand up brothers and sisters, they can’t hang us all,” are being co-opted by the Turkish League of Legends community.
In fact, Sylas’ pick rate on the Turkish server has skyrocketed in response to the protest as players play the champion as an act of resistance. On March 17, two days before the arrest of Imamoglu, Sylas’ pick-rate in Turkey was 6 per cent. Now, just a week later, Sylas is being picked in 12 per cent of ranked matches. Considering Sylas wasn’t adjusted in the recent patch, the only explanation for this burst of popularity is the protest. A doubling of a champion’s pick-rate for non-gameplay reasons is unprecedented. This phenomenon is unique to the Turkish server, as Sylas is sitting at an 8.5 per cent pick rate worldwide, with no recent spike in play rate.
Protests are ongoing in Istanbul and around Turkey. President Erdogan has responded to the demonstrations by saying “Those who spread terror in the streets and want to set fire to this country have nowhere to go. The path they have taken is a dead end.”
- Released
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October 27, 2009
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco