One League // Maria Isabel Lopez Gonzalez

“I'm from Venezuela but I live in Denmark. I've come to London for a week just for MSI. It’s exciting, unique and there’s a lot of emotions. I think it's mostly because of the people, that's what makes the difference. Having people around that also have the same energy and are as excited as you get to see your team win or lose. It's really fun seeing other people just connecting with other fans at events like this where people can come together.

My ex-boyfriend got me into playing League of Legends. That relationship ended but I kept playing because I met other people outside of his friend group, and I just enjoyed the community because they helped me through tougher times. Playing League with other people meant I didn't really have to talk about anything, but I still had people to just be there for me even if it was for a couple of hours. I could just have my brain turned off from this sad situation and I would be able to just be happy. I kept playing because of the people I was able to find, and I visit them in different countries too. I'm going on a trip to Amsterdam next month with one of the friends I met. It's nice because they've also made friends through the game so it kind of grows the circle of friendship. You will always find someone who is there to play or have a moment with you to hang out. That’s actually why League means so, so, so much to me.

You can have a range of friendships that come through too, because playing a game doesn't necessarily mean we see the world the same way. I even found a job through streaming League. I met a developer who offered me a job because he saw me streaming and then coding and said oh, that looks interesting! Through that job I got a lot of experience and through that experience, I was able to apply for a job in Denmark, so I guess League has given me a bunch of different opportunities and I could say changed my life in some ways. No, actually I can really say that it changed my life in a lot of ways, from friendships to even jobs.

Sometimes it’s about the right time, right place, and right game.”

Name: Maria Isabel Lopez Gonzalez

Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark

#OneLeague