“League of Legends” (LoL/League) is a multiplayer online battle arena that was published in 2009 by Riot Games. As of 2024, “League of Legends” continues to fill servers with around eight million concurrent users daily worldwide. This popular game comes with mixed reviews from the player base. According to Metacritic, the game has garnered a generally unfavorable reception, earning a score of just 4.7 out of 10. This low rating suggests that many players were disappointed with its gameplay, story or overall execution. Despite this lackluster performance in the gaming world, the game has remarkably inspired a Netflix series, “Arcane,” which has been met with overwhelming praise. The series has achieved an impressive score of nine out of ten on IMDB and boasts a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting its positive viewer reception.
“Arcane,” directed by Pascal Charrue, Arnaud Delord, and Bart Maunoury, was released in 2021 to Netflix by Riot Games and started with seven episodes. The realm of “Arcane” explores the stories between two areas in Runeterra. Piltover is a thriving utopia based on innovation and culture and the Zaun (Also known as the Undercity) is a poor, underground city that thrives on crime and black market trade. The first few episodes of “Arcane” follow Violet (Vi), Powder, Mylo and Claggor as they escape their crimes in Piltover only for their entire family to be destroyed during an attempt to help save their father. Powder, only wishing to help, releases a bomb that ultimately kills her older brother and father. Amid the chaos, Violet slaps Powder and proclaims her a “jinx.” That single word will dictate Powder for the rest of her life.
Throughout the rest of season one, Powder transitions into a teenager going by the name of Jinx. She displays symptoms of multiple mental and psychological disorders like PTSD, and although not confirmed by writers, it is highly speculative that Jinx suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) which is backed up by her intense fear of isolation, unstable and chaotic emotions, impulsive behavior and paranoia. BPD is also known for causing auditory and visual hallucinations which Jinx displays countless times throughout the first season of “Arcane.”
As season one unfolds, the story delves into the fractured relationships between the powerful city of Piltover and the oppression of Zaun. The characters Vi and Caitlyn are central to the storyline, and they are skilled enforcers with a strong sense of justice. At the same time, in the heart of Piltover, two brilliant but ambitious scientists are hard at work on a groundbreaking project. Their creation, referred to as “Hextech,” merges technology with magic. This invention not only sets off a chain of events that could alter their society but also serves as a catalyst for the growing tension and conflict between the two cities.
The first season led strongly, winning 22 awards, including the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program and the 2022 Game Award for Best Adaptation. However, despite the success, Riot will profit little from this accomplishment as each episode costs about 13.4 million dollars to produce with both seasons costing a whopping $250 million. “Arcane” continues to break boundaries as Season Two, Act 1 released earlier this month on Nov. 9th.
