Riot Games Co-Founder Marc Merrill on How Gaming Can Benefit Humanity
By LA Stories Staff Los Angeles
PUBLISHED 6:11 PM ET Dec. 09, 2019 UPDATED 2:09 PM ET Dec. 10, 2019
LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez profiles Marc Merrill the co-founder of Riot Games.
Merrill’s story is of gamer dreams and business envy. He and his USC roommate took their passion for World of Warcraft-style online games, turned it into League of Legends, and watched their creation become the most popular multi-player PC game in the world.
LA Stories went with Merrill behind-the-scenes of the gaming phenom’s sprawling 13-acre Santa Monica campus and discovered that Riot Games is a creative paradise, a mecca for millennial minds, and ground zero in the explosive cultural grown of electronic games.
League of Legends attracts eight-million concurrent players daily and 100-million players a month.
The game is a key driver of the growth of esports, with 13 League of Legends “leagues” around the world that operate just like NBA or NFL franchises.
Merrill talks to host Giselle Fernandez about his inspirations, challenges, and the hard lessons learned as co-chairman of Riot. He opens up about toxic players and his previous gaming addiction.
Merrill is also transparent about the 2019 employee walkout and the action steps Riot is instituting for better best practices.
He explains how the opportunities in gaming are endless and overall can be a benefit to humanity.