Running LoL in-houses in seasons — a reset keeps people playing

Run in-houses long enough and the standings set. The top few stay on top, and someone who joined late gets buried near the bottom on cumulative games no matter how well they play. Latecomers then lose interest — 'I can't climb it anyway.'

It's the same at the top. Once first place is locked, there's no reason to try harder. The tension a ranking gives only works while the result is still unknown.

The fix is to reset the ranking periodically. Keep the all-time standings, but run a separate 'this season' ranking that starts fresh on a schedule. That changes a few things:

• Join late and you still compete on equal footing for this season.
• Each season opens with fresh 'I could actually do this' anticipation.
• The all-time standings stay, so a long-timer's record isn't erased.

ONNJ lets you split the leaderboard into seasons and ranks each one separately. A finished season keeps its final standings in the hall of fame.

Too long and the ranking hardens again in the back half; too short and small samples let luck decide it. Match the length to how often your group meets.

For a group meeting once or twice a week, one to two months works well. A group that racks up games can cut it shorter. Aim for at least ten or so games a season so the ranking reflects skill.

The real power of seasons is in the finish. Rather than the ranking just resetting, turning the end into an event lifts participation sharply.

• Announce the final week ahead of time to gather people.
• Put a small prize on the top few (first ban next season, a token pot).
• When the season ends, share the hall of fame and the category awards together.

The prize doesn't need to be big. The title 'this season's number one' alone is reason enough to try next season. What keeps people coming back isn't the money — it's the sense that the result is recorded.