Skarner's quotes are extra sad too.
"This world is so strange"
"I miss my kind"
"The Crystal Scar is weeping"
Just to name a few.

None of the new lores have any pain. Not like Trundle or Mao or Urgot. Does success sell? I am a character without pain who doesn't have any conflict just goals I've achieved.

And suddenly, I want to play Maokai...

As typical as it sounds...After I read Lux's judgement, I really felt I could relate to her. She's so sad, but has this very cheerful facade as to not drive people away. I can relate. I feel ya bro.

It seems to me that what defines nerd subcultures tends to revolve around taking an interest in the depth provided by a given nerdy pursuit; games, books, movies, etc. While the average person hears the stories in LoL and moves on, someone who is actively seeking to become immersed and knowledgeable about the game takes the time to think more critically, even when the game itself isn't necessarily designed or expected to have the depth that they consider.

For example, the original post discussing Maokai talks about the idea of the emotional connection you can have to a character in a game. That's absolutely a 'nerdy' sort of interpretation (which I don't think is a bad thing, quite the opposite). In fact, you find that sort of depth being taken in many OTHER games and nerd cultures as well. While the vast majority of people playing games like Halo enjoy the idea of playing a shoot-em-up fun FPS for a while, people who become attached or emotionally invested in the franchise see the games like Halo Reach and FEEL the emotional connection as (spoilers!) their companions and main character eventually die in various heroic, self sacrificing ways.

Maokai was an awesomely interesting story, the idea that life from non-existence could be a burden. Skarner is another beautiful tale, he's sort of lost in time...his people are mostly gone and he himself is alone now. I think that some of the stories provided in this game are REALLY compelling if you take a moment and consider them, like the OP is doing. Yi? He literally faced horrific war-crimes, and is one of the last of his people and his martial art. He wants to launch headlong into a suicide mission, but feels an obligation to preserve his ancient arts. That is a COOL and EMOTIONALLY GRIPPING story, considering it's less than a page in length in his description. Swain is a villain that is SHROUDED IN MYSTERY and we love it because his character has an implied depth that arrives at almost disturbing imagery of a demi-human beast bent on gaining power and vengeance.

I play LoL because I enjoy MOBA games a great deal and my friends play it. But I derive AMUSEMENT from the game because I enjoy the constant evolution of story and characters, and because the game is constantly evolving and trying to become more complex and intricate over time.

Cool post, OP.

Glad his VO had a positive effect on you

I miss my kind. :'(