Powergaming

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There are two mainstream definitions of powergaming in different genres of online text-based role-playing games.

In text-based online environments such as MUSH, MUCK, MU*s and other role-playing (RP) games that emphasize role-play over acquiring levels or skills (as opposed to most MUDs), powergaming is for a player to presume or declare that his or her own action against another player character is successful without giving the other player character the freedom to act on his own prerogative. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • Roleplaying or acting in such a manner that another player is forced or coerced into an action that he or she does not wish to take.
  • Declaring another character's actions for himself, without that player's permission.
  • Stating what happened to another player character without the player's consent.
  • Presuming that your own attack or physical action against another character was successful without giving the character the chance to dodge or react otherwise.
  • Forcing one's roleplay on another, unwilling, player.
  • Imposing emotional reactions on other characters and 'thoughtposing,' or posing your thoughts of a given character, thus giving that character no chance to react.
  • Conversely, declaring that all actions taken against your character have no effect.

For example, if Player A and B were to interact in an RP MU*, and Player A posed throwing a punch at Player B, he would be powergaming if he were to pose:

Player A punches Player B in the face, knocking him senseless.

The above example gives Player B no chance to react. Whereas if Player A were to pose:

Player A aims a swinging uppercut at Player B.

- Player B would still have the freedom to pose his own reaction.

In such games, in which a sense of community and rapport between players is seen as crucial and conducive to the game's overall well-being, powergaming is generally regarded as extremely offensive behavior if it is not stated in the rules as being a bannable offense, which it is in the majority of text-based role-playing games. It is often seen as synonymous with twinking and closely related to god-moding (see below).

In hack and slash and PK MUDs, powergaming is a particular way of playing in which the emphasis lies on developing a player character that is as powerful as possible. This often involves an expert knowledge of the rules of the game, even (or especially) for exceptional or unlikely circumstances, and knowing how to apply the rules to get maximal results with minimal penalties (often referred to as min-maxing).

Sometimes an active abuse of the rules is implied, when rules that are expected or intended to model a realistic game world (according to some well-understood definition of "realism") are applied in ways that are manifestly at odds with those expectations. For example, a Dungeons & Dragons sorcerer might take a single level of the paladin class for the attractive bonuses that come with this, even when paladins are traditionally seen as being devoted to their lifestyle, and the profession is not something you could train in briefly. It is important to note that powergaming, in this sense, almost never implies active cheating or circumvention of the rules, merely using them in ways that are technically legal but frowned upon by those who consider the intent of the game more important than its exact implementation.

The term is often used disparagingly, implying that such players have little to no interest in other aspects a role-playing game may have, like cooperative problem solving or social interaction, and that their focus on their own character (to the point of ignoring anything that is not an opportunity for showing off their character's exceptional skills) makes the game less fun for other players. As an attitude, it is often associated with adolescent males and the desire to be the "best" player in some clear, quantifiable sense.

In many cases the games themselves, especially computer role-playing games, have evolved in ways that make powergaming an easier or more satisfying way of playing than others. Many CRPGs were and are written for single players only, and have combat as their primary focus. Additionally, the automation of the rules and the possibility of using savegames encourages players to experimentally establish the "best" way to play. Multi-player CRPGs are not exempt from this development: Neverwinter Nights is one example of a CRPG that permits players to create many different class combinations that are seen as overly powerful and inconsistent with earlier versions of Dungeons & Dragons, while the online CRPG EverQuest is often seen as encouraging powergaming by emphasizing repetitive quests with little interaction as the primary means of character development.

The term is not exclusively negative, however. Many powergamers often style themselves as such, taking pride in their abilities, with some pointing out that "powergaming" as an optimization problem and does not exclude enjoying the game in other ways. Powergaming is simply seen as one aspect of the game, to be mastered like any other. Others take the term as implying only the expert knowledge of the rules, and the ability to create a character that develops completely according to one's wishes. Such a character is not necessarily "maximal" in any sense, and may even be played more realistically than a character whose abilities and limitations are not as clearly understood.

On MUD and MUCK systems that typically emphasize social interaction over role-playing, a powergamer is a player who tries to force others, by his actions, to participate in role-playing they don't want to engage in. For instance, a player who unilaterally describes his character as doing something with (or to) another character that would usually require the other to play along—such as having a fight or a sexual encounter—is considered to be powergaming (see above definition on forced roleplay). Powergaming in this sense is regarded as bad style at best, or abusive at worst; if done with the person's OOC consent it has obvious applications in domination/submission play - although it is understood on consensual games that both players should enter into such encounters willingly or it constitutes a violation of the game rules. Non-consensual games may have a warning in their TOS, or terms of service.

Related is god-moding or god mode and happens mostly in roleplay-centric games. A godmoder plays an invincible character: any attacks launched against it will miss or fail to cause harm, possesses ultimate powers. The two terms are often linked: A 'modder' is a player who either completely ignores the other players' attempts, or declares auto-success on his actions.

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