Powergaming (or power gaming or optimization) is a style of interacting with games or game-like systems, particularly

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

boardgame Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...

s, and,

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

, with the aim of maximizing progress towards a specific goal. Other players may consider this disruptive when done to the exclusion of all other considerations, such as storytelling, atmosphere, and camaraderie. When focusing on the letter of the rules over the spirit of the rules, it is often seen as unsporting, un-fun, or unsociable. This behavior is most often found in games with a wide range of game features, lengthy campaigns, or prize tournaments such as

massively multiplayer A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent world, persistent open world, alt ...

or collectible games.

Description

Powergaming in roleplaying games can take several forms. One form is the deliberate creation of optimal

player characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

(PCs), with the aim of maximising the power the player wields in the game world. This is known as min-maxing, due to the practice of maximising desirable or "powerful" traits while minimising underpowered or less useful traits. Such characters often draw criticism for not fitting the theme and tone of the game world or for being difficult to challenge. Another form of powergaming involves a focus on acquiring power during game progression, often by acquiring powerful equipment or unusual abilities. This lends itself to gameplay which is materialistic (and often, in the context of the game world, arguably immoral) and can frustrate other players who are looking to interact with the game world, score points, and not merely acquire game resources. Another term for a powergamer is a munchkin, who may be differentiated from normal powergamers to describe players who seek to acquire power and loot at the expense and disregard of their teammates. In

online text-based role-playing game An online text-based role playing game is a role-playing game played online using a solely text-based interface. Online text-based role playing games date to 1978, with the creation of ''MUD1'', which began the MUD heritage that culminates in t ...

s that emphasize collaborative role-play over acquiring levels or skills, players can be described powergamers if they presume or declare that their own action against another player character is successful without giving the other player character the freedom to act on their own prerogative. They may also be a player who tries to force others to participate in unwanted role-playing. 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. 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 behaviour if it is not stated in the rules as being a punishable offense (including, but not limited to, banning). It is often seen as synonymous with

twinking Twinking is a type of behavior in role-playing games that is disapproved of by other players. A player who engages in such behavior is known as a twink. The precise definition of twinking varies depending on the variety of role-playing game: *In ...

or ''godmoding''. In video games, powergamers enjoy being at the bleeding edge of progression of their selected game, taking part in every activity that yields the fastest progression, and bypassing the "lesser" activities or any other secondary job, trait, or skill. This is a wide generalization, however. A player that likes to maximise all aspects of the game and do so in an expedient manner is also classified as a powergamer, often seeing more of the world than the "average" player would.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , last = Taylor , first = T.L. , authorlink = T. L. Taylor (scholar) , url = http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05163.32071.pdf , title = Power Gamers Just Want To Have Fun? , work = Proceedings of the 1st Digra conference: Level Up , publisher = University of Utrecht / Digital Games Research Association , year = 2003 {{cite book , last = Taylor , first = T.L. , authorlink = T. L. Taylor (scholar) , title = Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture , chapter = Beyond Fun: Instrumental Play and Power Gamers , publisher =

MIT Press The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States). It was established in 1962. History The MIT Press traces its origins back to 1926 when MIT publish ...

, isbn = 0-262-20163-1 , pages
74
, url = https://archive.org/details/playbetweenworld0000tayl/page/74 {{cite book , last1 = Benedikt , first1 = Claire Lisette , last2 = Ciskowski , first2 = Dave , title = MUDs: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet , publisher = BradyGames , year = 1995 , isbn = 1-56686-246-9

External links

Roll-playing vs. Roleplaying
on TopMudSites, by Wes Platt. An article on the basics of role-play as opposed to 'roll-play' in text-based environments.
A Powergamer's guide to Life
a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

in which real life is treated as an online game to be powergamed. Competition Role-playing game terminology Video game gameplay

Description

See also

References

External links