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, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

s, spawning is the live creation of a character, item or NPC. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction, perhaps after losing one of its lives. Despawning is the deletion of an entity from the game world. All

player character 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 ...

s typically spawn at the start of a round, whereas some objects or mobs may spawn after the occurrence of a particular event or delay. When a player character respawns, they generally do so in an earlier point of the level and get some kind of penalty. The term was coined by

id Software id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...

within the context of its game, '' Doom''.

Spawn points

''Spawn points'' are areas in a level where players spawn. In levels designed for team play, these points are usually grouped so that each team spawns in their own tight area of the level. Spawn points are typically reserved for one team at any time and often have the ability to change hands to the other team. Some games even allow spawn points to be created by players; using a beacon for example in ''

Battlefield 2142 ''Battlefield 2142'' is a 2006 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fourth game in the ''Battlefield'' series. ''Battlefield 2142'' is set in 2142, depicting a war known as "The Cold War ...

''. "Odd" spawn points cause the player to be spawned as if actively entering the game world, rather than merely appearing there. Regarding player-created spawn points, the game '' Enemy Territory: Quake Wars'' allows players utilizing the Strogg Technician class (Strogg team version of GDF Medic class) to create "spawn hosts" out of the bodies of fallen GDF enemies. Any player on the Strogg team can use any unused spawn host and the player – upon death – can use it to spawn closer to the objective or in a tactical location, being effective tools for defending a location or advancing the front line. The spawn host disappears after the Strogg player respawns at its location, so the spawn host can only be used once. Conversely, players utilizing the GDF Medic class can disable and remove Strogg player-created spawn hosts by zapping them with their defibrillator pads.