Griefing

So what is griefing in video games? Well, as the name suggests, it's not completely unrelated to the term “grief”. Having said that, though, it is actually pretty different. The most important notion to keep in mind is that this term is used for the world of gaming, so we have to remember that it is nowhere as extreme as actual, real-life grief.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's see what the gaming expression really means.

What Does “Griefing People” Mean? 

In most video games, there’s an understanding that people playing together should work to achieve the same goal. Griefing goes against that concept and refers to people who are deliberately trying to hinder their team’s chances of success in a game. 

Griefing could come in the form of shooting other people in your team or doing other things to sabotage them such as going against the agreed tactics. 

What Is an Example of Griefing? 

Griefing takes up different forms depending on the game you’re playing. In online battle arenas, for instance, it can come in the form of shooting your own teammates. But this couldn’t occur in soccer games, though, as there are no guns involved. 

In a sandbox survival game, griefing could come in the form of preventing other players from carrying out the tasks they want to achieve. An example of griefing would be killing animals that another player has spent time collecting or attracting creepers to another player's location to have them attack them. Griefing could also come in the guise of constructing buildings that block another player’s path. 

What Constitues as Griefing?

Griefing in games is when players decide to annoy or harass other people within the game world. This can come in the form of sabotaging a game to purposefully get one’s own team to lose. It could also occur when players troll others in the chat. 

What Does Griefing Mean on the Internet? 

Griefing on the internet generally means that someone is trying to prevent another player or players’ enjoyment by disrupting their game. They can use many different methods to do so, but the desired outcome of the person doing the griefing is to annoy the other players. Griefing can come in a range of diverse forms, and it looks different depending on the game you are playing. This is because every game follows its own unique rules. In a soccer game, for example, griefing may come in the form of kicking the ball into your own net to score an own goal.