griefing
GREEF-ing
/ˈɡriːf.ɪŋ/
The act of deliberately irritating, harassing, or sabotaging other players within a game to ruin their experience.
Griefing is distinct from normal competitive play; it is done purely for the perpetrator's amusement at the victim's expense, often violating the spirit of the game.
The story behind the word. Derived from the English word 'grief' (deep sorrow), this term was adapted by early online gamers in the 1990s to describe players whose sole purpose was to give other players 'grief'—that is, to make their digital lives heavy and miserable.
Word relationships
- sabotage: Sabotage is often strategic to help an opponent win, whereas griefing is done purely to cause emotional distress or frustration.
- trolling: Trolling is a broader term for provocative behavior online, while griefing specifically refers to disruptive actions inside a game environment.
- assistance: Assistance is the act of helping other players achieve their goals.
Commonly confused with
- cheating: Cheating involves breaking rules to gain an unfair advantage to win, while griefing is done to cause annoyance, regardless of winning.
Word family
- griefer (noun): A player who engages in griefing.
- grief (verb): To deliberately harass or annoy another player.
Collocations
- report for griefing
- anti-griefing measures
- griefing behavior
- prevent griefing
Example sentences
- "Griefing in virtual worlds can take many forms, from destroying creations to trapping players in inescapable zones." A report on virtual harassment in multiplayer sandboxes. (The New York Times, 2012)
- "Instead of helping the team win, he engaged in griefing by blocking his teammates' line of sight and throwing the match." Describing a teammate's disruptive actions.
Memory hook
A 'griefer' is someone who causes you 'grief' by ruining your game. Griefers give you grief.
When not to use
Do not use when a player is simply playing poorly, making mistakes, or defeating you using legitimate, high-level strategies.
Fun facts
- In the game Minecraft, developers had to introduce 'claim blocks' and specialized plugins specifically to stop griefers from burning down other players' painstakingly constructed castles.
Related words
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