Griefing

“

It's lads like you that give war a bad name! Click to listen — The Demoman

”

Griefing is the act of using or abusing a game mechanic in ways originally unintended by the game's developers for the specific purpose of angering or otherwise negatively impacting the game experience of another player. Griefing can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint because its defining characteristic is intent and not action.

Griefing is distinctly different than "being an idiot." Bug abuse and hacking can be griefing, but only when done specifically to disrupt another player's gameplay, and not when done simply to gain an unfair advantage.

List of acts that are never griefing

• Camping. Camping areas like spawn points and Teleporter exits, while not technically griefing, is still frowned upon.

• Turtling

• Ambushing

• Rooting out Spies, Engineers, or other classes hiding behind the team.

• Killing the same player repeatedly in order to remove a tactical advantage gained by their presence from a defensive or exposed location

List of acts that may be griefing

The following are griefing when they are done to disrupt someone's enjoyment of the game:

• Mic spam

• Text/call spam

• Bug abuse

• Hacking

• Offensive speech, text or Sprays

• Repeatedly stealing Teleports from slower or more vital Classes

List of acts that are almost always griefing

The following items are almost always griefing, because it is generally the only reason to do them:

• Intentionally healing, or ÜberCharging, enemy Spies so that they are able to kill your teammates.

• Intentionally and repeatedly Healing disguised friendly Spies in order to disrupt their cover.

• Using Teleporters to trap your team-mates in inescapable locations.

• Deliberately placing Teleporters entrances across vital exits and entryways so it is impossible to pass them without being teleported (usually back to your spawn).

• Putting Teleporter exits in inescapable or immediately hostile areas.

• Placing Teleporters that lead to useless areas or just a few feet away from the entrance.

• Building Teleporter exits in your own base and placing the entrance in the enemies, to allow Spies to repeatedly infiltrate your base.

• Continuously obstructing a Sniper's view by staying in front of the Sniper's scope.

• Exploits, such as Skywalking in Dustbowl (Stage 3, Control Point 2) with the express idea in mind to annoy/anger the enemy team.

• Setting up Sentry Guns and Dispensers in areas that the enemy cannot reach in order to irritate your team-mates; for example, at the BLU team's setup/respawn area in Gravel Pit.

• Intentionally being worthless to your team. For example, standing in the same place, only using melee weapons, repeatedly attempting taunt-kills, and running straight into enemy fire.

• Attacking your own teammates for long stretches of time for no reason besides annoying them.

• Following the same teammate around for no reason.

• Übering teammates for no reason, such as Übering a Sniper that is in no danger, Übering teammates in the spawn, etc.

• While you are playing as Soldier, intentionally calling for Medic with the Equalizer out, even when you are not injured.

• Calling for, and receiving, an ÜberCharge as a Soldier with the Rocket Jumper or Demoman with the Sticky Jumper equipped, with the sole intention of wasting the Medic's ÜberCharge.

• Setting off Pumpkin Bombs with the Huntsman, Mad Milk or Jarate with the sole intent of teamkilling.

• Obtaining the enemy Intelligence in a Capture the Flag map and purposely not capturing it so as to prevent others from obtaining and capturing it.

• Building Dispenser in front of allied Sentry Guns to stop them from shooting.

Griefing demonstration: Team Roomba

These are some examples of griefing, made by Team Roomba.