Spam (gaming)

(Spam Twitter)-Spamming, in the context of video games, refers to the rapid, repeated use of the same item or action. For example, "grenade spamming" is the act of a player throwing a large amount of grenades in succession into an area. In fighting games, one form of spamming would be to execute the same offensive maneuver so many times in succession that one's opponent does not receive a chance to escape the series of blows.

Spawn spamming

One form of spam which is regarded as reprehensible by the gaming community as a whole is spawn spamming (also known as spawn reaping) (see spawn camping). As the name implies, this involves spamming an enemy's spawn point with weapon fire in an effort to kill the enemy as they spawn. Many games include some kind of spawn protection which prevents players being injured for a few seconds after spawning. Spawn points may be spammed using grenades, proximity mines, bullets, or other weaponry.

Sandbox spamming

In some sandbox-style open ended video games, players may spawn props, NPCs or other items. This is prevalent in the Half-Life 2 modification Garry's Mod, where it is possible to spawn numerous quantities of large, complex, or explosive items in order to crash the server. This is also common amongst Griefers in Second Life, who spam sandboxes (areas which allow anyone to spawn custom scripted items) with the intent of either slowing the FPS for other players, or crashing the server altogether.

Skill spamming

In Role Playing Games (RPG) spam usually takes the form of repeated use of one powerful or low-cost skill or spell. Buff, debuff, and condition spamming has the goal of making the player or his allies invulnerable, or the enemy too weak to react. More common is direct-damage spamming, where a single attack or spell, which has a low casting-cost and recharge time, is used continuously. One notable example is the spell 'Charged Bolt' in Diablo II. Its instantaneous cast and low cost allowed high level mages to cast the spell as quickly as they could press the casting key, dealing large amounts of damage in the process. Players can also spam high-end powerful skills, such as the 'Apocalypse' spell in Diablo or the Moonfire spell available to druids in World Of Warcraft, which can be spammed to do high amounts of damage in a short period of time. Most games place heavy restrictions on the most powerful skills to prevent this kind of spamming, however, and it is often only possible through the use of cheats.

Chat spamming

Chat spamming is the repetition of a word or line typed out by a player using a game's chat system. As most games have some form of text messaging built for in-game communication, there is little to stop a frustrated player from flooding a server with text in the same way a user can flood a chat room. Some servers enforce rules regarding text spamming, possibly resulting in players being kicked or banned. Some games allow text to be turned off or mute the player after a limited number of messages at the same time, hence nullifying this form of spamming. People usually "Copy and Paste" or use spambots.

Grenade spamming

Grenade spamming or 'nade spamming involves throwing multiple grenades into an area. Grenade spamming can have two distinct sub-genres. The first occurs when a single player will repeatedly acquire grenades (usually with the assistance of hotkeys) and throw them without moving. The second version involves a player or group of players all throwing large numbers of grenades into an area. Grenade spamming has the effect of real-life artillery barrages, suppressing an area of the map and killing any characters caught within the spammed zone. When multiple players spam the same area, it is near-impossible for the opposing players to avoid having their avatars wounded or killed, and this effectively denies that area to enemies.

Weapon spamming

Apart from grenades, "spam" can also describe spray and pray tactics with firearms. In its most general definition, weapon spamming involves using a large amount of ammunition irrespective of having any visible targets. While rapid automatic fire is often desirable against multiple targets or for suppression purposes, many gaming communities will frown on the reliance on automatic fire.

The issue is most evident in games with light, fast automatic weapons and plenty of ammunition, such as light machine guns, allowing players to run around maps with the trigger held down and usually being able to score many points before being killed. While this style of gameplay often exposes players to direct conflict, as the style is largely based on luck, players relying solely on spam tactics are often looked down upon for their apparent lack of skill. However, some differentiation is made between weapon spamming against invisible targets (identified by sound, for example) and simple blind firing with the hopes of randomly hitting a target.

Move Spamming

Spamming in fighting games is very prevalent and it's use is just as controversial as other forms of spamming. Move spamming involves using the same move or set of moves repeatedly. Usually these moves have high damage and/or speed and can be difficult to block. Move spamming allows a player to inflict high damage with little effort and prevents the opponent from getting into a good footing to attack.

Like other forms of spamming, many players complain that it is unfair and diminishes the skill of the game, but experienced players will frequently use spamming to force their opponents into a different fighting style or into a compromising position. The downside to move spamming is that it frequently leaves the player open to attack if they are not careful of when they spam a move. Frequent spamming of particular moves can also make a player very predictable, making the likelihood of an opponent falling victim to a spam move very low. Many games attempt to reduce move spamming by having long recovery times at the end of highly effective moves, giving characters effective counters to break spamming, as well as the damage of a move gradually lowering as it is used repeatedly.