Talk:Twinking

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What is the etymology of the term Twinking? 218.214.18.41 02:23, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

The common wisdom is that it comes from the famous 'Twinkie Defense' but the term is old enough that, as far as I know, no one really remembers where it really came from. Ehheh 17:31, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I always thought it was because the superior quality items and enchantments usually have improved graphics, and hence "twinkle". This is true at least in WoW and FF XI. BTW, I'm going to remove the POV statement in the first line of the article that it "compromises" the game somehow, and move it to a criticisms section. --DDG 15:37, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

The term originated in text gaming (MUDS) well before WoW or Everquest were released. I'm certain it had nothing to do with graphics. Ehheh 15:49, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Since major etymology sources/researchers don't consider rather trivial things like RPG terminology, it's hard to say. Twink (as in the more known gay slang term) has been around since at least 1963 it seems, which predates MMO gaming by a decade. As for myself? I've honestly NEVER heard the term until World of Warcraft, and I've played a good deal of online roleplaying games before that. Even then, I never heard the term until a little more than a year ago. This is no place for original research, but I'd guess whoever coined the term did it by mistake and was probably thinking of a more proper word, like tweaking. 67.11.140.20 18:41, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Having played MUDS a long time ago, I can verify that the term at least was used then. On another note, I altered the sentence about twink guilds in World of Warcraft - there are exclusively twink vs. twink guilds, but it's hardly the standard practice, and certainly not the standard position of the 'twink community' in WoW. Myrkabah 07:41, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

I first heard the term used in Everquest, and that its meaning comes directly from the gay slang. That seems very likely since the meanings are so close -- older gay men showering younger gay men (twinks) with gifts. John Bolton 19:23, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

That'll need a citation to go into the article. Ehheh 19:51, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I also first heard the term in EverQuest, but the word's origin had a slightly different meaning. A higher level character would give money or new items to a lower level character. While graphically the money or new items may not twinkle, in popular culture someone who is rich adorns themselves or others with new things that are often portrayed as sparkling, shiny or twinkling, such as a "shiny new car" or a "twinkling diamond necklace". So, if a player receives these new items or wealth which they normally could not obtain without help, they are called a Twink: which is a negative connotation for someone who receives wealth beyond their means. --SwitchLink 20:29, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

From "The New Hacker's Dictionary", 2nd ed. 1993. John Bolton 01:22, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

/twink/ [UCSC] n. Equivalent to read-only user. Also reported on the USENET group soc.motss; may derive from gay slang for a cute young thing with nothing upstairs (compare mainstream `chick').

[edit] Merge

Who suggested the merge from godmodding into twinking? As I understand it, Godmodding is an exploit of some kind. Twinking (at least in MMORPGs) is not an exploit, but a mechanism enabled by the game itself. I fail to see the need to merge, from an MMORPG sense. Maybe tabletops are different. --DDG 17:23, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

On something like a MUSH, Twink is a catch-all term for any kind of a cheater or undesireable player. Someone who powerposes or 'godmods' often would be commonly called a twink. Ehheh 15:01, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Godmodding applies only to message-board RPGs. In mbRPGs (for lack of better term), there is no method of controlling how powerful any individual character can be. For example, a brand-new player can literally start out as an emperor. In mbRPGs, capabilities are only partially the result of claiming them, and also partly given by the majority's consent. mbRPGing is like writing a fan-fic with multiple other people. It has to fit together, or it results in bickering. For example, no one would want to read a book in which the United States is fighting World War II, and suddenly they have a Death Star at their disposal. Likewise, no one would want to participate in an mbRPG in which anyone can just say that they have super mega powers and have it be so.--NME 09:17, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

After reading Godmodding, I don't think that term is interchangable with Twink. A Twink is someone who obtains gifts of money or items from a higher level character or player that is within structured game mechanics. Whereas Godmodding means to bestow unrealistic or out of context power, abilities or events upon yourself or others within subjective game mechanics. While similar in function, they have two completely separate realms of context. --SwitchLink 21:09, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

I removed the merge template. The two terms are not related, and there has been no real support for the merge (or even a reason posted in the first place). --163.1.165.116 21:29, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

I'd rewrite the last paragraph regarding twink guilds in WoW. Twink guilds exist as currently, there is no matching system in the game. This allows a twink guild to create an entirely premade side vs a normal geared side. Many twink guilds will actually not play against other twink guilds because they wuld not be able to destroy the other side in such games.