Twinking

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For other uses, see Twink.

Twinking is a term used in computer role-playing games to describe a low level playing style. A player who engages in twinking is known as a twink. The term's specific meaning differs depending on the game's genre. ^[1]

[edit] CRPGs and MMORPGs

In computer role-playing games and MMORPGs, twinking refers to outfitting a new character or player with items or other resources that are not normally available to new or low-level characters. A twink in this usage is a type of powergamer and munchkin. The term can also refer to the twinked character itself (e.g., "My twink has all the best gear.") In its most basic definition, a twink is a character with better gear than they could have easily gotten on their own.

Typically, twinking is done to make the process of leveling easier and faster or to give a character an edge in PvP combat that has level brackets. The twinked character would remain at the highest level in the bracket for this purpose. This can be beneficial to online game communities when it creates a social bond between the item giver and the item recipient, although it is not uncommon to see a high-level player engaging in twinking with his/her low-level characters, if the game allows more than one character. It can also be harmful if it is used to deprive other players of the ability to effectively compete in their power range, particularly in PvP settings.

An example of positive twinking is when new players join a guild and the guild outfits them with basic equipment and cash to help them get over the newbie hump.

Many new players dislike twinking, since it gives a major advantage to established players who want to start a new character. Many games have item restrictions that prevent new characters from using high-level items and upsetting game balance; for instance, Diablo II implements ability score and level requirements. Usually what happens is that players who have been playing for a long time accumulate items that are useless to a high-level character but very helpful to low level characters that just barely meet the requirements. It's also common for twinking items to be traded at good values due to persistent demand. Sometimes, this will go so far as to inflate twink equipment prices, as high level players are willing to pay more than a newbie would be able to. Some new players do not like to be twinked, as it can ruin their first run through of the game - they prefer to earn the equipment for themselves.

Another game in which twinking is common is Anarchy Online. The trader class has a skill-enhancing "nanoprogram", the equivalent of spells in fantasy MMORPGs, called the Wrangle which will boost all of a character's attributes by a certain number of points. This, combined with low-level attribute-enhancing nanoprograms, makes twinking easy for players who have been playing for a long time and has made friends who play the Trader class.

Although twinking can be abused, some of the twinking community plays for the balance of lower brackets and only do twink vs twink competition. An example of this would be some twinks in World of Warcraft who have guilds and more just for that purpose.

Keep in mind though, that twinks do not exploit or cheat. They operate completely inside the rules set by the game.

To counter the bad effects of twinking some games implement TLC.

[edit] Online text-based role-playing games

In online text-based role-playing games such as MUDs and MU*s, twinking may include, but is not limited to:

Denial-of-service or "DoS" attacks;
Hacking the server;
Creating an invincible or extremely powerful character with which the twink will seek to dominate in role-play;
Aggravating and attacking the game administration and/or game community;
God-moding;
Powergaming;
Metagaming - for example, creating a character which will guess plot-points that they would not otherwise know had the player themselves not known it.