The term "griefing" was applied to online multiplayer video games by the year 2000 or earlier, as illustrated by postings to the rec.games.computer.ultima.online USENET group.
In the culture of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in Taiwan, such as Lineage, griefers are known as "white-eyed"—a metaphor meaning that their eyes have no pupils and so they look without seeing.
Common methods may include, but are not limited to: The term is sometimes applied more generally[8] to refer to a person who uses the internet to cause distress to others as a prank,[9][10] or to intentionally inflict harm, as when it was used to describe an incident in March 2008, when malicious users posted seizure-inducing animations on epilepsy forums.
[17] Second Life bans players for harassment (defined as being rude or threatening, making unwelcome sexual advances, or performing activities likely to annoy or alarm somebody) and assault (shooting, pushing, or shoving in a safe area, or creating scripted objects that target another user and hinder their enjoyment of the game) in its community standards.
This does not mean that the developers are indifferent to the negative effect that these activities may have on players, it is simply their choice with regards to the culture and atmosphere that they intended for the game.
Players are advised to approach unfamiliar situations in the game with an appropriate level of caution, develop strategies to deal with the presence of these elements, and take personal responsibility for their in-game actions.
[21][22][23][24] Certain activities are allowed by the developers, but are still considered illegal in the game itself and result in in-game consequences, such as the unavoidable loss of the attacker's ship when engaging in combat with a non-allowed target in high-security space.
[citation needed] By the early 2020s, Grand Theft Auto Online has experienced a drastic increase in griefing, due in part to the emergence of bugs and better money-making opportunities.
[citation needed] Bethesda Softworks Games, a division of ZeniMax Media Inc., has a clear code of conduct[27] that does not allow griefing, as indicated in section 3.2.
However, this has instead become another mechanism to engage in griefing, by luring other players into PvP, in which they largely have no chance to survive because of the perk loadout and weapons used by the griefer.