Looting (gaming) - Ninja Looting

Ninja Looting

The term "ninja looting", or just "ninja-ing", applies to a number of common looting practices. A player exhibiting any of these behaviors might be labeled a "ninja looter", or simply a "ninja":

• Looting treasure off enemies that a party other than his own has defeated but not yet looted.

This situation could arise in a number of ways. The killing party could still be involved in a protracted battle with additional enemies, or that party could be having difficulty deciding among themselves who should loot the item, or they may have decided it should go to a friend's or guildmate's character who is not in that party and are awaiting his arrival from elsewhere in the game. (The latter two cases are particular to MMOGs where powerful and important items typically become permanently bound to the first player who picks them up. Otherwise, the item could be looted by anyone and redistributed to the proper individual later.) Similarly, at times there may be a physically accessible treasure that is being guarded (e.g., a treasure chest), such that any attempt to loot it will provoke the guardians into attacking; a player who waits near such a treasure for another player to engage the guardians - and then loots it himself while the other player is occupied in combat - is considered a ninja looter (effortlessly acquiring a treasure at someone else's risk and expense).

• Looting specific items off enemies that the player's own party defeated before the party has formally decided who should do so, or in direct contradiction to a decision that someone else should loot.

• Consistently looting all defeated enemies at the earliest possible moment, thus precluding any other party member from receiving any treasure, even when nothing special is to be had. (This is also known as "loot whoring".)

• Looting items that the player cannot use for the sole purpose of selling or trading it. Sometimes this may be discovered after the fact if that same item (through an in-game trade system, such as the Auction House in World of Warcraft) is later found to be for sale by the player who lied about needing it. This may also occur by misuse of the in-game loot distribution system, by misleading or confusing loot rules, or simply by a lack of established loot rules. Taking advantage of these last two situations is often thought of as a mild offense and may be overlooked as carelessness or poor planning.

Many MMOGs have various loot distribution systems built into the game that attempt to take fairness into account, and can prevent some of these practices. Others have none at all, or only simplistic systems, or optional systems that can be turned on or off by the party's leader. Official player conduct policies also vary from game to game, as does player attitude.