When it comes to playing video games, one issue that seems to be the most divisive of all is the issue of camping.  Even the term camping can mean different things in a video game, which is probably where the confusing comes in.  Whatever it may be, if you are for or against using camping as a strategy, feel free to sound off on this issue.  In its most basic form, camping is simply the idea of limiting your focus to a small area of the game.  Players may do this for a number of reasons.  Some may do so simply because they are unfamiliar with the game and by staying in one location they can learn that part of the map quicker.  Others may camp an area because it gives them an advantage over their opponents.  And yet still, others may do it as part of a larger, cooperative team strategy.  Whatever it may be, gamers have very mixed opinions on the issue of camping across the gaming spectrum.

Probably the most hated form of camping is spawn camping.  This is where players have figured out where their opponents spawn (come into the game after dying) and set themselves up in that area so as to ambush their opponents when they do spawn.  This type of camping is hated almost universally.  It is clearly using an unfair advantage that is unable to be countered easily.  If you happen to be the one being spawn camped, most people really wouldn’t blame you for quitting the game.  In fact, for many spawn campers, this is exactly what they are trying to get you to do.

Spawn Camping in Team Fortress 2

Another form of camping that is almost instinctual is what I’ll call rookie camping.  This is where a player that is new to the game limits themselves to just a small area.  Mostly this is done out of a sense of survival and not wanting to have the biggest death count on your team.  Players do this because they are unfamiliar with their surroundings and just want to stay alive.  I can’t really blame them here because after all, the objective is for your team to win the game.  I can also see though how their teammates could be annoyed by this because it makes them feel as if their playing the game with one less teammate because the rookie has effectively taken themselves out of the game.

Sometimes when a team gets the lead in the game they change their strategy in order to preserve that lead.  When a team goes into hiding in order to minimize the chances their opponents have of catching up, that’s what I’ll call defensive camping.  Usually teams only implement this near the end of a match when time is running out.  This strategy of switching tactics is prevalent not just in video gaming but in real life sports as well.  Many times sports teams will try and run the clock out in order to preserve a win.  While this may be frustrating to the team losing, it really is a part of the game that I personally don’t feel is inappropriate.   After all, it’s basically the winning team using the game clock to their advantage.

Every now and then you can find a team that works well together, so well they know each other’s style of play and each plays their own role in the game.  When teams that work well together try, they can effectively position themselves to play defense instead of offense.  Game maps are designed with natural choke points that players have to pass through in order to navigate the map.  When I play games such as Call of Duty 4 with a group of my friends, we are able to do this.  Outside the game we’ll discuss strategies and map layouts in order to maximize our kills and minimize our deaths in the game.  This type of camping is simply an example of good teamwork.  This is only effective when the whole team is working together and everyone is on the same page.  At the same time, if opponents are able to break through our defensive setup it literally falls apart.  While some may complain when we do this, we’ve seen plenty of examples of our opponents working well together to counter it.

I think that about covers the different types of camping that happen in video game play.  Some are pretty universally hated (spawn camping) while others are just another strategy to implement.  When it comes to whether or not camping is a legitimate strategy, I have to then ask: “What makes a strategy legitimate?”  So long as people are not using glitches in the game code to gain an unfair advantage I really don’t see any strategy as not qualifying as legitimate.  In most games (shooters) the whole point of the game is to score more points than the other team in the allotted time.  It’s not necessarily a race to see who can get to the score limit the fastest.  If one team prefers to use the game clock as their ally, then so be it.  Most games give teams a weapon set that allows them to counter this type of camping strategy, whether it be with long range weapons (sniper rifles), explosives (grenades) or stealth to sneak up on the campers (radar jammers, silenced weapons, etc).  If another team employs this strategy against me when I’m playing, instead of getting frustrated that they’re not running around in the open emptying their ammo clips as fast as possible, I view it as a challenge to try and outsmart their strategy.

What’s your take on the different camping styles?  How is the best way to combat them in games?