Powergaming is optimizing your race/class/behaviour in a such fashion that the character performs effectively in what you are trying to do.
Few examples of powergaming:
1. Levelling on mobs that give you the best RP gains repetitively, without a RP reason to kill those mobs.
2. Choosing a race class combo based on how well it fares in PK rather than how you plan to RP the character. Gnome shifter that behaves like an evil human is a good example (in other words, picking gnome shifter just because it's powerful combo and not RPing a gnome).
3. PKing someone without an IC reason to do so.
4. Killing neutral mobs for their gear as a goodie.
All these are detrimental to the roleplaying enviroment:
1. Instead of a roleplaying adventure of exploration, you get dull repeated grind.
2. There's a gnome running around that doesn't act like a gnome.
3. Ok. Your wood-elf just got killed by that gnome in 2. You asked him for a reason and the gnome replied "I just felt like it". Doesn't make much sense for a neutral.
4. Murdering and robbing innocent bystanders isn't goodly behaviour.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2010 09:54PM by DurNominator.