Couldn't I just stay in one place and make minute movements back and forth? 

That's what I was thinking, Connor. Still, it's a good idea.

What you call "camping" some of us call "establishing tactical superiority." If you don't like snipers, simply hunt them down. Do not hate someone for playing the game in a manner the developer lets you play. 

@Jason: I can accept what you're saying for Battlefield, but can you really justify spawn camping? It's a big part of the reason I never got into Halo's multiplayer. And while running with those perks in MW2 is technically "allowed," it's still pretty damn cheap. Just because a dev "allowed" it, I can still not like it. =)

@Brett Just go kill 'em when they camp. Problem solved. 

The thing that pissed me off about Bad Company 2 was half the attacking team would be recon with a rifle, and not do anything productive. This never seemed to be a problem in past Battlefield games, but for some reason it became one in BC2.

@Jason the issue is when you're spawncamped you don't get the chance to kill them.    I don't have an aversion to camping in general, but when you don't have the opportunity to react before dying, it's a huge frustration.  Dying to that sniper because you left cover is quite a different beast from dying the moment you spawn.

@Dewan Then that's a fallacy of the game design for not allowing you to leave an area before you're vulnerable, not the fault of the player for using it as a tactic.

In fact, the only one of the list in the article that I can understand is the MW2 example (god, I still interpret that as MechWarrior 2), but that's because it's a clear exploit on a game that was released half finished.

@Bobby When a game is otherwise enjoyable, it wouldn't hurt for there to be rules of engagement.  I wouldn't put the fault on the game itself, but rather the map design.  Spawn points should be protected areas, in my mind, though even in games like TF2 where such a thing is commonplace, people can still be 'spawncamped'.

@Dewan I can expect a ban on spawncamping -- but not camping in general. If I find a nice, high, secluded spot, and I want to sit there with my sniper rifle and make you come to me, that should be OK. It's part of the game. 

@Dewan I can accept a ban on spawncamping -- but not camping in general. If I find a nice, high, secluded spot, and I want to sit there with my sniper rifle and make you come to me, that should be OK. It's part of the game. 

P.S. At the end of the day, this is just one modifier among many. If you and your buddies can't agree about having it on, then just keep it off.

I agree that camping can be useful when it comes to defending strategic stuff like the M-COMs in BC2 and wondering who will be brave enough to lay down cover and protect the crazy bastard that runs out to it. But it's also just as satisfying to sneak up on a camper while they're looking down their scope and grab a free dog tag.

But I agree that spawn camping is just a cheap way to get kills, there's no excuse for it, and you can get accidentally blamed for doing just that. Running around and having someone pop in front of you isn't spawn camping, just bad timing. On the PC side, there've been a few funny COD 2 mods I remember seeing way back such as dropping artillery on whoever is standing around for more than a few seconds. :)

Can't wait for Goldeneye, though. I'm curious to see who all of the unlockable multi characters are. Rosa Klebb FTW!

Campers I can live with. They stay in the same spot for the entire map so if they kill you, you know exactly where to go when you spawn. It's glitchers and cheaters who are really ruining competitive multiplayer.

But anyway, 3 seconds seems harsh. Maybe 10 seconds and have it not apply to players carrying sniper weapons. 

I'm not sure I get it, either. If you just wiggle the analog stick a bit, does that reset your timer? You can still sit there and camp, no?

I'm beginning to see Jason's point, too. Yeah, it's not the camping that's annoying. It's the spawn campers.

But I like the general concept/idea!