What ‘Inting’ Means in Gaming: Definition, Examples, and How to Respond

Overview: What Inting Means in Gaming

In online multiplayer games, inting is shorthand for
intentional feeding
-a player deliberately sabotaging their team by repeatedly dying, ignoring objectives, or otherwise playing in ways that benefit the enemy. The term emerged prominently from the League of Legends community and has spread across many titles. It is widely considered unsportsmanlike and reportable behavior in most modern games [1] [2] .

Clear Definition and Core Characteristics

At its core, inting involves deliberate actions that put one’s team at a disadvantage. Common manifestations include running into enemy lines, repeatedly taking unwinnable fights, or ignoring team strategy with the goal of causing a loss. The “intentional” element distinguishes it from ordinary mistakes or a bad match. Games and communities often treat inting as a punishable offense because it degrades match integrity and teammate experience [1] [2] .

Inting vs. Feeding: Important Distinctions

Although both inting and feeding result in enemy advantages, there is a crucial difference:

Feeding : Repeatedly dying due to inexperience, poor decisions, or having a rough game-
without
malicious intent.
Inting : A
deliberate
attempt to throw the match, often through reckless deaths or sabotage-like behavior.

Communities frequently conflate these terms, but only the intentional form is treated as reportable misconduct in most titles. Players and moderators emphasize intent and pattern before labeling a case as inting [1] [3] .

Origins and Evolution of the Term

The term gained traction in League of Legends , where “intentional feeding” became a shorthand accusation against players who ruined matches on purpose. As the phrase spread to other communities, its usage broadened. In some contexts, players now misuse “inting” to describe simple misplays, which muddies reports and community discourse. Still, the original meaning-intentional sabotage-remains the accepted definition in game guides and glossaries [1] [2] .

How Inting Shows Up Across Games

While the behaviors share a common core, how inting appears can vary by title and mode:

MOBA examples (e.g., League of Legends): A player intentionally dies in lane, repeatedly dives towers, or roams aimlessly to give opponents kills and experience. Communities describe this as “feeding the enemy” on purpose and disrupting coordinated team strategy [2] [1] .

Hero shooters (e.g., Overwatch): A player may charge into enemy lines alone, ignore objectives, or gift ultimate charge to the opposing team, behaviors commonly cited when discussing intentional feeding in team-based shooters. Community discussions underline that many players misuse the term for poor performance rather than intent, which can lead to unfair reports [3] .

Soft Inting: Subtle Sabotage

Some communities reference “soft inting,” where players attempt to conceal sabotage as clumsy decision-making. Examples include purposely taking bad fights or ignoring pings while maintaining plausible deniability. Though subtler, the end effect is similar-undermining team success. Communities warn that intent is still the key distinguishing factor and that accusations should be made cautiously to avoid targeting legitimate mistakes [2] .

How to Identify Likely Inting (Without Overreporting)

Because intention is internal, concrete proof can be difficult without patterns. Indicators many communities consider when assessing likely inting include:

Repeated, unexplained risky engagements that ignore team fights, pings, or obvious power spikes.
Consistent disregard for objectives (e.g., abandoning payload, lanes, or key map points) across the match.
Clear shifts in behavior following chat disputes, including taunting or statements indicating a desire to throw.

Guides stress distinguishing between low-skill play and malicious intent to avoid false reports. When in doubt, players are encouraged to focus on adaptation during the match and submit a measured report afterward if patterns persist [1] [3] .

Practical Steps: What You Can Do During a Match

If you suspect a teammate is inting, consider the following approach:

Stabilize team comms : Use concise, neutral callouts focused on objectives. Avoid blame, which may escalate sabotage. This can help de-escalate and re-engage the player.
Adapt the strategy : Play more defensively, take safer fights, and adjust comps or roles to mitigate repeated deaths or missed objectives.
Document patterns mentally : Note repeat behaviors and any chat admissions. This helps ensure your post-game report is specific and fair.
Mute if necessary : If chat becomes hostile, muting may help keep team focus on winnable plays.

This approach helps you preserve competitive integrity, salvage winnable games, and make better-informed reports afterward, an approach endorsed broadly across community discussions and guides distinguishing intent from poor performance [1] [3] .

After the Match: Reporting and Follow-Up

Most modern games provide in-client tools to report suspected inting. You can typically:

Use the in-game report menu : Select categories related to gameplay sabotage or intentional feeding, adding short, factual notes on repeated behaviors.
Avoid speculative accusations : Focus on observed actions rather than motives. This keeps reports credible and reduces false positives.
Do not harass or brigade : Communities and publishers discourage witch hunts; let automated and human review processes handle outcomes.

Community threads on team shooters emphasize that while “inting” literally means intentional feeding, many players misuse it to describe ordinary mistakes; developers expect reports to focus on demonstrable patterns rather than isolated errors [3] .

Prevention: Team Culture and Self-Checks

Teams can reduce the likelihood of inting through simple cultural practices:

Encourage solution-focused comms during swings, emphasizing next objectives and cooldown tracking instead of blame.
Set role and expectation clarity in lobbies and pre-rounds, which can reduce misunderstandings that spiral into tilt.
De-escalate tilt by taking short breaks between queues and using team timeouts where available.

Players can also run self-checks when frustrated: ask whether a risky play supports the objective, whether the team has key cooldowns, and whether a regroup is warranted. These habits reduce accidental “soft int” patterns and improve overall consistency across ranks [1] .

Case Examples and Applications

Case 1: MOBA lane phase spiral. A top-laner dies twice early. If they then repeatedly dive 1v3 under enemy tower while typing about quitting, that pattern fits intentional feeding. The appropriate response is to shift pressure elsewhere, ward defensively, and report post-game with brief notes on repeated tower dives and chat admissions. This mirrors community guidance to assess patterns, not single deaths [1] [2] .

Case 2: Payload shooter objective neglect. A teammate runs off to duel behind enemy lines despite lost fights, granting ult charge and leaving the objective undefended. If this continues after multiple regroup calls, a measured report for suspected intentional feeding is appropriate. Community forums specifically note the term’s literal meaning while warning against labeling ordinary poor play as inting [3] .

Key Takeaways

Inting = Intentional feeding : deliberate sabotage that benefits the enemy team.
Not the same as feeding : poor performance without malicious intent is not inting.
Look for patterns : repeated actions, objective neglect, and admissions can indicate intent.
Act constructively : stabilize comms, adapt strategy, and submit clear, factual reports after the match.

References

[1] lolvvv (2023). Inting: Meaning, Understanding and Its Impact on Players. [2] LevlUp (n.d.). Inting | Meaning, Origin. [3] Blizzard Overwatch Forums (2019). What is “inting”?