Handicap rule (gaming)

The handicap rule is where the more competent you are at playing a particular game, the less competent your teammates will be, even if previously they demonstrated a reasonable level of competence on the enemy team, creating an effect like a handicap (where the game is bias to your disadvantage). The reason this occurs is not fully understood but is deemed a real-life mechanic.

Description
The handicap rule applies exclusively to multiplayer matches (notably, online matches) involving human players, although it may expand to include AI in a human multiplayer match (AI are generally dismissed as they may be programmed with a built in handicap. The handicap rule is about humans in particular), where-by players are suddenly less competent when on your team (as a skilled player) than when they are on the enemy team.

An example of a handicap rule is a person who is able to score many points on another team on the same level, but when transferred over, seems to suddenly lose the ability to score any points at all, or worse, get negative points.

Propositions for causes include an in-game bias (IE items may favour a less competent side or less familiarity with a different map or team), psychological demoralisation (EG players may feel less contributory if they feel another player is more competent than them), a particular dislike (EG players may hate or dislike a particular individual and thus will be less cooperative in an attempt to undermine the game) or even what's known as distributed telepathic computing: which means the more competent a player is on a particular team, the more 'processing' resources they hog from the other teammembers, resulting in a dimished net effect of the team's overall abilities