Leeching - Definition and Overview

• In pre-scientific medicine, leeching was an alternative form of blood letting in which "bad" blood would be removed via leeches instead of by bleeding.
• Leeching may also refer to the practice of benefitting from others' actions without contributing in kind. For example:
  • In peer-to-peer file sharing networks, leeching is downloading files without sharing any.
  • In online computer games (especially role-playing games), leeching refers to the practice of a player joining a group for the explicit purpose of gaining rewards without contributing anything to the efforts necessary to acquire those rewards. Sometimes this is allowed in an effort to powerlevel a player. Usually it is considered poor behavior to do this without permission from the group.