Spawning (video games)

Spawning in video games refers to the process by which entities, such as player characters, non-player characters, enemies or items, are generated and placed into the game world. Closely related concepts include respawning, which involves reintroducing an entity after it has been removed (e.g., after a character's death) and despawning, the process by which an entity is removed from the game world, either automatically (e.g., after a set time) or in response to player actions.

Player characters typically spawn at the start of a round or match. In contrast, certain objects or mobs may spawn in response to specific events or after a predetermined delay. When a player character respawns, they usually reappear at an earlier point of the level and may incur a penalty, such as a loss of resources or score.

The term was coined by id Software within the context of its game, Doom.