I''ve thought about this a few times myself.

I think attitudes to handicaps depend on the players, and the sort of environment you want to establish in the multiplayer community. Some players play to win, others play for the challenge of a good game. Others fall somewhere between the two.

The second class of player - who plays more for the challenge than for the victory - would benefit from a handicap system. The first class of player would find the handicap system makes it harder for them to win, and maybe feel that they are being punished for getting better.

Personally, I think a handicap system would promote a better sense of gamesmanship in the online community. There would be much less "gg lol u st00pid n00b fag" crap, and possibly even less incentive for cheating. Besides, if you want bragging rights, it''s much more impressive to talk of how you took on and beat 50 people in quake singlehandedly, using only the axe, than it is to frag one newbie over and over again by firing quad damage rockets repeatedly at their spawn point.

However, it''s probably not everyone''s cup of tea. Perhaps it could be implemented as an option? People can either play ''Equal'' games, where no one is handicapped, or they can play ''Matched'' games, where all players have a handicap related to their skill level.