Video games, like any other activity, have its own set of video game terms, phrases, acronyms. And jargon that may be unfamiliar to outsiders.
You’ve come to the perfect place if you’ve decided to get into video games and want to understand the jargon so you won’t be confused.
We’ll break down common gaming phrases for you in the average person’s terms.
While many games and genres have their own jargon (and some of these gaming phrases might have several meanings depending on context), these broad definitions will get you up to speed on the most important gaming terms.
Some of the common video game terms;
1. What AAA (Triple-A)
A high-budget game produced by a large production team or gaming studios. Additionally, AAA games are usually multi-platform or first-party, with multimillion-dollar budgets and millions of copies expected to be sold.
2. Abandonware
A game that has been forgotten or abandoned by its creators due to a variety of factors, including copyright difficulties.
3. Accelerometer
The vibration and motion of the player are measured by this instrument. It is a necessary component of the Wii remote.
4. Adds
These video game terms refer to “extra opponents” that arrive usually during boss fights.
However, it’s common to have to strike a balance between taking care of additions and dealing damage to the monster.
5. AFK
The abbreviation AFK stands for “away from keyboard.” Furthermore, this indicates that a player is unavailable for the time being.
6. Aggro
‘Aggravation’ or ‘aggression’ abbreviated. In a video game, ‘causing aggro’ refers to attracting hostile attention from NPCs in order to assault the player character.
Additionally, Keeping hostile NPCs from overwhelming the player or party is known as managing aggro.’ In addition, the phrase can be used to refer to disgruntled spectators (‘wife aggro, “mother aggro,’ and so on).
7. AoE
This video game terms “area of effect” refers to strikes or abilities that have a specific region of effect.
Furthermore, when compared to abilities that only hit one target, this is a significant difference. However, a circle or other indication of where the ability is currently in operation is usually visible.
8. Badge
A mark of expertise or accomplishment, indicating that the player has completed a specific action within the game.
9. Bots
Non-human opponents in multiplayer games are referred to as bots, CPUs, or “computers.” Some multiplayer games allow you to play game modes against bots by yourself or with friends in local multiplayer.
Furthermore, Calling another player a “bot,” on the other hand, is an insult. When someone is playing really poorly, you might call them a bot.
10. Buff/Nerf
A buff is a change that increases a character’s strength in some way. Additionally, a nerf, on the other hand, is a change that diminishes the character’s strength. However, these terms are most commonly used to describe the balance of characters or weapons in online games with regular changes.
11. BN
Bad Manner is a term that refers to behavior that isn’t considered cheating but is regarded as unsportsmanlike or disrespectful.
Furthermore, Bad-behaving players may be penalized in some games by receiving game penalties, being temporarily barred from returning to play.
Or being banished to a gaming environment populated entirely by other bad-behaving players.
However, It’s difficult to agree on what defines bad manners because it’s subjective.
12. Bullet Sponge
This video game term “bullet sponge” refers to an enemy who takes a lot of damage to kill. Furthermore, a bullet sponge, for example, is an enemy who you assume to be defeated in a few rounds but really takes several magazines to defeat.
13. Boosting
Boosting is when a player with a low-ranked level has a more-skilled player utilize their account.
In other to enhance the low-ranked character to higher levels or other upgrades. And benefits for their account in online multiplayer games that incorporate ranked competitive play.
14. Campaign Mood
A sequence of game levels is designed to tell a linear tale. Some campaigns include various ‘paths,’ with the player’s actions determining which path the story will take. And influencing which choices are accessible to the player later on.
15. Camping
Camping refers to staying in one location rather than moving about the map in these video game terms.
Additionally, People who do this are known as campers, and they do so to get an advantage over other players. However, it’s most commonly seen in online shooters such as Call of Duty.
16. Cheese/ Cheesing
Cheesing something in a video game indicates that you are using a low-cost method to finish a task quickly.
However, to defeat your opponent, you might, for example, repeatedly use a devastating combo against them.
Additionally, In a single-player game, you can also cheese anything by finding an easy way around a challenge.
17. Cartridge Tilting
Cartridge tilting is the practice of intentionally generating glitches and other weird behavior in cartridge-based games.
This is done by tilting the cartridge slightly in its console slot, just enough to break the connection but not completely.
However, Cartridge tilting has comparable consequences to employing a corrupt. It can result in distorted character models, excessively loud noises, and, in the most severe situations, both the game and the console itself crashing.
18. Clans
Clans are groups of people who play together in various team-based online games. Additionally, in games like Call of Duty, you can join a clan by adding a clan tag to your account.
Typically, these aren’t properly formed professional teams; they’re more informal.
19. Cooldown
The amount of time a player must wait after utilizing an ability before being able to use it again.
In addition, the text MUD Avalon: The Legend Lives was the first to propose this concept.
20. Crafting
The video game term Crafting is the process of combining resources collected in a game. In other to create additional useful objects like weapons and healing potions.
21. DoT
It is an effect that reduces a player’s health over time or turns, such as poison or catching on fire.
22. DPS
In some games, it’s used as a statistic to help the player assess their offensive power, especially in games where the player’s attacks are automatically launched when a target comes into range.
23. DLC
These video game terms “downloadable content” refer to content that can be downloaded.
It refers to any additional content, such as characters, levels, cosmetics, and other items, that can be downloaded separately from the main game. DLC is occasionally, but not always, an extra cost.
24. DRM
Digital rights management, or DRM, refers to tools that manage copyright protection for video games.
However, it covers everything from anti-piracy features in games to the requirement to use Steam to play PC games.
Additionally, DRM protections can be overly strict at times, affecting genuine users.
25. End game
Characters who have completed all of the currently available material in a massively multiplayer online game can play this mode.
Furthermore, End game, in a broader sense, refers to the gameplay of a game at the conclusion of its plot or campaign, which is followed by the postgame.
26. Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are hidden messages or features in games, similar to their real-life equivalents.
Moreover, this might be a minor hint to a previous title in the series—a clever message disguised by the developers or something else entirely.
27. FPS
A first-person shooter game is referred to as an FPS. In addition, this is a genre in which you see the world through the perspective of your character.
As though you were the character, most shooters depict you holding a weapon in your floating hands.
However, FPS stands for “frames per second,” which is a measurement of a game’s smoothness. For additional information, see the distinctions between frame rate and refresh rate.
28. Face Button
This video game term is used in regular gameplay. Is a circular button on the right side of a standard gamepad is pressed often?
In addition, Four buttons are commonly grouped in a diamond pattern on modern gamepads.
29. Farming
Repetition of combat, quest, or another aspect of the game in order to obtain more. Or duplicates of specific reward items obtained during that battle or quest.
Such as experience points, game money, or specific prize items. Furthermore, Gold farming is a sort of farming that is done for the purpose of obtaining in-game currency. See the section on grinding.
30. GG
GG is a video game term used frequently in internet gaming. It’s short for “good game,” and it’s frequently typed or said after the end of a game to demonstrate sportsmanship.
Furthermore, “GGEZ” adds “easy” to the end of the phrase, mocking the opposing team by claiming an easy victory.
31. Ghost
In video games, a feature that allows the player to examine their prior rounds in time attack or time trial modes.
Furthermore, a”ghost car” in a racing game, for example, may follow the player’s last or fastest path around the circuit.
Outside of conventional player vs. player or story mode, the ghost is an opponent that the computer AI player can practice against.
32. Glitch
A glitch, often known as a bug, is an unexpected error in a game’s code. Additionally, Glitches can lead your character to become caught in a wall, force adversaries to act strangely, or even cause the game to stall completely.
33. Grinding
Grinding is the act of performing repeating activities in a game in order to reach a specific goal.
Furthermore, In an RPG, for example, a player might repeatedly fight monsters to level up or collect materials to enhance their weapons.
34. Hack vs Hack
(HvH) is the practice of utilizing cheats to compete against other cheaters.
35. Hitscan
Hitscan refers to guns that, when shot, instantaneously hit what they’re targeted at, which is common in first-person shooter games. In contrast, projectile weapons (such as a bow and arrow) require time for the shot to reach its target.
36. HP
Hp is one of the video game terms used frequently. The vitality of your character is measured by HP, which stands for health points or hit points. Additionally, when your HP reaches zero, your character usually dies.
37. HUD
The acronym HUD stands for “heads-up display.” It refers to graphical components such as a health bar, money counter, or minimap that appear in front of the gameplay screen.
In certain games, the HUD elements, such as a map that the character holds up in their hands, are seen by the character in the game’s world. However, these are what are referred to as “diagetic” elements.
38. Influencer
A video game player or social media figure is used in the advertising of a game.
Typically, an influencer will be given a pre-release copy of a game to play. They also review for those who follow them on social media or streaming services, with the goal of persuading those followers to purchase the game.
39. Invisible Wall
An obstacle in a video game prevents movement in a specified direction, despite the fact that terrain and features beyond the barrier can be viewed.
40. Juggernaut
Juggernaut is also a video game term that is used by gamers. It refers to a game mode in which players must battle a single overpowering enemy known as the Juggernaut. Furthermore, the next Juggernaut is the player who kills it.
41. K/D
The kill-to-death ratio, or K/D, is a typical metric for evaluating your performance in online shooters.
However, it just divides the number of times you’ve been eliminated by the number of times you’ve been eliminated.
Furthermore, with six kills and one death (6.0), for example, you’ll have a greater K/D than with ten kills and five deaths (2.0).
42. Lag
Lag is an online video game term used to describe the time between your input and the activity taking place in the game.
However, this is most commonly used to describe online latency caused by high ping. It occurs when the game server takes too long to reply to your actions.
Another type, input lag, occurs when the game does not reply quickly enough to the buttons you push.
43. Load out
A player’s choice of in-game equipment, abilities, power-ups. And other stuff for their character before the commencement of a game’s match, round, or objective.
Furthermore, Players can store, recall, and alter two or more load-outs in games with such load-outs so they can switch between them rapidly.
44. MoD
Any type of player-made update to a game is called a mod (“modification”). Additionally, Mods can range from minor bug fixes to completely new games based on the original’s core.
Furthermore, Some game developers despise mods, while others adore them and even add features that allow players to browse mods in their games.
45. Main Quest
A series of tasks that make up a game’s storyline and must be performed to complete the game. Furthermore, sidequests, on the other hand, provide benefits but do not advance the main goal.
46. MP
In certain games, MP (short for magic points or mana points) is the resource required to use spells and other special abilities (often RPGs).
Furthermore, when your MP runs out, you can no longer use special powers. In addition, “Multiplayer” can also be abbreviated as MP.
47. Noob
Noob is one of the video game terms used by gameRs. Someone who is plainly new to a game is referred to as a noob (sometimes spelled n00b or newb).
However, it can be used as an insult (for example, when someone makes a simple mistake), although it isn’t always a derogatory term.
48. Nt
“Nice try,” it means. Generally spoken in an online multiplayer game’s chat system to improve player morale, and it can be directed at both friendly and hostile teams.
Furthermore, it is Used when teammates or opponents fail after trying something new or put in enormous amounts of effort towards the target to no avail.
Additionally, “Nice try” could also be used to ridicule opponents in a condescending tone.
49. OP
The term “overpowered” or “OP” refers to anything in a game that the player believes is excessively powerful.
However, It’s OP if there’s one weapon that everyone chooses because it’s clearly superior to all others.
50. One-Trick
When a player repeatedly chooses a specific character from a large roster and refuses to switch.
51. Ping
This video game term means the time it takes for information from your system to go to the game’s server and back is measured in milliseconds.
However, it is preferable to have a low ping because excessive values will cause a significant lag in online games.
52. Parry
In fighting video games, a block has no negative consequences for the player.
53. PvP/PvE
PvP stands for player against player. It’s a term used to describe games (or modes) in which human players compete against one another.
Furthermore, PvE (player versus environment) modes, on the other hand, pit you against computer-controlled opponents.
54. Pwned
Pwned (pronounced “poned”) is a derivate of “owned” that is used to indicate mastery over another player.
Additionally, Someone you pwned in an online match could be considered pwned.
55. QTE
Quick-time events are denoted by this abbreviation. These are game sequences where you must push a button or make another input quickly to prevent damage or a game over.
Furthermore, the majority of players despise them since they take no skill and can appear out of nowhere.
56. Quickscoping
In first-person shooter video games, a tactic for attacking a target by swiftly aiming down sights on a weapon and firing.
57. Ragequit
Ragequitting occurs when a player becomes so enraged with a game that they immediately cease playing.
58. Real-time Corruptor
A type of ROM/ISO corruptor program that corrupts video game data steadily and gradually in real-time while the game is being played to produce entertaining or fascinating effects.
Furthermore, the user can modify the rate at which data is corrupted and the severity of the corruption at any time.
Allowing the game to be played in a corrupted state or suddenly increasing the strength of the resulting bugs.
59. RPG
RPG is also one of the various video game terms used. A role-playing game, or RPG, is a vast genre.
Furthermore, they’re usually story-driven games set in immersive environments, with your character having a variety of stats and items that you may improve by fighting enemies and completing quests.
60. S Rank
Achievement is given to a player who completes a single level, song, round, or stage without making mistakes. Or with the highest score or percentage cleared (usually above 90 percent or 98 percent ).
Furthermore, the phrase can refer to a high rating level of an item or character inside the constraints of the game (as determined by the developer).
But it is also used by players in tier lists to refer to the metagame’s top level.
61. Sandbox
A sandbox game is one that is extremely open-ended, allowing the user to do whatever they want with it.
Minecraft is a great example, but even games like Grand Theft Auto V, which gives the player a lot of flexibility, may be classified as sandboxes.
62. Targeting
In online games, a technique in which the player repeatedly kills or attacks the same opponent while disregarding the others around them. In gaming,
It is usually regarded as unsportsmanlike behavior.
63. Unlock
By meeting specific requirements, you can gain access to previously unavailable material in a video game.
64. Waggle
When a controller needs to be shaken to perform an activity, regardless of how the controller is shaken, it is called a derogatory word.
Usually signifies that the controller must be violently shaken. However, it’s sometimes used to motion controls in general, with no regard for precision.
65. XP/EXP
Experience points, or XP, are a typical way to track your progress in a variety of genres.
In addition, when you earn enough XP, you will usually be promoted to the next level, which will grant you additional powers, stat boosts, stronger weaponry, and other benefits.
66. Zerging
In strategy games, a tactic in which the player relies on many cheap, disposable units rather than talent or strategy.
However, the phrase is derived from the Zerg, a StarCraft race that employs numerical advantage to outnumber opponents.
67. Zero Day Patch
A security patch for software that addresses a zero-day vulnerability. See also: 0-day and zero-day warez.
In conclusion, it’s hard to cover all gaming terms in one list, especially in an industry as vast as video games. But you now know some of the most popular gaming phrases, as well as some more specialized lingo.
If you get into a certain genre or title, it’ll have its own set of words for you to learn. There are many genres to choose from if you want to find something you enjoy.
