The world of gaming has its own rich lexicon, filled with terminologies that are essential for both newcomers (novice) and experienced gamers. Understanding these terms can deepen your appreciation of games and improve your ability to communicate effectively within the gaming community, these terms also enrich your gaming experience. Here's an extensive guide to must-know gaming terminologies:
General Gaming Terminologies
1. FPS
Stands for "Frames Per Second." It measures the frame rate at which a game renders consecutive images or refers to the number of frames, or images, that are displayed per second in a video game. Higher FPS results in smoother gameplay and enhanced visual fluidity therefore resulting in a smoother and more responsive gameplay.
2. NPC
Short for "Non-Player Character." These are characters in the game controlled by the game's artificial intelligence rather than by the player. NPCs can be allies, enemies, or neutral characters within the game world thus they can provide quests, act as vendors, or populate the game world.
3. Loot
This term encompasses; items, weapons or resources that are collected or acquired within a game, often as rewards for; completing in-game tasks, defeating enemies, completing quests, or exploring the game world.
4. Respawn
This is the act of a player or enemy re-entering the game world after being defeated or eliminated.
5. Griefer
A term used to describe a gamer who derives pleasure from causing irritation or disruption to other players, often through sabotage or harassment.
Multiplayer and Online Gaming Terms
1. MMORPG
Abbreviation for "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game." These are online games that support a large number of players interacting in a virtual world often involving character customization, quest completion, and social interaction. Examples include "World of Warcraft" and "Final Fantasy XIV."
2. PvP
Stands for "Player versus Player." It refers to gameplay where players battle or compete against each other directly, often in competitive or combat scenarios.
3. Clan/Guild
A group of players who join together to form a collective gaming community within a game. Clans often collaborate to achieve common goals and compete against other groups.
4. Noob/Newb
A slang term used to describe a new or inexperienced player, often used in a lighthearted or teasing manner.
5. Co-op
Short for "Cooperative Play." This refers to gameplay that involves players working together to achieve shared objectives and progress through the game.
Game (Design and Development) Terminologies
1. Hitbox
The invisible area within a game that determines whether an attack or action made by a character connects with an object or character.
2. Texture Mapping
The process of applying a 2D image, or texture, to a 3D model to enhance its visual appearance.
3. Easter Egg
Hidden messages, references, jokes, or features within a game, often placed by developers for attentive or curious players to discover.
4. NPC AI
Refers to the artificial intelligence and behavioral patterns programmed into non-player characters, affecting their interactions and decision-making within the game world.
5. Level Design
The process of creating game environments, including the layout, challenges, and aesthetics of a specific game level or area.
Gaming Hardware and Technologies
1. GPU
Short for "Graphics Processing Unit." This hardware component is responsible for rendering graphics, visual effects, and image processing in games.
2. Latency
Also known as "ping," this refers to the time it takes for a user's action to be registered by the game server, often affecting the responsiveness of online gameplay.
3. VR
Stands for "Virtual Reality." VR technology immerses players into a simulated environment where they can interact with the surroundings using VR headsets and specialized controllers.
4. AVR
In the context of gaming, stands for "Augmented Virtual Reality." It is a term used to describe the integration of virtual game elements with the physical environment of the player in real-time. AVR as a gaming terminology represents the fusion of virtual and augmented reality in gaming, creating a captivating and immersive gaming experience that combines the best of both worlds.
5. Cross-Platform
Refers to game compatibility across multiple gaming platforms or devices, allowing players on different platforms to play together.
6. Patch
A software update released by game developers to address issues, introduce new features, or improve game performance.
Other terminologies include though not limited to:
FPS
Aside Frames Per Second could also stands for "First-Person Shooter," a genre of action video games that feature a first-person perspective, such as Call of Duty. (Two or more terminologies could take similar short form).
RPG
Stands for "Role-Playing Game," a broad genre where players assume the roles of specific characters in a fantasy or fictional setting.
DLC
Stands for "Downloadable Content," additional content for a video game available for download.
MOBA
Stands for "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena," a genre of strategy video games.
RTS
Stands for "Real-Time Strategy," a genre of strategy games where players control units and manage resources in real time.
RNG
Stands for "Random Number Generator," used to refer to elements of chance in games or elements in games that aren't the same every time you play.
Nerf
This term takes its name from nerf toy guns. In gaming, it means to weaken or reduce the power of a particular game element e.g to downgrade a weapon by making it less dangerous. This term takes its name from nerf toy guns, It also means decrease in the power or effectiveness of a game element.
Buff
In contrast to "nerf," this term means to strengthen or enhance a particular game element. It also means increase in the power or effectiveness of a game element.
AFK
Away from keyboard, meaning the player is not actively playing.
GG
Good game, meaning the game was enjoyable or well-played.
Smurf
A skilled player who uses a low-level account to play against less experienced players.
Aimbot
A cheating software that automatically aims at enemies.
Camping
Staying in one spot for a long time, usually to ambush other players.
Bot
A computer-controlled character or player.
Toxic
Having a rude or abusive behavior towards other players.
Bullet Sponge
A character or enemy that can take a lot of damage before dying.
Cheesing
Using an easy or unfair strategy to win.
Adventure game
An immersive story-focused genre that involves playing as a protagonist through different challenges and/or solving puzzles.
Aggro
A term widely used in MMOs (short for MMORPG), aggro is attention from the enemy. “Drawing aggro” means to attract damage to yourself, perhaps by using special spells, perhaps just by becoming a big enough nuisance.
AoE
Stands for "Area of Effect". This refers to spells, abilities or special talents that work within the radius of a circle rather than on a specific enemy.
FFA
Stands for "Free For All", this is commonly heard in multi-player and FPS games. A Free For All can mean lots of loot available in a specific area, or it can also mean that every player needs to fend for themselves in a group situation.
FPS
Stands for "First Person Shooter", this refers to action games that feature a first-person perspective, such as Call of Duty.
G2G
Short for "Got To Go", a quick way of letting other players know you’re signing off.
Gank
When multiple players gang up on a single player and attack.
GOAT
Greatest Of All Time, a bragging phrase that means exactly what it says. Just as the trending phrase "Messi GOAT" 😀.
Kiting
Attacking from a distance or using ranged attacks while moving around.
LARP
Short for "Live Action Role Play", this is where gamers come out from behind their screens and get playing in the real world, physically making moves in fictionalized real-world settings.
LFG
Stands for "Looking For Group", generally used in multi-player settings. A player will embark on a mission to gather more players around them before setting off on a particularly challenging quest or raid.
Meat Shield
Used to denote a player with incredible strength or power who will absorb much of the damage inflicted by the enemy by going ahead.
n00b
Sometimes spelled ‘noob’. Short for ‘newbie’: a person who is new to gaming, or to a particular game.
Zoning
A play strategy that involves controlling a specific area of a map or arena, forcing opponents to retreat.
Casual gaming (not to be confused with Casual games)
The practice of playing video games on an infrequent and spontaneous basis, without a long-term commitment. Casual video games are distinguished by a low learning curve and ease of access, often web-based for mobile phones or personal computers.
Lag
In video games, an unintentional or unexpected delay between the start and end of a process, usually to a detrimental effect on gameplay.
4K and 8K resolution
In gaming terms, 4K refers either to an ultra-high-definition display, one whose resolution is roughly 4,000 pixels or to a game outputting at that resolution. 8K is the same, except we’re talking 8,000 pixels now.
AA
Stands for "Auto-attack". In MOBAs and RTSes, an auto-attack is one that repeats at fixed intervals. AAs are a unit's bread-and-butter attack, unlike spells, which usually cost mana and must be explicitly triggered each time.
AAA
Pronounced “triple-A”, AAA publishers are those with big budgets, like Square Enix and Nintendo, in contrast with indie game publishers. In gaming, AAA is an informal classification used to describe video games that are produced and distributed by mid-sized or major game developers with high budgets and levels of promotion. AAA games are typically considered to be of high quality and have extensive development resources behind them. Some well-known AAA game developers include Activision, EA, and others.
Achievements
Awards given to the player for achieving arbitrary things set by the developers. Sometimes these can be as trivial as “watched the intro”. Sometimes they have nothing to do with the main game and getting them takes a lot of skill and time.
8, 16, 32, 64-bit
Hardware and software from the third, fourth, and fifth generation of consoles, using 8, 16, 32, and 64-bit architecture.
2D
Two-dimensional games can only be viewed from one angle. Platformers like Super Mario Bros are 2D, as are older RPGs like Zelda.
These are just a few gaming terminologies, and there are many more specific to different genres and communities within gaming. However, mastering these terminologies can enrich your gaming experience and empower you with the knowledge to navigate the diverse and dynamic world of gaming.
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