Like any other activity, video games have their own set of 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 jargon (and some 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 studio. Additionally, AAA games are usually multi-platform or first-party, with multimillion-dollar budgets and millions of copies expected to be sold.
2. Abandonware
The game has been forgotten or abandoned by its creators due to various factors, including copyright difficulties.
3. Accelerometer
This instrument measures the vibration and motion of the player. It is a necessary component of the Wii remote.
4. Adds
These video game terms refer to “extra opponents, ” usually arriving during boss fights.
However, it’s common to strike a balance between caring for additions and dealing damage to the monster.
5. AFK
The abbreviation AFK stands for “away from the keyboard.” It indicates that a player is unavailable for the time being.
6. Aggro
‘Aggravation’ or ‘aggression’ is abbreviated. In a video game, ‘causing aggro’ refers to attracting hostile attention from NPCs to assault the player character.
Additionally, managing aggro is the art of Keeping hostile NPCs from overwhelming the player or party. The phrase can also refer to disgruntled spectators (‘wife aggro,’ ‘ mother aggro,’ and so on).
7. AoE
This video game’s term “area of effect” refers to strikes or abilities within a specific effect region.
Furthermore, this is a significant difference compared to abilities that only hit one target.
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 called bots, CPUs, or “computers.” Some multiplayer games allow you to play game modes against bots alone or with friends in local multiplayer.
Furthermore, Calling another player a “bot,” on the other hand, is an insult. When someone is playing poorly, you might call them a bot.
10. Buff/Nerf
A buff is a change that increases a character’s strength somehow. 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 that change regularly.
11. BN
Bad Manners refer 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 and temporarily barred from returning to play.
Or being banished to a gaming environment populated entirely by other bad-behaving players.
However, Agreeing on what defines bad manners is difficult 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 that you assume to be defeated in a few rounds but 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.
To enhance the low-ranked character to higher levels or other upgrades. And benefits for their account in online multiplayer games incorporating 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 the story’s path 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 use 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.
In a single-player game, you can also cheese anything by finding an easy way around a challenge.
17. Cartridge Tilting
Cartridge tilting is 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 crash.
18. Clans
Clans are groups of people who play together in various team-based online games. 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
Crafting is the process of combining resources collected in a video game 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 game anti-piracy features to the requirement to use Steam to play PC games.
Additionally, DRM protections can sometimes be overly strict, affecting genuine users.
25. End game
Characters who have completed all 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 after its plot or campaign, followed by the postgame.
26. Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are hidden messages or game features 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 your character’s perspective.
Most shooters depict you holding a weapon in your floating hands as though you were the character.
However, FPS stands for “frames per second,” which measures 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 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 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 to obtain 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 often 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
A feature in video games allows players 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 against whom the computer AI player can practice.
32. Glitch
A glitch, often 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 performing repeating activities in a game to reach a specific goal.
Furthermore, In an RPG, 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. Your character’s vitality 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 character in the game’s world sees the HUD elements, such as a map that the character holds up in their hands. However, these are what are referred to as “diagetic” elements.
38. Influencer
A video game player or social media figure is used to advertise a game. Typically, an influencer is given a pre-release copy of a game to play.
They also review it 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 even though terrain and features beyond the barrier can be viewed.
40. Juggernaut
Juggernaut is also a term that gamers use to play video games. It refers to a game mode in which players must battle a single overpowering enemy, 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), 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 that describes the time between your input and the activity 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. Loadout
A player’s choice of in-game equipment, abilities, and power-ups. And other stuff for their character before 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 player-made update to a game is called a mod (“modification”). 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 allowing players to browse their games’ mods.
45. Main Quest
A series of tasks that make up a game’s storyline 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, you can no longer use special powers when your MP runs out. In addition, “Multiplayer” can also be abbreviated as MP.
47. Noob
Noob is one of the video game terms used by gamers. Someone 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, it can be directed at both friendly and hostile teams.
Furthermore, it is Used when teammates or opponents fail after trying something new or exerting enormous amounts of effort toward the target to no avail.
“Nice try” could also be used to ridicule opponents in a condescending tone.
49. OP
“overpowered” or “OP” refers to anything the player believes is excessively powerful in a game.
However, It’s OP if there’s one weapon that everyone chooses because it’s 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, which 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
This abbreviation denotes quick-time events. These are game sequences where you must push a button or make another input quickly to prevent damage or a game over.
Furthermore, most 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 is swiftly aiming down sights on a weapon and firing.
57. Ragequit
Ragequitting occurs when players become 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 corrupted or suddenly increases the resulting bugs’ strength.
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 or 98 percent ).
Furthermore, the phrase can refer to an item or character’s high rating level within the game’s constraints (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 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 much 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
You can access previously unavailable material in a video game by meeting specific requirements.
64. Waggle
When a controller needs to be shaken to perform an activity, regardless of how it is shaken, it is called a derogatory word.
It usually signifies that the controller must be violently shaken. However, it’s sometimes used to describe motion controls without regard for precision.
65. XP/EXP
Experience points, or XP, are a typical way to track your progress in various genres.
In addition, when you earn enough XP, you will usually be promoted to the next level, granting 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, covering all gaming terms in one list is hard, especially in an industry as vast as video games.
But you now know some of the most popular gaming phrases and some more specialized lingo.
If you get into a certain genre or title, it’ll have its own words to learn. There are many genres to choose from to find something you enjoy.
