Gaming Lingo
GG Everyone. I’m AFK for now, but next game we should use that buff to cheese those bots by camping. Then the DPS can go farm for levels while we gank. That should improve our K/D ratio. Don’t forget to mount up otherwise you might get zoned! BRB!
If you can read this… well done! You are a gamer! But most likely, you have no idea what this means… But that’s okay! We are here to help!
Even if you are tech-savvy or a gamer, you may still struggle to grasp all the gaming lingo. Well, fear no more! We have compiled a cheat sheet to help you decipher any gamer chat. Remember to check back in at a later date to see new additions. If there is terminology that you can’t see on the list, email it through and we will add it right away!
To make it easier it’s in alphabetical order for you, you're welcome!
Also, make sure you look out for the red text word as these are lingo that may concern parents & caregivers that you will need to look out for.
A
AP: ‘Action Points’. Where a player has a specific number of points that they can spend for doing actions.
ARPG: ‘Action role-playing game’. A type of role-playing video game where combat is handled in real-time rather than using a turn-based system.
AFK: ‘Away From Keyboard’. If a player says ‘AFK’, it means they are currently not at their keyboard. Maybe they are getting a snack? Who knows…
Aggro: A term for when non-player characters (NPCs) or enemies pay attention to or attack a player character.
AoE: ‘Area of Effect’. Attacks with an area of effect are those that deal damage to an area. Like a BIG fireball or something like that!
ASL: ‘Age/sex/location’. It is used as a question to find out the age, sex, and general location of the person.
B
Bots: A bot is a computer-controlled figure that competes against or cooperates with human players. It can also mean a player with no more skill than a computer programme and used as a derogatory term. For example my cat is a bot when it tries to do anything but sleep …
BRB: ‘Be Right Back’. This means the player is leaving for a little while but will be back soon… hopefully…
Bruiser: Bruisers are a type of character who deal a lot of damage while also taking a lot of damage. It's commonly used to describe heroes who excel in one-on-one combat. Unless your like me and you’re a healer main… then bruisers just don’t exist.
Buff: An enhancement (permanently or temporarily) or favourable effect that improves the performance of a character or an item.
Bug: An anomaly that appears in-game for no apparent reason. These might be anything from somewhat humorous quirks to completely game-breaking bugs. Not the things you can squish!
C
Camp: Positioning oneself and waiting there for an extended amount of time in order to acquire an edge or catch one's opponents off guard. I like to call these picnics! Cause the amount of time your there you might as well have a sandwich…
Carry: When a player makes a big difference to the success of their team in a team-based video game. Carrying may also be a way for experienced players to win rounds when the rest of their team isn't as good at the game or doesn't know as much about it.
CC: ‘Crowd Control’. This is about skills or actions that make enemy characters unable to move or hurt them. Much like traffic ..
CCG: ‘Collectible Card Games’. These are digital versions of classic card games.
Checkpoint: A checkpoint is a specific location within a level that will be used as the player's new beginning should they fail. Until the level is completed or the player receives a Game Over, checkpoints will stay in place.
Cheese: An exploit or strategy that dramatically lessens the difficulty of a certain enemy or situation in a game. No holes in this strategy!
Co-op: Collaboration amongst multiple players. Or not .. you can just play solo if you want. You do you!
Couch co-op: A split-screen video game where numerous players share a single monitor and work together to complete objectives. Couch not required.
Cooldown: The minimum amount of time that must pass before the player can use an ability again after it has been previously used.
Cross-platform play: Online games that are available on multiple platforms.
D
DoT: ‘Damage over time’. A condition that gradually weakens a character over time or turns, like from poison or being set on fire. Not recommended in real life.
DPS: ‘Damage per second’. Used as a gauge in games where the player's assaults are done automatically when they come close to their target, among other situations.
DLC: ‘Downloadable Content’. Downloadable material that is added to a game after it has already been released.
E
Easter egg: A hidden feature that is more of a joke or a ‘nod’ to something than an integral part of the game's mechanics or plot. Not actually an Easter egg… come on now.
F
Farming (also known as grinding): Doing the same things over and over to get resources, money, or items to move forwards or trade.
FPS: ‘First-Person Shooter’. A type of game in which the player goes through the game from the main character's point of view.
Friendly fire: It means that players can be attacked by their own allies, especially in multiplayer games, or that they are being attacked by an ally. Great way to lose some friends!
G
Gank: Ambushing or attacking a player or group that isn't expecting it, usually in a coordinated way… usually…
Gacha game: Gacha games, like loot boxes, require in-game currency to purchase random items or characters.
GG: ‘Good Game’. Used to show good sportsmanship or to say that a game was well played.
GLHF: ‘Good luck, have fun’. Typed at the beginning of a game as a gesture of good sportsmanship.
H
HP: ‘Hits Points’ (or health points). HP is a measure of how much damage a player's character can take before they lose consciousness or die. Tip! Zero = bad …
I
IRL: ‘In Real Life’. Refers to something in the real world.
J
Jungler: A specific position in a game (commonly MOBA) where a player who goes into the jungle or other non-lane areas of maps to kill neutral monsters, called for experience (xp) and gold. Juggling balls is not required.
K
K/D ratio: ‘Kill vs Deaths’ (Or K/D/A (A=Assists)). How many ‘kills’ and ‘deaths’ a player has in a game. Most people think of the K/D ratio as a measure of overall performance.
Kill stealing: Getting the kill because you did all the work. I mean … getting rid of an enemy that someone else was about to get rid of. This is usually done to get credit or a reward without doing most of the work.
Kiting: A strategy for drawing an enemy away from where they are, either to distract them or get away from them, or to lead them to a better place to fight, away from dangers or other enemies. Using a kite could be enough to distract the enemy team!
L
Lag: Because of connection or technical problems, the game doesn't respond as quickly or run as smoothly as it should. Great excuse if you mess up in a game!
LAN party: ‘Local Area Network’. A group of people who get together to play multiplayer games on their own computers or game systems over a local network.
LFG: ‘Looking for Group’. Something players can type in chat indicating that they are looking to find a group to play with.
Lobby: A place in a multiplayer game where players wait before starting a match or quest.
Loot: In a game, you can get items or rewards by beating enemies or completing tasks.
Loot box: Players can receive loot boxes (or booster packs for online collectable card games) for completing matches, levelling up, or other in-game achievements. The box includes random things, usually cosmetic but sometimes gameplay-impacting, awarded by rarity.
M
Metagame: The strategies, tactics, or knowledge that aren't part of the game but still affect how you play.
MMO: ‘Massively Multiplayer Online’. Games that allow a lot of people to play together in the same online world.
MOBA: ‘Multiplayer Online Battle Arena’. Games where two teams of players fight each other in a setting that looks like an arena.
Mount: A rideable companion creature that the main character can use to move around the game world, often more quickly or in a way that would not be possible on foot. Yes, there can be unicorns.
MP: ‘Magic Points’ or ‘Mana Points’. The number of points it takes to cast spells. If you run out of MP you can’t cast any spells.
N
Nerf: Reducing the power or effectiveness of a character, an item, or a game mechanic in order to make the game more balanced. Usually the worst day for any gamer when their favourite character gets nerfed.
Noob: Short for ‘newcomer’, noob is widely used in online games to criticise unskilled players.
NPC: ‘Non-Player Character’. Refers to characters in a game that are controlled by the game's AI instead of a human player.
O
OOM: ‘Out of Mana’. A term used in chat to notify the team that they need to get more mana to cast spells.
OP: ‘Overpowered’. Refers to something in the game that is seen as being too strong or unfair. It could also mean a player who is much stronger than the enemies they face.
P
Party: A group of player characters that can be controlled individually by different players in a multiplayer game or by one player and sometimes the computer in a single-player game.
Ping: In cooperative multiplayer games, a feature that lets players on the same team "ping" (highlight) other things on the map, like waypoints, enemies, or treasure, so that their teammates can see them.
PvP: ‘Player versus Player’. Refers to a video game where players can compete against each other.
PvE: ‘Player versus Environment’. Refers to a video game where players compete against the game's artificial intelligence instead of other players.
R
Ragequit: When a player is too angry to play that they suddenly quit the game. A perfectly normal reaction (but not at all).
Res:'Ressurection'. The process of reviving a player character after they have been killed in-game. Even though your teammates never do.
RPG: ‘Role-Playing Game’. A type of game in which the player takes on the role of a character and goes on quests, listens to stories, and helps the character grow.
RTS: ‘Real-time strategy’. A fast-paced tactical action game.
S
Sandbox: A game with no set path that lets you explore the world at your own pace.
Save Point: A place or action in a game where progress is saved and the player can pick up where they left off later. This is your best friend.
SIM: A simulation game which simulates real life experiences, such as racing or flying.
Smurf: Where an experienced player creates a new or low-ranked account. Usually, to help a new player…. Or get a really good confidence boost!
Status effects: When a condition is put on a character, it causes certain good or bad things to happen… but usually bad.
Support: (also known as Healer) A character or player whose main goal is to heal and help other people by using healing spells or abilities. Emphasis on the HELP.
Sweat/Sweaty: A derogatory term for players who are very competitive, especially when it's not necessary or called for. We recommend bringing some deodorant.
T
Tank: A character or player whose main goal is to take damage and draw the enemy's attention away from his or her teammates who are more vulnerable.
Teabagging: A winning player-character repeatedly crouches and stands up over a knocked down or dead opponent, replicating the sexual act of the same name. Just don’t be that guy.
TPS: ‘Third-Person Shooter’. A shooter game in which the camera behind the character you control gives you your point of view.
Throwing: Losing a game on purpose… don’t do this either.
Tilted: When a player gets mad at someone or something, which often makes them play worse.
U
Ultimate: Ultimate attacks or abilities (or "ults") are the strongest or most damaging ones that a character can have.
V
VR: ‘Virtual Reality’. A special piece of hardware that lets you get into the game world, usually with the help of a headset and/or controllers.
W
Walkthrough: A description of how a level or playthrough is played, meant to help players who aren't sure how to finish it.
WASD keys: A common control system that uses a standard QWERTY keyboard, with the W, A, S, and D keys set up to control movement. This lets you use your left hand like an arrow key.
Whisper: Conversations between players that are private. Not required to actually whisper.
Wrecked: To "rekt" or "recked" someone means to easily defeat them in a one-on-one fight. 'Get Rekt' is a popular triumph put-down.
X
XP” ‘Experience’. When a player does things like finish quests, beat enemies, or complete challenges, they get experience points. Experience points are a number that shows how much a character has grown, learned, or improved in the game.
Z
Zoning: A way to play that involves controlling a certain part of a map or arena so that your opponents have to leave.
#
360 no-scope: In first-person shooters, a player spins 360 degrees and fires a sniper weapon without aiming, injuring or killing the opponent. Only masteres and achieve this level of awesomeness.
4X: ‘eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate’. Games are strategy games where the goal is to control the whole world.
By Gee Gee