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Since the origin ofvideo games in the early 1970s, thevideo game industry, theplayers, andsurrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms.
Alsoisometric graphics.
Graphic rendering technique of three-dimensional objects set in a two-dimensional plane of movement. Often includes games where some objects are still rendered assprites.Alsotriple A.
A high-budget game with a large development team. AAA games are usuallymultiplatform or arefirst-party, have multimillion-dollar budgets, and expect to sell millions of copies.[4][5]Alsobadge,trophy,medal,cheevo.
Meta-goals defined outside a game's parameters. May be external achievements such as those onXbox Live orSteam, internal achievements such as those inClash of Clans, or both.Alsoaim down sights.
Refers to the common alternate method of firing a gun in afirst-person shooter (FPS) game, typically activated by the right mouse button. The real-life analogue is when a person raises a rifle up and places the stock just inside the shoulder area, and leans their head down so they can see in a straight line along the top of the rifle, through both of the iron sights or a scope, if equipped. In most games, this greatly increases accuracy, but can limit vision, situational awareness, mobility, and require a small amount of time to change the weapon position.Alsocontrol stick andthumbstick.
A small variation of ajoystick, usually placed on agame controller to allow a player more fluent 2-dimensional input than is possible with aD-pad.[14]
A term used in manyrole-playing andstrategy games to describe attacks or other effects that affect multiple targets within a specified area. For example, in the role-playing game,Dungeons & Dragons, a fireballspell will deal damage to anyone within a certain radius of where it strikes. In most tactical strategy gamesartillery weapons have an area of effect that will damage anyone within a radius of the strike zone. Often the effect is stronger on the target than on anything else hit. See also:Splash damage
Area of effect can also refer to spells and abilities that are non-damaging. For example, a powerful healing spell may affect anyone within a certain range of the caster (often only if they are a member of the caster'sparty). Some games also have what are referred to as "aura" abilities that will affect anyone in the area around the person with the ability. For example, many strategy games have hero or officer units that can improve the morale and combat performance of friendly units around them. The inclusion of AoE elements in game mechanics can increase the role of strategy, especially inturn-based games. The player has to place units wisely to mitigate the possibly devastating effects of a hostile area of effect attack; however, placing units in a dense formation could result in gains that outweigh the increased AoE damage received.
Point-blank area of effect (PBAoE) is a less-used term for when the affected region is centered on the character performing the ability, rather than at a location of the player's choosing.
Alsodisplay mode andshow mode.
A pre-recorded demonstration of a video game that is displayed when the game is not being played.[20]
Originally built intoarcade games, the main purpose of the attract mode is to entice passers-by to play the game.[20] It usually displays the game'stitle screen, the game's story (if it has one), itshigh score list,sweepstakes (on some games) and the message "Game Over" or "Insert Coin" over or in addition to a computer-controlled demonstration ofgameplay. In theAtari 8-bit computers of the late 1970s and 1980s, the termattract mode was sometimes used to denote a simplescreensaver that slowly cycled the display colors to preventphosphor burn-in when no input had been received for several minutes.[21] Attract modes demonstrating gameplay are common in current home video games.
Attract mode is not only found in arcade video games, but in most coin-operated games likepinball machines,stacker machines and other games.Cocktail arcade machines on which the screen flips its orientation for each player's turn in two-player games traditionally have the screen's orientation in player 1's favour for the attract mode.Alsoaim-assist.
A game mechanic built into some games to decrease the level of difficulty by locking onto or near targets for faster aiming. Games utilize "hard" or "soft" aim settings to respectively either lock directly onto an enemy or assist the player's aim towards the enemy while giving some freedom of precision.Not to be confused withaimbot.Alsobunny hopping.
Repeated use of the jump button while moving, which increases the character's momentum in some games. Originally a glitch in Quake 1 based games, a large portion of games have implemented it as a feature and gamers have taken into doing this.Alsobackfilling.
A system of many competitive team-based multiplayer games that automaticallyfinds a new player based on their skill level in an already existing game in case of one player leaving it. Usually only seen in casual modes to keep competitive integrity in ranked games.Alsoachievement.
An indicator of accomplishment or skill, showing that the player has performed some particular action within the game.Alsobanhammer.
In online games, the act ofkicking a player from the server, and then employing means of preventing them from returning. This is usually accomplished using ablacklist. In some games, done in "ban waves" against cheaters to obfuscate how they were recognized as cheating in the game.Alsobeta testing.
An early release of a video game, following itsalpha release, where the game developer seeks feedback from players and testers to removebugs prior to the product's commercial release. Games are usually almost finished at the beta stage.[23]See alsoclosed beta andopen beta.Alsostory mode andcampaign.
A series of game levels intended to tell a linear story; some campaigns feature multiple 'paths', with the player's actions deciding which path the story will follow and affecting which choices are available to the player at a later point.Alsocharacter select.
Alsoguild
An organized group of players who regularly play multiplayer video games.Alsoclutching the game andcoming in clutch.
Being able to perform exceptionally well in a high-stakes situation, or have certain events occur at the right time in a very important or critical moment, in particular in a way that changes the outcome of the game; scoring a victory for your team when it was on the verge of defeat.[37]
A common term in video games for the option to continue the game after all of the player'slives have been lost, rather than ending the game and restarting from the very beginning. There may or may not be a penalty for doing this, such as losing a certain number of points or being unable to access bonus stages.
Inarcade games, when a player loses or fails an objective, they will generally be shown a "continue countdown" screen, in which the player has a limited amount of time (usually 10, 15, or 20 seconds) to insert additional coins in order to continue the game from the point where it had ended; deciding not to continue will result in the displaying of agame over screen.[42]
The continue feature was added to arcade games in the mid-1980s due to arcade owners wanting to earn more money from players who played for longer periods of time.[42] The first arcade game to have a continue feature wasFantasy,[42] and the first home console cartridge to have this feature was the Atari 2600 version ofVanguard.[43]: 26 As a result of the continue feature, games started to have stories and definite endings; however, those games were designed so that it would be nearly impossible to get to the end of the game without continuing.[42] Salen and Zimmerman argue that the continue feature in games such asGauntlet was an outlet forconspicuous consumption.[44]
In more modern times, continues have also been used in a number offree-to-play games, especiallymobile games, where the player is offered a chance to pay a certain amount of premium currency to continue after failing or losing. One example isTemple Run 2, where the price of a continue doubles after each failure, with an on-the-flyin-app purchase of the game's premium currency if required.Alsocrit.
A type of strike that does more damage than usual. Normally a rare occurrence, this may indicate a special attack or a hit on the target's weak point.Alsocinematic.
A game segment that exists solely to provide detail and exposition to the story. They are used extensively inMMOs andRPGs in order to progress the plot. Cut-scenes are more likely to be generated by the in-game engine while cinematics are pre-recorded.[15]Alsocontrol pad anddirectional pad.
A 4-directional rocker button that allows the player to direct game action in eight different directions: up, down, left, right, and their diagonals. Invented byGunpei Yokoi for theGame & Watch series of handheld consoles, Nintendo used the "directional pad" (or "cross-key" in Japan) for theirNintendo Entertainment System controller and it has been used on nearly every console controller since.[14]Alsoday zero.
The day of release for a video game; often accompanied by a 'day-one patch' to repair issues that could not be addressed in time for the game's distribution, or 'day-one DLC', where the developer offers content for a price. 'Day-one DLC' is often associated withon-disc DLC, where the content is already a part of the game's data, but the player must pay to access it.Alsoday one.
Before The day of release for a video game; often accompanied by a 'day-zero dlc' to allow early play time that users paid for the game before launch, or maybe extra cosmetics. or the purchaser gets things like the 'day-one DLC' on launch day, or somein game currency, where the developer offers content bundled in for buying the game "pre-launch". the 'Day-one DLC' is often associated withon-disc DLC, where the content is already a part of the game's data, but the player must pay to access it.Alsofree-for-all
A game mode in many shooter and real-time strategy games in which the objective is to kill as many other characters as possible until a time limit or kill limit is reached.Compare tolast man standing.Alsoconversation tree.
Found primarily in adventure games, a means of providing a menu of dialog choices to the player when interacting with a non-player character so as to learn more from that character, influence the character's actions, and otherwise progress the game's story. The tree nature comes from typically having multiple branching levels of questions and replies that can be explored.Alsodowned
A term for near-death state, typically found in teambattle royale games, in which a player becomes incapacitated instead of dying after losing health points. Players in this state can be revived by teammates as long as they still have health, and in certain games such asTom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, players can self-revive, or "self-rez".[54][55]Alsostick drift.
A typical malfunction that affects theanalog stick(s) of agamepad, in which its neutral position is set somewhere on its fringe, instead of the central position that it default maintains when the analog stick is unmoved. This can cause undesired gameplay effects, such as causing a character to constantly move or the game camera to constantly be locked to one skewed angle while the analog stick(s) is/are unmoved, depending on which stick is affected or the game's controls.See alsolevel
In anopen world game such as anRPG, an enclosed area filled with hostile NPCs where the player is likely to come under attack. In this sense, it can be used to refer to literal "dungeons" or include any number of other places, such as caves, ships, forests, sewers or buildings. Dungeons may be maze-like or contain puzzles that the player must solve and often hide valuable items within to encourage player exploration.Alsosoftware testing andSoftware release life cycle.
A development model where players are able to purchase and play a game as it currently stands, be it early in development or close to a full release. On the developer's end, early access allows them to gather player feedback and further the game's development with the money made from these sales.See alsoopen beta.Alsoinfinite runner.
A subgenre ofplatform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach ahigh score by surviving for as long as possible.[57]Alsoelectronic sports,e-sports,eSports,competitive gaming,cybersports andprofessional gaming.
Organized competitions around competitive video games, often played for prize money and recognition.Alsofield of vision.
A measurement reflecting how much of thegame world is visible in a first-person perspective on the display screen, typically represented as an angle. May also refer to the general amount of the game world that is visible on the screen, typically in games where being able to see a lot at once is important, such asstrategy games andplatformers.Alsoinvincibility frames,invulnerability period,mercy invincibility.
An invincibility or immunity to damage that occurs after the player takes damage for a short time, indicated by the player-character blinking or buffering.[citation needed]
Alsofull perfect combo (FPC).
A term used most commonly inrhythm games, when the player hits every note in a song with no mistakes, therefore never breaking a combo.[67] Often results in the highest possible score on said song.Alsogameplay mechanics.
An overarching term that describes how a particular game functions and what is possible within the game's environment; the rules of the game. Typical game mechanics includepoints,turns or lives. An unanticipated and novel use of game mechanics may lead toemergent gameplay.Alsogameplay mode.
A distinct configuration that varies game mechanics and affectsgameplay, such as a single-player mode vs a multiplayer mode,campaign mode,endless mode, orgod mode.AlsoBuy-to-play.
A type of business model where games are bought and sold once as a finished product that receives few to no further content updates, as opposed togames as a service where games receive content updates in the long-term on a continuing revenue model.AlsoLive Service Games.
A type of business model where games receive content updates in the long-term on a continuing revenue model, as opposed togames as a product, where a game is bought and sold once as a finished product that receives few to no further content updates.
Alsogoated.
Acronym forGreatest Of All Time.Also:infinite health,infinite life,invincibility,invulnerability
Acheat that makes player-characters invulnerable.[13]: 119 Occasionally adds invincibility, where the player can hurt enemies by touching them (e.g., theSuper Mario Super Star).[80]: 357 The effect may be temporary.[81]Seeflashing invulnerability.Alsohit points (HP).
An attribute showing how much damage a character can sustain before being incapacitated. Getting hurt lowers this meter and if it reaches zero that character can no longer continue. Depending on the game this can mean many different things (i.e. death, serious injury, knockout, or exhaustion).Alsohi-score.
The highest logged score in a video game.See alsoleaderboard.Alsodamage ring.
A visual effect that occurs every time the player-character lands a hit on the opponent; commonly seen infirst-person shooter games likeCall of Duty.Alsoi-frames.
Seeinvincibility frames.Alsoindependent video game.
Loosely defined as a game made by a single person or a small studio without any financial, development, marketing, or distribution support from a largepublisher, though there are exceptions.Alsoheads-up display (HUD).
Graphic elements that communicate information to the player and aid interaction with the game, such as health bars, ammo meters, and maps.[15]
Alsomagic points.
A pool of resources inherent to a character that determines the amount ofmagical abilities they are able to use.Alsomulti-user domain,multi-user dungeon.
A multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based.Alsocross-platform.
A game which can be played on multipleplatforms.AlsoCPU.
Abbreviation ofnon-player character ornon-playable character, is acomputer-controlled character or any character that is not under a player's direct control.AlsoP2W orPTW.
Elements of a game that can only be unlocked by making premium digital purchases and provide the player with an advantage. The purchase packages can include game currency, resources, special characters, unique items, summoning tickets, character skins that give buffs to their stats, or VIP points if the game has a built-in VIP system. This monetization scheme can result in an unbalanced experience between players.Alsohardcore mode.
Generally refers to when a player must restart the game from the beginning when their character dies, instead of from asaved game orsave point. This may also refer to the case of a player having to restart the game due to failing to meet a certain objective. The term may also apply to squad-based games such as tactical role-playing games, if the death of the character eliminates that character from the game completely but the game may continue on with other characters.Alsoplatformer.
Any video game, or genre which involves heavy use of jumping, climbing, and other acrobatic maneuvers to guide theplayer-character between suspended platforms and over obstacles in the game environment.[15]Alsoragdolling.
A type ofprocedural animation used byphysics engines where static death animations have been replaced by a body going limp and collapsing in on itself, with the only animation acting on the body and its connected limbs being from the game's physics engine. This often gives the impression that a character is flailing or being flung around, like arag doll.Alsogamer rage.[131]
The act of quitting a game mid-progress instead of waiting for the game to end. Typically, this is associated with leaving in frustration, such as unpleasant communication with other players, being annoyed, or losing the game. However, the reasons can vary beyond frustration, such as being unable to play due to the way the game has progressed, bad sportsmanship, or manipulating game statistics. Apparent rage quits may occur due to a player's game crashing, or the player experiencing network connection problems. There are also social implications of rage quitting, such as making other players rage quit. Certain games can penalize the player for leaving early. Sometimes the player may damage or even destroy the device, console, or controller the game is being played on.[132]Contrast withdrop-in, drop-out.Alsorerolling
Restarting a game with a new character from the lowest possible stats, after havingmaxed out a previous character.Alsoold-school gaming
The playing or collecting of older personal computer, console, and arcade video games in contemporary times.Alsogrenade jumping.
A tactic used in certain games that include physics simulation and rocket launchers or explosives. The player aims their weapon at or near theirplayer-character's feet, or stand their character where there will be an explosion, and use the force of the blast to propel the character beyond normal jumping ability.[136]Alsogame save,savegame, orsavefile.
Alsoside-scroller.
A game in which the action is viewed from a side-view camera angle and the screen follows the player as they move.
Alsosweaty,sweatlord.
A derogatory term used to refer to players with a highly competitive attitude, typically in situations where such an attitude is uncalled for or unnecessary. Synonymous withtryhard.[156]Alsomeat shield.
A character with abilities or equipment to have highhealth and damage mitigation that drawsaggro from opponents and receives enemy attacks so that teammates can concentrate on their attacks or objectives. Common in MMORPGs.Alsotunneling.
A strategy used in online games where the player continuously kills or attacks the same opponent, ignoring the others surrounding them. It is often seen asunsportsmanlike behaviour in gaming.Alsotech tree.
A branching series of technologies that can be researched in strategy games, to customize the player's faction.See alsoskill tree.
The initial screen of acomputer,video, orarcade game after the credits and logos of thegame developer andpublisher are displayed. Early title screens often included all thegame options available (single player, multiplayer, configuration of controls, etc.) while modern games have opted for the title screen to serve as asplash screen. This can be attributed to the use of the title screen as aloading screen, in which to cache all the graphical elements of the main menu. Older computer and video games had relatively simple menu screens that often featuredpre-rendered artwork.
In arcade games, the title screen is shown as part of theattract mode loop, usually after a game demonstration is played. The title screen andhigh score list urge potential players toinsert coins. In console games, especially if the screen is not merged with the main menu, it urges the player to press start. Similarly, in computer games, the message "Hitany key" is often displayed. Controls that lack an actual "Start" button use a different prompt; theWii, for example, usually prompts the player to press both letter buttons on theWii Remote simultaneously, as inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 orMario Party 9.Fan-made games often parody the style of the title that inspired them.Alsowall banging.
In first or third person shooters, the act of shooting someone through a wall or object with bullets or other projectiles that have penetration. Made a popular term by games such asCounter-Strike andCall of Duty.AlsoStreamer bait
Games that are made forYouTubers orTwitch streamers.SeeLet's Play.Alsozerg rush
Tactic in strategy games in which the player uses overwhelming numbers of inexpensive, disposable units rather than skill or strategy.[15] The term comes from the Zerg, a race inStarCraft that uses numerical advantage to overwhelm opponents.See alsorush.AlsoCPU vs. CPU
A game that has nosentient players and only hasCPUs.[175]"gold sinks", i.e. opportunities in the game to spend gold at in-game vendors, thereby removing it permanently from the economy and thus reduce money supply.
This has the effect of making lopsided matches even more so – if one team has just a couple more titans than the other, it frequently leads to snowballing matches that spiral out of control.
