Glossary of video game terms

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This glossary of video game terms lists the general video game industry terms as commonly used in Wikipedia articles.

Video Glossary of video game terms

0-9

1CC

Abbreviation of "one credit clear" or "one coin completion". The act of completing an arcade game without using more than one credit (i.e. credit-feeding), although it can also be applied to any console or PC game that uses some form of continues (the term "no continue clear" is sometime used in such instances) . When it comes to completing a game without losing a life as well (if the game has lives), the term "1LC" (one life completion) or "no miss clear" are used instead. This can be further extended into a "no damage clear" or "no damage completion" in games where the player character has a health gauge. Some arcade games offer special ending sequences or challenges when the player achieves a 1CC.

1-up

In games where players have a number of "lives" to complete a game or level; an object or the act of gaining an extra life.

1v1

Abbreviation of 1 versus 1, which means two players battling against each other.

8-bit

A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the third generation of video game consoles, targeting 8-bit computer architecture.

16-bit

A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the fourth generation of video game consoles, targeting 16-bit computer architecture.

2D graphics

The game features 2-dimensional objects.

2.5D graphics

A game consisting of 3D graphics set in a 2D plane of movement, where objects outside of this 2D plane can have an effect on the gameplay.

32-bit

A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the fifth generation of video game consoles, targeting 32-bit computer architecture.

3D graphics

3D graphics. The game features 3-dimensional objects.

4X

A genre of strategic video games, short for "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate".

64-bit

A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the fifth generation of video game consoles, targeting 64-bit computer architecture.

Maps Glossary of video game terms

A

AAA

A high-budget game with a large development team, or game studios that make them. AAA games are usually multiplatform, have multimillion dollar marketing budgets, and plan to sell over one million copies.

Abandonware

The idea of a game being forgotten about, or abandoned by the developers for multiple different reasons, one being copyright issues.

Act

See Level

Sometimes used to refer to individual levels that make up a larger world.

Action point (AP)

A subunit of a player's turn. For example, a game may allow an action to occur only so long as the player has sufficient 'action points'.

Action role-playing game (ARPG)

A genre of role-playing video games where battle actions are performed in real-time instead of a turn-based mechanic.

Actions per minute (APM)

The total number of actions the player can perform in a minute; most professional-level players train with an emphasis on high APM in addition to raw skill.

ADS

Aiming Down Sights, or, Aim Down Sights.

Refers to the common alternate method of firing a gun in a first-person shooter (FPS) game, typically activated by clicking 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. Firing the weapon this way greatly increases accuracy, but can limit vision, situational awareness and mobility, and it also takes a variable amount of time to change the weapon position, depending on the game.

AFK

Abbreviation of Away From Keyboard. Generally said through a chat function in online multiplayer games when a player intends to be temporarily unavailable. The term BRB (be right back) from texting is also used, although whether these two terms are interchangeable varies from person to person.

Aggro

See Hate. An abbreviation for 'aggravation'. 'Causing aggro' is the act of performing (usually) aggressive actions in a video game in order to attract attention of NPCs to defeat the player character, while 'managing aggro' involves keeping aggressive NPCs from overwhelming the player or party. Often used in gaming to grind. Sometimes facetiously used in reference to irritated bystanders ('wife aggro', 'mother aggro', etc).

Aimbot (auto-aim)

A first-person shooter cheat that lets players shoot other player-characters without aiming. In most cases, the reticle locks on to a target within the player's line of sight and the player only has to pull the trigger. Aimbots are one of the most popular cheats in multiplayer FPS, used since 1996's Quake.

Alpha release

An initial, incomplete version of a game (compare 'beta version'); alpha versions are usually released early in the development process to test a game's most critical functionality and prototype design concepts.

Always-on DRM

A type of digital rights management that typically requires the player to be always connected to the Internet to play the game.

Analog stick

A small variation of a joystick, usually placed on a game controller to allow a player more fluent 2-dimensional input than is possible with a D-pad.

AoE

Abbreviation of Area of effect

Abbreviation of Age of Empires

Any%

A type of speedrun in which the player's objective is to reach the game's end goal as quickly as possible without regard to the normal intermediate steps.

Arcade game

A coin-operated (or 'coin-op') game machine. Popular primarily during the late 1980s, arcade machines are still manufactured and sold worldwide.

Area

See Level

Area of effect (AoE)

A term used in many role-playing and strategy 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 fireball spell will deal damage to anyone within a certain radius of where it strikes. This term is not limited to just role-playing games, however, in most tactical strategy games artillery weapons have an area of effect that will damage anyone within a radius of the strike zone.

Area of effect can also refer to spells and abilities that are non-damaging and non-explosive. 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's party). Many games also have what are sometimes 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 in turn-based strategy 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 (abbreviated PBAoE) is a subset of AoE in which the affected region is centered on the character that is performing the ability, rather than a location of the player's choosing. This term is used less.

ARPG

Abbreviation of Action role-playing game.

Asset flipping

A practice of a game developer to use free or example game art, model, and music assets shipped with a game engine or provided as a free package for it to create a game, typically without adding their own assets and without providing credit to the game engine's developers or even claiming credit themselves. This is generally taken negatively in the gaming community, and typically represents a game aimed to earn money for the developer for very little effort.

Asynchronous gameplay

Competitive multiplayer games where the players do not have to be participating at the same time. Such games are usually turn-based, with each player planning a strategy for the upcoming turn, and then having the game resolve all actions of that turn once each player has submitted their strategies.

Asymmetric gameplay

Cooperative or competitive multiplayer games in which each player will have a different experience arising from differences in gameplay, controls, or in-game character options that are part of the game; this is in contrast to symmetric gameplay where each player will have the same experience such as in the game Pong. Asymmetric gameplay often arises in competitive games where one player's character is far overpowered but outnumbered from other players that are all competing against them, such as in Pac-Man Vs..

Attract mode

Also known as display mode or show mode, attract mode is a pre-recorded demonstration of a video game that is displayed when the game is not being played. Originally built into arcade games, the main purpose of the attract mode is to entice passers-by to play the game. It usually displays the game's title screen, the game's story (if it has one), its high score list, sweepstakes (on some games) and the message "Game Over" or "Insert Coin" over or in addition to a computer-controlled demonstration of gameplay. In Atari home video games of the 1970s and 1980s, the term attract mode was sometimes used to denote a simple screensaver that slowly cycled the display colors to prevent phosphor burn-in while the game was not being played. Attract modes demonstrating gameplay are common in current home video games.

Attract mode is not only found in arcade games, but in most coin-operated games like pinball machines, stacker machines and lots of 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.

Auto-aim

Also known as aim-assist is a gameplay mechanic built into many games to decrease the level of difficulty. The game itself has the ability to lock onto or near targets for faster aiming. Games such as the newer Grand Theft Auto titles 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 for headshots. It is not to be confused with aimbots.

Auto-run

Auto-run, short for automatic running, is a system in video games that causes the player character to move forward without input from the user. The system is predominantly used in platform games.

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B

Balance

Aspects of a multi-player game that keep it fair for all players; the issue of 'balanced' gameplay is a heavily-debated matter among most games' player communities.

Badge

An indicator of accomplishment or skill, showing that the player has performed some particular action within the game; synonymous with 'achievement'.

Beta release or Beta Testing

An early release of a video game, following its alpha release, where typically the game developer seeks to remove bugs prior to the released product through feedback from players and testers.

Board

See Level

BM

"Bad Manners"; conduct that is not considered 'cheating' but may be seen as unsportsmanlike or disrespectful. Some games may elect to punish badly-behaved players by assessing game penalties, temporarily blocking them from re-entering play, or banishing them to a playing environment populated solely by other badly-behaved players.

Bonus stage

A special level whose main purpose is to reward the player(s) with extra points or power-ups.

Boss

An opponent non-player character in a video game that is typically much more difficult to defeat compared to normal enemies, often representing the end of a level or a game.

Buff

An effect placed on a video game character that beneficially increases one or more of their statistics/characteristics for a temporary period.

Alternatively, a change intended to strengthen a particular item, tactic, ability, or character, ostensibly for balancing purposes. (see Nerf)

Bullet hell

A type of shoot 'em up where generally the player must dodge an overwhelming large number of enemies and their projectiles.

Bullshot

A portmanteau of bullshit and screenshot, referring to the misrepresention of a final product's technical or artistic quality by artificially enhancing promotional images or video footage.

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C

Campaign mode

A campaign mode, story mode, or simply 'campaign' is 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/or which choices are available to the player at a later point.

Camping

A controversial strategy in which a player stays in one place - preferably a fortified, high-traffic location - for an extended period of time and waits to ambush other players. It is most common in first-person shooter games. Spawn camping, or spawnkilling, is a related strategy in which players camp at a spawn point. Also the act of hanging around a rare mobs' spawn point killing placeholders until the rare mob spawns, usually in MMOs.

Challenge mode

A mode of gameplay offered beyond the game's normal play mode that tasks the player(s) to replay parts of the game or special levels under specific conditions that are not normally present or required in the main game, such as finishing a level within a specific time, or using only one type of weapon. If a game doesn't feature a 'challenge mode', players will often create self-imposed challenges by forbidding or restricting the use of certain game mechanics.

Character class

A character type with distinct abilities and attributes both positive and negative, such as a warrior, thief, wizard, or priest.

Charge shot

A shot that can be charged up so that a stronger attack can be dealt. Usually performed by holding down the shot button.

Cheating

To play the game unfairly; giving an unfair advantage via illegitimate means.

Checkpoint

See Saved game

Chiptune

Music composed for the microchip-based audio hardware of early home computers and gaming consoles. Due to the technical limitations of earlier video game hardware, chiptune came to define a style of its own, known for its "soaring flutelike melodies, buzzing square wave bass, rapid arpeggios, and noisy gated percussion."

Class

See Character class

Cinematic

See Cutscene

Circle strafing

An advanced method of movement in many First Person Shooter (FPS) games where the user utilized both thumb sticks (console) or mouse and keyboard controls (PC) to maintain a constant circular motion around an enemy, while maintaining a relatively steady aim on that target in the center of your circular movement. This skill minimizes incoming external fire to your character from your target's teammates, as any misses are likely to hit and harm their teammate inside your circle.

Clipping

Programming used to ensure that the player stays within the physical boundaries of the game world. Also see noclip, a cheat where clipping is disabled.

Closed beta

A beta period where only specific people have access to the game

Clone

A game that is similar in design to another game in its genre (e.g, a 'DOOM clone' or a 'Grand Theft Auto' clone). Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion to refer to an inferior 'ripoff' of a more successful title.

CMS

Abbreviation of Construction and management simulation

Coin-op

See Arcade game

Combo

Combinations of attacks in a fighting game, during which an opponent is helpless to defend themselves. Introduced in beat-'em-ups such as Renegade and Double Dragon, and becoming more dynamic in Capcom's fighting games Final Fight and Street Fighter II, to correctly execute a combo, a player needs to learn complex series of joystick and button combinations.

Competitive gaming

See eSports

Console

A video game hardware unit that typically offers connects to a video screen and controllers, along with other hardware. Unlike personal computers, a console typically has a fixed hardware configuration defined by its manufacturer and cannot be customized.

Console generation

A set of video game consoles in direct competition for market share in a given era. The set, as a generation, is obsoleted at the introduction of the "next generation" or "next gen".

Console wars

Refers to competition for video game console market dominance and, in specific, the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s. The analogy also extends to competition between consoles in later console generations, particularly the PlayStation and Xbox brands.

Construction and management simulation (CMS)

A video game genre that involves planning out and managing a population of citizens in towns, cities, or other population centers; in such games the player rarely has direct control of the computer-controlled citizens and can only influence them through planning.

Continue

A common term in video games for the option to continue the game after all of the player's lives 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. In arcade games, when a player loses or fails an objective, they will generally be shown a "continue countdown" screen, in which the player has a certain 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 by pressing the start button; deciding not to continue will result in the displaying of a Game over screen. 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. The first arcade game to have a continue feature was Fantasy, and the first home console cartridge to have this feature was the Atari 2600 version of Vanguard.; 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. Salen and Zimmerman argue that the continue feature in games such as Gauntlet was an outlet for conspicuous consumption.

In more modern times, continues have also been used in a number of free-to-play games, especially mobile games, where the player is offered a chance to pay a certain amount of premium currency to continue after failing or losing. An example of this would be Temple Run 2, where if the player got into an accident or got caught by the pursuing demon monkey, the player is offered a chance to pay gems (the game's premium currency) to purchase a continue and keep running. Subsequent accidents will cost more gems to continue from, with the price doubling after each one. If the player doesn't have enough gems, an on-the-fly in-app purchase that buys enough gems is required to continue.

Controller

A means of control over the console or PC you are playing the game on.

Control pad

See D-pad

Control point

A gamemode which involves the team capturing each required "capture point" in order to win the round or level.

Also known as CP.

Control stick

See Analog stick

Conversation tree

See Dialog tree

Cooldown

The minimum length of time that the player needs to wait after using an ability before they can use it again. This concept was first introduced by the text MUD Avalon: The Legend Lives. Similar to the reload time and firing rate of weapons. For example, a machine gun has very fast firing rate, so it has a very low cooldown between shots. Comparatively, a shotgun has a long reload/cooldown time between each shots. Cooldown also can be used to 'balance' a weapon such as a turret-mounted machine gun having infinite ammunition, since it can only sustain continuous fire until reaching a threshold at which the weapon would have to cool down (hence the term) before it could be fired again.

In design terms, cooldown can also be thought of as an inverted 'casting time' where instead of requiring a wait time before using an ability, cooldown may replace casting time and put the wait after the ability is activated. This creates a new dimension to the balancing act of casting speed versus power: "lower cooldown, faster cast, but weaker strength" versus "higher cooldown, slower cast, but greater strength." This sort of mechanic is integral to such games as World of Warcraft, where cooldown management is key to higher-level play and various abilities deal with cooldown (for example, cooldown reduction or immediately finishing cooldown on certain abilities). From the technical point of view, cooldown can also be used to assert control over frequency of cast (for spamming) in order to maintain a fluid frame rate and ping. For example, in the game Diablo II, cooldown was added in the form of a patch to several graphically and CPU intensive spells (blizzard, frozen orb, hydra, etc.) to solve the problem of extreme lag caused by players spamming these spells in multiplayer.

Moves and attacks in fighting games (like those from the Street Fighter series) have the amount of time each of them take to execute measured in "frames" (1/60th of a second per frame). Each move has a certain amount of frames in which it is considered to be "recovering" before another move can be executed, which is similar to cooldowns in concept. However, unlike the concept of the cooldown, where a move, spell or ability is considered to be cooling down before it can be used again but control over one's character/unit is still available, the recovery frames of a move in a fighting game do not allow the player to perform any other attacks or movement until the move has fully recovered. Because of this mechanic, strategic use of skills is necessary to make sure the opponent cannot immediately counter the player during the recovery phase of an attack, since it leaves the player wide open.

Compulsion loop

A cycle of gameplay elements designed to keep the player invested in the game, typically though a feedback system involving in-game rewards that open up more gameplay opportunities.

Corruptor

A computer program used either as or in conjunction with an emulator to corrupt certain data within a ROM or ISO by a user-desired amount, causing varied effects, both visually and audibly, to a video game and its data, including but not limited to displaced or misdirected pixels in a spritemap, never-ending levels, artifacts, distorted or entirely incorrect sprites, polygons, textures, or character models, spastic animations, incorrect text or dialogue trees, flickering graphics or lights, incorrect or distorted audio, inconvenient invisible walls, lack of collision detection, and other forced glitches, usually meant to be done for humorous effect. Most often, the result is unwinnable, if the game doesn't end up freezing in some way or entirely crashing the corruptor and associated programs as a whole.

Cover system

A gameplay mechanics which allows the player to use walls or other features of the game's environment to take cover from oncoming ranged attacks, typically gunfire in first-person shooters. Many cover systems also allow the character to use range attacks in return while in cover although with an accuracy penalty.

CPU vs. CPU

See Zero-player game

Crafting

A game mechanic that allows the player-character to construct game items, such as armor, weapons or medicine from component items. Most massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) feature a crafting system of some kind.

Credit-feeding

To complete an arcade game by using as many continues as possible. Prevalent in action games or shooters where the player is revived at the exact moment their character died during their previous credit. Some home conversions (such as AES versions of Neo Geo games) tend to limit the number of credits each player is allowed to use in a playthrough as a way of preserving the challenge, while other conversions (such as the ports in the Namco Museum series) impose no such limits in order to faithfully reproduce every feature of the original version. Contrast with 1CC.

Critical hit

A type of strike that does more damage than usual. Normally a rare occurrence.

Cross-platform

See Multiplatform

Crowd control

An ability, usually with an area of effect, that is used primarily in Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games to incapacitate or hinder enemy creatures so that they can be handled in an ordered or controlled fashion. Proper crowd-control is vital in the higher-difficulty areas of most MMO games to ensure success.

CRPG

Abbreviation of computer/console role-playing-game

CTF

Abbreviation of capture the flag, a common game mode in multiplayer video games.

Cutscene

A game segment that exists solely to provide detail and exposition to the story. They are used extensively in MMOs and RPGs, as well as various other genres, in order to progress the plot.

Cybersport

See eSports

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D

D-pad

A 4-directional rocker button that allows the player to direct game action in eight different directions: up, down, left, right, and the diagonals involving these. Invented by Gunpei Yokoi for the Game & Watch-series of handheld consoles, Nintendo used the "directional pad" (or "cross-key" in Japan) for their Nintendo Entertainment System controller and it has been used on nearly every console controller since.

Damage over time (DoT)

An effect, such as poison or catching on fire, that reduces a player's health over the course of time or turns.

Damage per second (DPS)

Used as a metric in some games to allow the player to determine their offensive power.

Damage ring

A HUD element typically found in first-person shooters that indicates which direction the player character is taking damage from.

Day one (release date)

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 release.

Debuff

The opposite of a buff, an effect placed on a character that negatively impacts their statistics and characteristics. Can also refer to effects that nullify or cancel the effects of buffs. Also known as a nerf.

Design

See Video game design

Development hell

An unofficial, indefinite 'waiting period' during which a project is effectively 'stalled' and unable to proceed. Projects that enter 'development hell' are often delayed by several years, but are not usually considered to be formally 'cancelled' by the publisher.

Dialog 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 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.

Difficulty

The level of difficulty that a player wishes to face while playing a game; at higher difficulty levels, the player usually faces stronger NPCs, limited resources, or tighter time-limits.

Digital rights management (DRM)

Software tools for copyright protection; often heavily criticized, particularly if the DRM tool is overly restrictive or badly-designed.

Directional pad

See D-pad

Display mode

See Attract mode

Doom clone

An early term to describe first-person shooters, based on gameplay that mimiced that from Doom.

DLC

Abbreviation for downloadable content.

Double jump

An additional jump that follows the first in quick succession

Downloadable content (DLC)

Additional content for a video game that is acquired through a digital delivery system.

DPM

Abbreviation of "damage per minute", used as a metric in some games to allow the player to determine their offensive power.

DPS

Abbreviation of Damage per second

Draft

A gameplay mode associated with collectible card games including digital variants. A draft mode enables a player to create a deck of cards in such games by selecting one card of a number of randomly selected cards at a time. The player then uses the completed deck to play in matches against other players or computer opponents until they meet a certain win or loss record.

DRM

Abbreviation of Digital rights management

Drop-in, Drop-out

A type of competitive or cooperative multiplayer game that enables a player to join the game at any time without waiting and leave without any penalty, and without affecting the game for other players.

Dungeon

See Level

In an open world game, refers to any hostile location where the player is likely to come under attack. Often these are enclosed areas such as a cave, ship, or building; hence the term dungeon.

Dungeon crawl

A type of video game that is based around exploring a dungeon or similar setting, defeating monsters and collecting loot.

Dynamic game difficulty balancing

The automatic change in parameters, scenarios, and behaviors in a video game in real-time, based on the player's ability, in order to avoid them becoming bored or frustrated.

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E

Emulator

A software program that is designed to replicate the software and hardware of a video game console on more modern computers and other devices. Emulators typically include the ability to load in software images of cartridges and other similar hardware-based game distribution methods from the earlier hardware generations, in addition to more traditional software images.

End game

The game-play available in a massively multiplayer online game for characters that have completed all of the currently-available content.

Endless mode

A mode of gameplay in which players are challenged to last as long as possible against a continuing threat with limited resources or player-character lives, with their performance ranked based on how long they last before succumbing to the threat (such as the death of the player-character), or score-based. This mode is typically offered in games that otherwise have normal endings that can be reached, providing an additional challenge to the players once the main game is completed.

Emergent gameplay

Gameplay that develops as a result of player creativity, rather than the game's programmed structure. EVE Online is well-known for its emergent gameplay, which allows player-formed alliances to fight extended 'wars' over valuable territory and resources, or simply become 'space pirates' and prey on other player-operated vessels.

ESP cheats (extra-sensory perception cheats)

A package of multiple cheats. E.g., "distance ESP" shows the distance between the enemy and the player, "player ESP" makes enemies highly visible, and "weapon ESP" shows enemy weapons.

Electronic sports

Organized competitions around competitive video games, typically using games from the first person shooter and multiplayer online battle arena genres, and often played for prize money and recognition.

Elo hell

The phenomenon of being stuck at a lower rank than your true skill level in competitive video games that use the Elo rating system due to teammates of inferior skill.

Experience point

In games that feature the ability for the player character(s) to gain levels such as CRPGs and JRPGs, experience points are used to denote progress towards the next level.

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F

Farming

Repeating a battle, quest or a similar part of the game in order to receive either experience points, money, or specific items that can be gained through that battle or quest; see Grinding

Fast travel

Common in role-playing games, a means by which to have the player-character(s) travel between already-discovered portions of the game's world without having to actually interactively move that distance.

Feed

In multiplayer games, to consistently die to an enemy team or player (either intentionally or due to inexperience), providing them with experience, gold, map pressure, or other advantages.

Field of view (FOV)

A measurement reflecting how much of the game world is visible to the player on the display screen.

Final boss

See Boss

First-party developer

A developer that is either owned directly by a console maker, or has special arrangements with the console maker that provides greater access to internal details about a console compared to traditional developers.

First-person shooter (FPS)

A genre of video games where the player experiences the game from the first person perspective, and where the primary mechanic is the use of guns and other ranged weapons to defeat enemies.

Flip-screen

A game environment divided into single-screen portions, similar to individual tiles in a maze. Players see only one such screen at a time, and transfer between screens by moving the player-character to the current screen's edge. The picture then abruptly "flips" to the next screen, hence the technique's name.

FOV

See Field of view

FPS

An abbreviation for either First-person shooter or Frames per second (see Frame rate)

Flashing invulnerability

(Sometimes called "invincibility frames", "invulnerability period", etc.) An invincibility or immunity to damage that occurs after the player takes damage for a short time, indicated by the player's character blinking or "buffering", to prevent the player from taking any immediate additional damage again until it wears off.

Fog of war

A 'fog' that covers unexplored areas of the map, hiding enemy units in that area. Common in strategy games.

Frag

See Kill

Frame rate

A measure of the rendering speed of a video game, typically in frames per second (FPS).

Free to Play (F2P, FTP)

Games that do not require purchase from a retailer, either physical or digital, to play. Wildly prevalent amongst smartphone apps, free-to-play games may also provide additional gameplay-enhancing purchases via an in-game 'market' (compare 'freemium', a free-to-play game that follows such a model).

Free look

To be able to look around the map freely, usually unlimited by typical mechanics of the game such as the boundaries of the game world. This is usually an ability that is disabled to common users, but left in the game coding as a developer's tool and is unlockable if the proper code is known.

Also used to describe a method of control where the player uses the Computer mouse to indicate the direction they desire the player character to look.

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G

Game design

See video game design

Game localization

See Localization

Game mechanics

An overarching term that describes how a particular game functions and what is possible within the game's environment; typical game mechanics include points, turns and/or lives. An unanticipated and novel use of game mechanics may lead to emergent gameplay.

Game mode

A mode is a distinct configuration that varies gameplay and affects how other game mechanics behave, such as a single player mode vs a multiplayer mode.

Game over

The end of the game (failure screen).

Game port

When a game is ported from one platform to another; cross-platform ports are often criticized for their quality, particularly if platform-specific design elements (such as input methods) are not updated for the target platform.

Game save

See Saved game

Game studies

An area of social sciences that attempt to quantify or predict human behavior in various game-based scenarios, often where there is a reward or risk in taking certain actions.

Gank

To use the element of surprise to flank and attack an enemy. More common in multiplayer games, where 'ganking' usually indicates an unwelcome attack on an unwilling or unsuspecting participant.

Gating

Part of a game's design that regulates how new gameplay elements, levels, weapons, abilities, or the like are introduced to the player.

GG/GGWP (acronym)

"Good Game" or "Good Game, Well Played"; parting words exchanged at the end of a game or match as a gesture of good sportsmanship.

Ghost

A feature included in time attack or time trial modes in video games allowing the player to review their previous rounds. In racing games, for example, a "ghost car" may follow the last or fastest path a player took around the track. In fighting games, the ghost is an opponent that the computer AI player can train against outside of normal player versus player or story mode.

Ghost cars in racing games generally appear as translucent or flashing versions of the player's vehicle. Based on previously recorded lap times, they serve only to represent the fastest lap time and do not interact dynamically with other competitors. A skilled player will use the ghost to improve his time, matching the ghost's racing line as it travels the course. Many racing games, including Gran Turismo, F-Zero, and Mario Kart, offer a ghost function. Some also show ghosts set by staff members and developers, often showing perfect routes and lap times. A variation of the feature, dubbed by Firemonkeys Studios as "Time-Shifted Multiplayer", was implemented in the mobile racing game Real Racing 3. It works by recording the lap times of people in each race, and using statistics from other players for the game's artificial intelligence to recreate their lap times for the player to beat. The ghost cars can collide with the player and other vehicles, and are fully visible to the player.

In some rhythm games, such as the Elite Beat Agents and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! games multiplayer mode, you can choose to use your saved replay data as one of the players instead of playing the game yourself.

Gib

To "gib" one's opponents is to hit them with such force (often with explosives) that they rupture. Pronounced with a soft 'g' (as in the word 'giblets').

Gimp

A character, character class or character ability that is under-powered in the context of the game; also, a design choice that has this effect.

God mode (infinite health/life, invincibility, invulnerability)

A cheat that makes player-characters invulnerable. Occasionally adds invincibility, where the player can hurt enemies by touching them (e.g., the Super Mario Super Star). The effect can also be temporary.

Gold farming

See Farming

Gone gold

The point in the software development cycle where the software is considered final and ready to be shipped. The term traditionally related to the production of games on CD-ROM, where the final version of the game, the master copy, would be written to a gold film-based writable CD and sent to be replicated for retail.

Graphic content filter

A setting that controls whether the game displays graphic violence

Griefer

A player in a multiplayer video game who deliberately irritates and harasses other players within the game. Many online multiplayer games enforce rules that forbid griefing.

Grinding

Performing a repetitive and time-consuming action in a video game before being able to advance. Prevalent in online games, where it's alternately considered an annoying waste of time or an enjoyable necessity, depending on the player's attitude. Many online games have taken steps to reduce the 'grind', including doing away with traditional 'leveling' systems or allowing the player to temporarily 'boost' themselves to match the difficulty of NPCs in a given area.

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H

Handheld console

A portable gaming console. Nintendo's Game Boy is the most recognizable example.

Hat simulator

A derisive term used to describe a game whose core gameplay often comes second to collecting and displaying cosmetic items. Originally used as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Valve Corporation's Team Fortress 2 free-to-play model, where players can collect hats (among other items) that do provide noticeable stat increases in characters, but are mostly considered cosmetic.

Hate

A mechanism by which non-player characters prioritize which players to attack.

Head bob

In first-person view games, the up-and-down (and sometimes left and right) motion of the player's camera to simulate the bobbing of one's head when walking or running. It is often an option that can be disabled as it may induce motion sickness in players.

Headshot

See Critical hit

Health

The remaining amount of metered damage that a character or player can take before dying or losing a life.

Hitbox

The physical envelope describing precisely where the game will register any hits on a player.

Hit points

See Health

Horde mode

A type of gameplay mode in co-operative multiplayer games. Players work together to defend one or more objectives or simply to have at least one man standing as they fight through discrete waves of enemies, with each subsequent wave feature more numerous and powerful enemies. Such modes often include elements of tower defense games where players can deploy defensive tools such as turrets or traps to injure or slow down enemies. The game may offer short periods between waves where players can spend in-game currency or similar points to improve their defenses, their equipment, or similar boosts. Horde modes can be played based on a fixed number of waves, or may be played in an endless mode where players attempt to last as long as possible.

Heal over time (HoT)

Heal over time; an effect that restores health over a period of time; antonym of #DoT.

Hit marker

A visual effect that occurs every time you land a hit on the opponent; commonly seen in FPS games like Call of Duty

Hitscan

Commonly seen in first-person shooters; the opposite of projectile based weapons. Where the shots fired are not a real projectiles, but a series of coding that behave in a specific way. Hitscan is programmed to register damage to the opponent when the shots interact with the enemy's hitbox. When the shots fired from the weapon interact with the hitbox, 100% of the damage from the shots will be registered; no matter what percentage of the shots hit, the damage will always be 100%.

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I

In-app purchase (IAP)

A purchase (microtransaction) made within a mobile game or app, usually for virtual goods in low-cost games

Indie game (independent 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 large publisher, though there are indie games that are exceptions.

Infinite health/life

See god mode

Inventory

A menu or area of the screen where items collected by the player during the game are stored. This interface allows the player to retrieve any item to use it as an instant effect, or to equip the player character with the item.

Invincibility

See god mode

Invisible wall

A physical impediment in a video game that halts progress in a specific direction, even though terrain and features can be seen beyond the boundary.

Invulnerability

See god mode

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J

Joystick

An input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling, such as a plane. Not to be confused with #Analog Stick.

JRPG

Abbreviation of Japanese role-playing game, typically referring to a subgenre of RPGs that originated from Japan.

Jump

A basic move where the player jumps vertically upon pressing the action button.

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K

Kill screen

A stage or level in a video game (often an arcade game) that stops the player's progress due to a software bug. Kill screens can result in unpredictable gameplay and bizarre glitches.

Notable arcade kill screens include:

• In the coin-operated version of Dig Dug, the game ends on round 256 (round 0), where the player cannot move and ultimately dies.
• Pac-Man has a kill screen on level 256 based on an integer overflow; Ars Technica calls this "one of the most well known accidental endings in gaming". Billy Mitchell was the first person to perform a perfect play of Pac-Man, stopped only by the kill screen. The games Ms. Pac-Man and Jr. Pac-Man also have kill screens. Pac-Man's kill screen was playable, but rendered in such a way that it was not possible to gather sufficient points to advance.
• Donkey Kong has a kill screen caused by an overflow condition, where the game timer kills the player before it is possible to beat the level. Ars Technica calls it the "second-most famous kill screen of all of gaming" and Wired described it as "mythic". This was popularized in the documentary The King of Kong.
• Duck Hunt also has a kill screen after level 99 in which the ducks become invincible and fly at a high speed.
• Galaga's kill screen occurs on level 256 (level 0), when an integer overflow occurs and the game turns into a blank screen that Joshuah Bearman described as "an existential void".

Kill stealing

Defeating an enemy that someone else is already about to defeat. Considered 'bad form' in many online communities.

Kit

The set of skills and abilities giving to a pre-defined playable character in games featuring many such characters to choose from, such as many MOBAs or hero shooters.

Kiting

A maneuver in which a player-character visualizes their enemy as a kite, using ranged attacks to continually attack an opponent and keep them at bay. This can be used in team-based or cooperative games to allow the player's teammates to attack the opponent, or to lure the opponent into a trap.

Knock-back

When a character in a fighting game or platform game gets hit by an attack, they might get thrown backwards from the force of the attack. During knock-back, the character is unable to change their direction until a short animation is finished. Knock-back sometimes results in falling down pits if the player is standing close to the edge when it happens.

Konami Code

A fixed series of controller button presses used across numerous Konami games to unlock special cheats (such as gaining a large number of lives in Contra), and subsequently has been used by other developers to enable cheats or added functions in these games. The term applies to variations on this button sequence but all nearly begin with the "up up down down left right left right" controls.

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L

Lag

The delay between an action and its corresponding result, most commonly in an online environment. Often the result of delayed network traffic.

Launch title

A game released alongside its respective console, or the only titles available for a console at the time of its launch. One or more of these may be a packaged with the console. They often provide first impressions for a console's abilities and are influential on its reputation.

Let's Play

A type of video game run-through done by players, through screenshots or video, where the player provides commentary about the game as they work through it.

Level

A stage or area in a game. Level may also represent experience levels or difficulty levels, depending on the genre and context.

Level editor

A program, either provided within the game software or as an additional program, that allows players to create new levels for video games.

Life

In video games, if a player character loses all of its health points, it loses a life. Losing all of one's lives is usually a loss condition and may force the player to start over. It is common in action games for the player character to have multiple lives and chances to earn more during the game. This way, a player can recover from making a disastrous mistake. role-playing games and adventure games usually give the player only one life, but allow them to reload a saved game. A life may similarly be defined as the period between the start and end of play for any character, from creation to destruction.

Light gun

A specialized game controller which the player points at their television screen or monitor to interact with the game.

Loadout

A specific set of in-game equipment, abilities, power-ups, and/or other items that a player sets for their character prior to the start of a game's match, round, or mission. Games that feature such loadouts typically allow players to store, recall, and adjust two or more loadouts so they can switch between them quickly.

Localization

During publishing, the process of editing a game for audiences in another region or country, primarily by translating the text and dialog of a video game. Localization can also involve changing content of the game to reflect different cultural values and censoring unlawful content.

Loot box

Loot boxes (and other name variants such as booster packs for online collectible card games) are awarded to players for completing a match, gaining an experience level, or other in-game achievement. The box contains random items, typically cosmetic-only but may include gameplay-impacting items, and awarded based on a rarity system. In many cases, additional loot boxes can be obtained through microtransactions.

Loot system

Methods used in multiplayer games to distribute treasure among cooperating players for finishing a quest. While early MMOs distributed loot on a 'first come, first served' basis, it was quickly discovered that such a system was easily abused, and later games instead used a 'need-or-greed' system, in which the participating players roll virtual 'dice' and the loot is distributed according to the results.

M

Magic

Any of a variety of systems in games to render fantastical or otherwise unnatural effects utilizing a game mechanic, either accessories (scrolls, potions, artifacts) or a pool of resources inherent to the character ("mana", magic points, etc).

Main

A term meaning to focus on playing a certain character, sometimes exclusively.

Main Quest

In games with multiple quests, the 'main quest' is a chain of quests that comprise the game's storyline and must be completed to finish the game. The opposite is side quest which still offer rewards but don't advance the main quest.

Map

See Level

Masocore

A combination of "masochist" and "hardcore", it refers to a genre of punishingly difficult games, particularly the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Nioh, and indie games such as I Wanna Be the Guy and Super Meat Boy. The genre is popular among hardcore gamers.

Massively multiplayer online game (MMO)

A game that involves a large community of players co-existing in an online world, in cooperation or competition with one another.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)

An MMO that incorporates traditional role-playing game mechanics. Classic games such as EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot were progenitors of the genre. The most popular and most well-known game of this type is Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft.

Matchmaking

A game system that is used to automatically sort players with similar playing styles, desires or skill levels into a team or a group. Typically, a player will select his preferred playstyle, map or ruleset and the game's matchmaking mechanic will attempt to gather other players that match those criteria and are at the closest possible skill level. In competitive games or modes, a Matchmaking Rating (MMR) is a number assigned to each player based on skill, and the system will match players in games based on MMR. This rating goes up or down based on individual or team performance.

Maxed out or ;Maxing out

Reaching the maximum level that a character (or in some cases, a weapon) can have, or raising all the character statistics to the maximum value. In RTS games, it usually refers to recruiting units until the maximum value is reached.

Metagame

In games that encourage repeated playthroughs, including match-based multiplayer games, the metagame or meta refers to gameplay elements that are typically not part of the main game but can be invoked by the player to alter future playthroughs of the main game. For example, in some roguelike games, the metagame is used to unlock the ability to have new items appear in the randomized levels, while for a collectable card-based game such as Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, the overall card and deck construction is considered part of the metagame.

Metroidvania

Exploration focused games, usually featuring a large, connected world in which players explore. Access to certain areas and defeating certain enemies usually requires items found elsewhere, necessitating exploration and defeating enemies to obtain them. These games are usually side-scrolling platformers or viewed from the top-down, although they can be found in 3D as well. Many borrow features from roguelike games, such as permanent death. Named for two pioneers of the genre, the Metroid and Castlevania series.

Microtransactions

The use of real money in in-game stores.

Miniboss

See Boss

Minigame

A 'game-within-a-game', often provided as a diversion from the game's plot. Minigames are usually one-screen affairs with limited replay value, though some games have provided an entire commercial release as a 'mini-game' within the primary game-world.

Min-Maxing

The practice of playing a role-playing game, wargame or video game with the intent of creating the "best" character by means of minimizing undesired or unimportant traits and maximizing desired ones. This is usually accomplished by improving one specific trait or ability (or a set of traits/abilities) by sacrificing ability in all other fields. This is easier to accomplish in games where attributes are generated from a certain number of points rather than in ones where they are randomly generated.

Mission

See Level and/or Quest

MMO

Abbreviation of Massively multiplayer online game

MMORPG

Abbreviation of Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

MMR

Abbreviation of Matchmaking rating

Mob

Mob is a term for an in-game enemy who roams a specific area. It is an abbreviation of "mobile", and was first used in text-based online games in reference to non-player characters.

MOBA

Abbreviation of Multiplayer online battle arena

Mod

A third-party addition or alteration to a game. Mods may take the form of new character skins, altered gameplay mechanics or the creation of a new story or an entirely new game-world. Some games (such as Fallout 4 and Skyrim) provide tools to create game mods, while other games that don't officially support game modifications can be altered or extended with the use of third-party tools.

Mode

See Game mode

Mouselook

See Free look

MP

Abbreviation of Magic Points

Abbreviation of Multiplayer

MUD

A multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based.

Multi-load games

Games, typically from the 80s, that would only load one portion of the game into memory at a time. This technique let developers make each in-memory portion of the game more complex.

Multiplatform

A game which can be played on multiple platforms. Also called cross-platform

Multiplayer

A game that allows multiple players to play at once.

Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)

A genre of real-time strategy games popularized by Defense of the Ancients that pits teams of players to defend their home base from enemy onslaughts.

Multiple character control

A feature of role-playing video games where the player controls multiple characters in real-time. The PlayStation 2 was the first console to pick up this feature with the Summoner series and Dynasty Warriors series.

Multiplier

In games with a scoring system, a gameplay element that increases the value of the points earned by the given multiplier value while the multiplier is active. A common feature of most pinball tables.

N

Nerf

A change intended to weaken a particular item, tactic, ability, or character, ostensibly for balancing purposes.

New Game Plus

An option to play an already-completed game again, carrying over characters, attributes, or equipment from a prior run-through.

Newbie

Someone new to the game, generally used as a pejorative, although usually light-heartedly. See also, "Noob" (below).

Noclip mode

A cheat that lets players pass through normally impenetrable objects, walls, ceilings, and floors (by disabling clipping). It lets players reach inaccessible areas.

Noob

A pejorative used to insult a player who is making mistakes that an experienced player would be expected to avoid; by far the most common insult in any gaming community.

See Newbie.

Non-player character

NPC

A computer controlled character, or any character that is not under the player's direct control.

Noscope

Similar to Quickscoping, this is a term used to describe when a player uses a sniper rifle to kill someone without using its scope.

Note highway

A visual element of most rhythm games that show the notes the player must match as they scroll along the screen. This is more commonly considered a "highway" when the notes scroll down the screen on a perspective-based grid, making it appear as a road highway.

O

Old-school gaming

See Retrogaming

Online game

A Multiplayer game that supports gameplay over the internet.

Open beta

The opposite of a 'closed beta'; the players are not bound by non-disclosure agreements and are free to show the game to others.

Open world

A game world that the player may freely traverse, rather than being restricted to certain pre-defined areas. While 'open world' and 'sandbox' are sometimes used interchangeably, the terms refer to different concepts and are not synonymous.

Overpowered

An item, ability or other effect that is too powerful, thus making the game unbalanced.

Abbreviation of Overpowered (OP)

Overworld

An open area that allows free travel and serves to connect other areas of the game world. In platformers, this term also refers to levels that are considered above-ground, in contrast to cave-like levels, which are referred to as Underworlds.

P

Pack-in game

A game that is included with the purchase of a video game console. It is a form of product bundling.

Paddle

A game controller that primarily included a large dial that could be turned either clockwise or counter-clockwise as to generate movement in one direction within a game.

Party

The collection of characters the player may control or have the most direct access to. The characters themselves are typically referred to as "party members".

Patch

The process by which a developer of a video game creates an update to an already released game with the intention of possibly adding new content, fixing any bugs/glitches currently residing in the game, balancing character issues (especially prevalent in online multi-player games with competitive focuses), or updating the game to be compatible with DLC releases. See also "Zero Day Patch".

Perks

Special bonuses that video game players can add to their characters to give special abilities. Similar to Power ups, but permanent rather than temporary.

Permanent death

When a player must restart the game from the beginning when his character dies, instead of from a save or checkpoint.

Persistent world

In an online game, a 'persistent world' is a game-world that exists independently of the players and is semi-permanently affected by their actions.

Pervasive game

A game that blends its in-game world with the physical world. The term has been associated with ubiquitous games, augmented and mixed reality games, mobile games, alternate reality games, (enhanced) live action role playing, transreality and affective gaming, virtual reality games, smart toys, location-based or location-aware games, crossmedia games and augmented reality tabletop games. Examples of pervasive games include Pokémon Go, The Killer, The Beast, Shelby Logan's Run, BotFighters, Mystery on Fifth Avenue, Momentum, Pac-Manhattan, Epidemic Menace, Insectopia, Vem Gråter, REXplorer, Uncle Roy All Around You and Amazing Race.

Physical release

A version of a video game released on an optical disc or other storage device, as opposed to a digital download.

Pixel hunting

A game element that involves searching an entire scene for a single (often pixel-sized) point of interactivity. Common in adventure games, most players consider 'hunt-the-pixel' puzzles to be a tedious chore, borne of inadequate game design. The text-adventure version of this problem is called 'guess-the-verb' or 'syntax puzzle'.

Platform

Refers to the specific combination of electronic components or computer hardware which, in conjunction with software, allows a video game to operate.

Platform game (platformer)

Genre which involves heavy use of jumping, climbing, and other acrobatic maneuvers to guide the player-character between suspended platforms and/or over obstacles in one's environment.

Player-character

A Player Character, or PC, is the main protagonist controlled and played by the human player in a video game. Tidus from Final Fantasy X, Doomguy from the Doom series, and Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series are all "player characters" developed by their game studios.

Player versus environment (PvE)

Refers to fighting computer-controlled enemies (non-playing characters), as opposed to PvP (player versus player).

Player versus player (PvP)

Refers to competing against other players, as opposed to PvE (player versus environment).

Playthrough

The act of playing a game from start to finish, in one or several sessions.

Point of no return

A point in a game where the player cannot return to previous areas.

Port

See Game Port.

Power-up

Objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character, usually as a temporary effect. Persistent power-ups are called perks.

Power creep

The gradual unbalancing of a game due to successive releases of new content. The phenomenon may be caused by a number of different factors and, in extreme cases, can be damaging to the longevity of the game in which it takes place. As new expansions or updates are released, new game mechanics, units, equipment and/or effects are introduced, usually stronger than previously existing content. Game developers use this primarily to push the new content, as it gives an incentive to buy it for competitions against other players or as new challenges for the single player experience. As new content with more power is introduced, the average powerlevel within the game rises, making it increasingly difficult for older content to remain in balance without changes. This means older content becomes regressively outdated or relatively underpowered, effectively rendering it useless from a competitive or challenge-seeking viewpoint. In extreme cases whole parts of the game will be avoided by the players, as they are overshadowed by newer content.

Power spike

The moment in which a character in many skill-based games sees a rise in relative strength from leveling up larger than that of a normal milestone, usually due to an item becoming available or certain abilities being unlocked.

Proc

Programmed Random OCcurrence / PROCess / PROCedure (Unsure origin): "Proc" and "proccing" is used to describe whenever a random gaming item activates, or a random gaming event occurs. Particularly common for massively multiplayer online games, procs are random events where special armor or weapons provide the user with temporary extra powers, or whenever the opposing monster suddenly becomes more powerful in some way.

Procedural generation

When the game algorithmically combines randomly generated elements for things like map or level creation.

Professional gaming

See eSports

Progression system

The gameplay system(s) within a game that determine how a player improves their avatar over the course of a game or several games, such as gaining experience points to level up characters, gaining new skills and weapons, or part of a meta-game improvement.

Publisher

The company that (in whole or in part) finances, distributes and markets the game. Distinct from 'developer', which refers specifically to the company or team that created the game itself.

PvE

Abbreviation of Player versus Environment

PvP

Abbreviation of Player versus Player

Q

QTE

Abbreviation of Quick time event

Quest

A "quest" is any objective-based activity created in-game for the purpose of either story or character level advancement. Quests follow many common types, such as "Kill X number of Y monster", "Gather X number of Y item", or "Escort this person from point A to point B and keep them safe". Some quests involve more detailed information and mechanics and are either greatly enjoyed by players as a break from the above common monotony, or are reviled as uselessly more complicated than necessary to the game.

Quick time event (QTE)

An event within a game that typically requires the player to press an indicated controller button or move a controller's analog controls within a short time window to succeed in the event and progress forward, while failure to do so may harm the player-character or lead to a game-over situation. Such controls are generally non-standard for the game, and the action performed in a quick time event is usually not possible to execute in regular gameplay.

Quicksave/Quickload

A mechanism in a video game where progress to or from a saved game can be done by pressing a single controller button or keystroke, instead of opening a file dialog to locate the save file. Typically, quicksaving will overwrite any previous saved state.

Quickscoping

A technique in first-person shooter video games used to kill an opponent by quickly aiming down the sniper rifle scope and firing immediately after.

R

Rack

See level

Rage game

A video game which is designed to be extremely difficult and frustrating, with elements that intentionally try to 'cheat' in some way or form, with the intent of causing a player to become extremely angry and rage quit.

Rage quit

Rage quitting is 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, manipulating game statistics or having 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. Rage quitting is always considered improper and rude, but can also be considered amusing by others when they are not negatively impacted by it themselves.

Raid

A type of mission in a video game in which a very large number of people (larger than the normal team size set by the game) attempt to defeat a boss monster. Common in MMORPGs.

Reactivity

Refers to the manner in which a game world reacts to and is changed based on the player's choices. Examples include branching dialogue trees in an RPG, or detailed interacting systems in a simulation or strategy game. A reactive game world offers a greater number of possible outcomes to a given action, but increases the complexity and cost of developing a video game.

Real-time corruptor

A type of ROM/ISO corruption program which incrementally and gradually corrupts video game data in real time as the game is being played. A game could look fine at start-up, but as time goes by, the game data becomes more and more distorted, and the game will eventually become unplayable and/or crash.

Real-time strategy (RTS)

A genre of video games where the player controls one or more units in real-time combat with human or computer opponents.

Remorting

Restarting a game with a new character from level 1 after having maxed out a previous character.

Replay value

The ability to play the game again and get reasonable enjoyment a second(+) time.

Respecing

In games where a player-character gains skills along a skill tree by spending points, the act of respecing ("re-specialization") allows the player to remove all skills and then respend those points to a different set of skills. This usually requires an expenditure of in-game money or similar earned gameplay element.

Retrogaming

The playing or collecting of older personal computer, console, and arcade video games in contemporary times.

Revamp

Renovation or improvement of a game's UI, system stats, items, rules, etc. and vice versa etc.

Review bomb

Actions taken by players to leave negative reviews of a game or other form of media on a digital storefront or user-contributed as a form of protest due to actions typically unrelated to the game or media quality itself.

Rhythm game

A genre of video games requiring the player to perform actions in time to the game's music.

Rocket jumping

A tactic used in certain games with rocket launchers or similar explosive weapons that include physics simulation. The player aims their weapon at or near the avatar's feet, or stand their avatar where there will be an explosion. The player's avatar may take damage from the blast, but the force of the explosion can greatly propel the character vertically or gain additional speed, far beyond normal jumping abilities.

Roguelike

A sub-genre of games primarily featuring procedurally-generated level generation, tile-based movement as opposed to free roam, turn-based action, complex maps to explore, resource management, and permanent death. Games that lack some of those elements are usually better termed "dungeon crawlers", but can be referred to as "roguelites" as well; in particular, permadeath alone does not make a game roguelike. Typically set in dungeons, but may instead contain an overworld or other settings. Roguelike games are usually designed to be more challenging than typical games, with luck and memory playing a larger role. Named after the 1980 game "Rogue".

Roguelite

Games that have some features of roguelikes, but not others. Often the feature removed will be permadeath. While games may self-identify as roguelites, it can also be used as a derogatory term. Often used instead of "Roguelike" by mistake, but the two are different.

Role-playing video game (RPG)

An RPG is a game where in the human player takes on the role of a specific character "class" and advances the skills and abilities of that character within the game environment. RPG characters generally have a wide variety of skills and abilities available to them, and much theorycrafting (the art of developing a specific character type to its highest in-game potential) is involved in creating the best possible form of each of these character classes.

This is different from games such as First Person Shooters (FPS), wherein the "player character" in those games are all standardized forms and the physical skills of the player involved are the determining factor in their success or failure within the game. In an RPG, a human player can be the best player in the world at the game, but if they are using a character build that is substandard, they can be significantly outplayed by a lesser player running a more optimal character build.

ROM hacking

The process of modifying a ROM image of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to breathe new life into a cherished old game, as a creative outlet, or to make essentially new unofficial games using the old game's engine.

Room-over-room

In video game environments, the placement of a room directly above another room. This was impossible to achieve in id Software's Doom series, since the Doom engine did all of the mapping in 2D, while height variance was done via numbers. In true 3D game engines to follow, such as those using the Quake engine, room-over-room became an easy effect to pull off.

RPG

Abbreviation of Role-playing video game

Rouge

A very common misspelling of "Rogue"

Rougelike

A very common misspelling of "Roguelike"

Round

See Level

RTS

Abbreviation of Real-time strategy games.

Rubber banding

A game mechanic resulting from dynamic game balancing that alters the rules of the game to keep the game both competitive and fun. It is most notable in racing games, where human players may easily outdistance computer opponents; in these games the computer opponents are often given the ability to go faster than normal or avoid certain obstacles as to allow them to catch up and outpace the player, the effect acting as a stretching and releasing a rubber band between the player and the computer opponent. This effect may also apply to human players as well, with the game providing unstated handicaps for losing players to stay competitive. Alternatively, the result of network latency during a multiplayer game; when the player's location is updated client-side, but the server does not immediately register the change, a player's character may 'bounce' to the appropriate location when the client and server finally synchronize.

Rush

Zerg rush

A tactic in strategy games where the player sacrifices economic development in favor of using many low-cost fast/weak units to rush and overwhelm an enemy by attrition or sheer numbers.

S

Sandbox game

A game wherein the player has been freed from the traditional video game structure and direction, and instead chooses what, when, and how they want to approach the available content. The term alludes to a child's sandbox without rules, with play based on open-ended choice. While some sandbox games may include building and creative activities, they are not required. Sandbox games generally employ an open-world setting, to facilitate the player's freedom of choice.

Saved game

Game save

Savegame

Savefile

A file or similar data storage method that stores the state of the game in non-volatile memory, enabling the player to shut down the gaming system and then later restart the device and load the saved game state to continue playing where they left off. Saved games may also be used to store the game's state before a difficult area that, should the player-character die, the player can restart from that save point.

Save point

A place in the game world of a video game where a game save can be made. Some games do not have specific save points, allowing the player to save at any point.

Save scumming

The manipulation of game save states to gain an advantage during play or achieve a particular outcome out of unpredictable events. It is used, for example, in Rogue-like games that automatically delete any save files when your character dies.

Score attack

A mode of gameplay that challenges the player to earn the highest score possible in a game level or through the whole game.

Screen Cheat

The act of looking at other players' areas of the screen when playing a multiplayer game, often a first-person shooter, where those sections of the screen are supposed to be private knowledge, and give the screen cheater an unfair advantage.

Season pass

A purchase made in addition to the cost of the base game that generally enables the purchaser access to all downloadable content that is planned for that title without further cost.

Secret level

A game level that's only accessible to the player by completing specific tasks within the game; these tasks are rarely described in detail to the player, if at all, and are often only found through exploration and trial and error.

Shovelware

A widely-licensed video game released in large volume and little attention to quality.

Show mode

See Attract mode

Side quest

An optional quest, whose completion won't advance the main story line (Main quest).

Simulation game (Sim)

A video game that simulates some aspect of reality, though the degree of realism may vary. They are usually open-ended with no intrinsic goals. Inclusive definitions allow for any video game that models reality, such as sports games, while exclusive definitions generally focus on city-building games, vehicle simulation games, or both.

Single-player

A game that can only have one player at a time. Contrasted with multiplayer.

Skill tree

A character development gaming mechanic typically seen in role-playing games. A skill tree consists of a series of skills (sometimes known as perks or by other names) which can be earned by the player as he or she levels up or otherwise progresses his or her player character. These skills grant gameplay benefits to the player; for example, giving the character the ability to perform a new action, or giving a boost to one of the character's stats.

A skill tree is called a "tree" because it uses a tiered system and typically branches out into multiple paths. A tiered skill tree will require a player to achieve certain skills before the next tier of skills become available. The player may be required to achieve all skills in one tier before moving on to the next tier, or may only be required to complete prerequisites for individual branches. Skill trees are a common tool used for in-game balancing by game designers. Skill trees also offer a "game within a game" in which players are not only playing a video game, but their decisions on how they allocate points into their skill trees will affect their overall gaming experience as they play on.

The action roleplaying game Diablo II, released in 2000, is often cited as the true innovator of in depth skill trees.

Skin

A customization option for a player's in-game avatar or equipment that changes its appearance to other players within the game. Skins generally do not provide any direct in-game advantage. Skins are featured as part of meta-game loot drops, with most games rewarding them based on scarcity, or by awarding skins for completing certain objectives or placing high in competitive modes. This allows players to use skins to show off rare skills, or to demonstrate their skill level.

Skirmish mode

A gameplay mode in which players can fight immediate battles without having to go through the linear, story-based campaign mode. It is popular in real-time strategy games.

Smurf

1. When a game developer makes something (an ability, weapon, or character) less powerful than before, typically to attempt to balance the gameplay better. "I had a slingshot that could destroy armored tanks in one shot, but they smurfed it and now it's nearly useless."

2. In online multiplayer games that use matchmaking, when an experienced player creates a new account to appear inexperienced, so they are matched with relatively new players and can easily beat them.

Sound test

A page or option in which the game makes noise to confirm that the player's audio equipment is working and at a good volume.

Spawn camping

See camping

Specialization

A means of selecting certain options for a player-character, an weapon, a vehicle or other in-game item during the course of a game for a specific function, as opposed to selecting a specific character class at the start of the game. Such specialization allows that entity to have access to unique skills or options for that type while denying them access to other options. Some games allow players to re-specialize ("respec") past choices for some in-game cost and pursue a different specialization.

Speedrun

An attempt to complete a game as fast as possible. Depending on the rules for the speedrun, players may exploit glitches or bugs in the game to speed up their progress.

Splash damage

See also Area of effect (AoE)

Weapons with an explosive component deal "splash" damage. Splash damage is particularly useful against players that dodge well, and are therefore hard to hit, since near misses will also damage them. However, splash damage weapons are also dangerous since they can damage the shooter as well. For this reason, splash damage weapons are not preferred in close quarters combat. When fired, it makes sense to aim at an opponent's feet, since the explosion from hitting the ground may damage the opponent even when the shot misses.

Split-screen multiplayer

A game that presents 2 or more views seen by different players in a multiplayer game on the same display unit.

Stage

See Level

Stat point

A discrete amount of points for the player to distribute among their character's attributes, e.g., to choose their player's trade-offs between strength, charisma, and stamina

Status effect

This is an overarching term that covers both "buffs" and "debuffs". Essentially, any effect to a character that is outside of the normal baseline is a "status effect". Common negative status effects are poisoning (damage over time), petrification/paralysis (inability to move), or armor/damage reduction (lowering of defensive/offensive abilities). Common positive status effects include a heal-over-time (a small, pulsing heal that triggers multiple times over a set period), armor/damage increases, or speed increases.

Strafing

To move sideways to dodge incoming attacks.

Strategy guide

Printed or online manuals that are written to guide players through a game, typically offering maps, lists of equipment, moves, abilities, enemies, and secrets, and providing tips and hints for most effective play strategies.

Survival mode

See Survival mode

Subgame

See Minigame

Superboss

See Boss

T

Technology tree

Tech tree

A branching series of technologies that can be researched in strategy games, to customise the player's faction. See Skill tree.

Telefrag

A frag or kill which occurs when a player uses a teleporter to get to another part of the map while a previous player has not left the exit point. The player who is still at the exit point is killed and the party landing on them is granted credit for the kill.

Theory

See Game studies

Theorycraft

The analysis of a video game to mathematically determine the most optimal approach to winning the video game, typically in games that feature a number of player-character attributes that are enumerated; one common type of theorycraft is figuring out how to best maximize one's damage per second by the right selection of equipment in an action role-playing game.

Thumbstick

See Analog stick

Tick

An increment of damage or healing periodically caused by a #DoT or #HoT.

Tilt

When a player gets angry at someone or something, often resulting in reduced quality of play. Usually used in the game League of Legends.

Time attack

A mode of gameplay that challenges the player(s) to complete a level or the game within a fixed amount of game time or in the fastest time possible.

Timed exclusive

When a game releases exclusively for one platform but will release for other platforms when the exclusivity period expires

Title screen

The initial screen of a computer, video, or arcade game after the credits and logos of the game developer and the publisher are displayed. Earlier title screens often included all the game options available (single player, multiplayer, configuration of controls, etc.) while modern games have opted for the title screen to serve as a splash screen. This can be attributed to the use of the title screen as a loading 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 featured pre-rendered artwork.

In arcade games, the title screen is shown as part of the attract mode loop, usually after a game demonstration is played. The title screen, as well as the high score list, urges potential players to insert 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 "Hit any key" is often displayed. Controls that lack an actual "Start" button use a different prompt; in the Wii, for example, usually prompts to press the "A" button and the "B" trigger simultaneously, as in Super Mario Galaxy 2 or Mario Party 9. Fan-made games often parody the style of basis of the creation.

Triple A

See AAA

Triple jump

An additional jump that follows the second in quick succession

Touchscreen

A form of user input that relies on physical touch, rather than a mouse, keyboard or other control method.

Trackball

A form of a video game controller, most often found on video game arcade cabinets, which the player uses a freely-rotating ball to interact with a game .

Turn-based game

When a game consists of multiple turns. When one player's turn is up, they must wait until everyone else has finished their turn.

U

Underpowered

A character, item, tactic, or ability considered to be too weak to be balanced.

Upgrade

A way to make the given item, character, etc. more powerful.
See also: Upgrade.

V

Vaporware

Video games which are announced and appear in active development for some time but then subsequently are never released nor officially cancelled.

Video game design

For non-video game design, see game design

W

Walking simulator

A term sometimes used to classify exploration games in a derogatory manner, as these generally involve exploring an environment for story and narrative but with few, if any, puzzles or gameplay elements.

Walkthrough

A strategy guide

A playthrough

Wallhack

A cheat that makes walls translucent.; Some wallhacks also let players shoot weapons or physically pass through walls (noclip).

Wall jump

A jump performed off of a wall to propel the player in the opposite direction. Wall jumps between two tight walls can be done in quick succession to climb vertically. As a special jump, it is sometimes an acquired skill instead of available from the game's start.

Wanted level

A gameplay mechanic popularized by the Grand Theft Auto series and has since been used in many 'Grand Theft Auto clone'-styled games. A player's actions in an open-world style game may cause computer-controller characters, often representing law enforcement, to chase down the player, with the response becoming more significant at higher wanted levels. The wanted level persists unless the player can elude these opponents, or if the character dies, eliminating the wanted level.

Warp zone

A 'shortcut' that allows a player to bypass one or more sections of the game.

WASD keys

A common control mechanism using a typical QWERTY keyboard, with the keys "W", "A", "S", and "D" bound to movement controls.

Wave

In game genres or modes where player(s) are to defend a point or stay alive as long as possible (such as tower defense games), enemies are commonly grouped into "waves" (sometimes referred to as levels). When one wave of enemies is defeated, player(s) are typically given a short period to prepare for the next wave.

Whale

In free-to-play games, a user that spends a considerable amount of real-world money for in-game items, rather than acquiring said items through Grinding or playing the game normally. These players are typically seen as the largest segment for revenue production for free-to-play titles. "White whales" may also be used to describe exceptionally high spenders. Borrowed from gambling jargon; a 'whale', in that context, is a person who makes extravagant wagers or places reckless bets.

Win quote

A phrase spoken by a fighting game character after defeating an opponent. In older games such as Fatal Fury and traditionally in 2D fighting games such as Capcom vs. SNK, it is not an actual voice sample, but text superimposed on an image of the winning character, occasionally depicted alongside the visibly injured defeated character (Street Fighter II for example). Win quotes are rarely particularly profound, and are often little more than trash talk, but they help players to understand and identify with the characters.

In most games, characters have one or more win quotes that they use indiscriminately, but sometimes special win quotes are used in special circumstances. For example, in The King of Fighters '94, each character has special win quotes against each of the 8 teams; in Street Fighter Alpha, players can choose one of four win quotes by holding certain button combinations after winning a battle; in Street Fighter III: Giant Attack, characters sometime use special win quotes if they finish the battle with a certain move; and in SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, players can input their own win quotes in edit mode.

Some win quotes have characters break the fourth wall, such as Chun-Li's Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter win quote in which she suspects the game is set on the easiest difficulty setting; or are in-jokes referring to other video games, like Sakura's Street Fighter Alpha 3 win quote in which she says she prefers "street fighting to sparring in rival schools."

Wrapping

Camera wrapping is a technique often used in video games, which allows a player to move in a straight line and get back to where they started. This was more often used in older games to make it seem that the player is moving up or down an extremely high hill; memory can be saved by using wrapping instead of creating a larger area filled with unpassable walls. Wrapping is also used to make a 2D game world round; for example, in PacMan exiting the game screen to the right wraps the player to the same position on the left side of the screen. Similarly, in Final Fantasy VII, exiting the game map to the right wraps the player to the same position on the left side of the map, and exiting the map to the top wraps the player to the bottom of the map.

World

See Level

A series of levels that share a similar environment or theme. A boss fight will typically happen once all or most of these levels are completed rather than after each individual level.

X

XP

Abbreviation of Experience Point

Y

YouTube Bait

Games that are made for an audience; games created with YouTubers and/or Twitch streamers in mind.

Z

Zero-day patch

A software patch that is set to be released on the day of the game's official release ("the 0th day"), reflecting updates and fixes that were added after the final release candidate was prepared.

Zero-player game

A game that has no sentient players. In video games, the term refers to programs that use artificial intelligence rather than human players.

Zone

See World

References

Source of the article : Wikipedia