PSW

(video games) Initialism of persistent-state world: one that continues to exist even when no players are present.


CG

Plenty of CGs pad out the adventure too, with beautiful art depicting the events that take place.

2016 March 7, Andrew Barker, “Steins;Gate”, in RPGFan, archived from the original on 2019-10-10:

There are a good number of CG scenes as well which provide even nicer artwork. Please note that though this is a visual novel on Steam, there are pretty steamy CGs in each route.

2017 August 31, Marcus Estrada, “Review: A Hand in the Darkness”, in Hardcore Gamer:

(video games, in a visual novel) A unique, static full-screen image, usually displayed to illustrate a significant event in the story.


CB

en-noun

CB (countable and uncountable, plural CBs)

(speedrunning, initialism) Initialism of cruise boost.


John

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-John.wav

From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”).
Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.

doublet

Remember, no Johns.

This is the sound of a John. A John. He wants to wait.

2007 June 6 [2005 December 3], 3:53 from the start, in NO JOHNS, spoken by John Michael "SOS" Howard, via YouTube, archived from the original on 2024-10-24:

Bursting from the inaudible chatter of many smiling faces, a thunderous voice emerges, “No Johns, son!”

2009, Daniel O'hair, “A Smashing Experience”, in Jennifer Oato, editor, Klipsun Magazine, volume 40, number 1, archived from the original on 2016-06-20, page 10:

You never know, I might show up to challenge you someday. And if we ever do get to go head to head: Please, no Johns.

2014, 0:47 from the start, in Smash Bros. - Reggie's Message to Fans - Evo 2014, spoken by Reggie Fils-Aimé, IGN, via YouTube, archived from the original on 2014-07-18:

I didn’t get any hand warmers. I didn’t warm up properly. I didn’t get enough sleep last night. There’s television lag. These are some of the Johns that [D'ron "D1"] Maingrette says he’s heard over the years.

2019 September 16, Cecilia D'Anastasio, “How A High School Smash Bros. Joke Became A World-Famous Saying”, in Kotaku, archived from the original on 2019-11-23:

Some "Johns" have become universal among Smash players. Some prominent "Johns" include: controller issues, not enough sleep, food, or water, a cold venue, or a lack of warmup time.

2020 May 20, Abbie Rappaport, “"Melee is Broken": Super Smash Bros. Melee: An Interdisciplinary Esports Ethnography”, in spectrum.library.concordia.ca, Concordia University, archived from the original on 2022-10-24:

i have a lot of new opinions on the mechanics of the game. I KNOW it sounds like a john but ill probably talk about it later

2024 March 18, ayowitty (@lolwitty1), Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-10-24:

(video games, Super Smash Bros.) An excuse, chiefly made by a losing player for their poor performance.


GP

en-noun

GP (countable and uncountable, plural GPs or GP)

(roleplaying games, board games, video games) Initialism of gold piece.

roleplaying games; board games; roleplaying games; board games

(grand strategy video games) Initialism of great power.


barker

From Middle English berkere; equivalent to bark (“dog noise”) + -er.

The barker looks action-packed, but actually playing the game is rather dull.

(video games) A video game mode where the action is demonstrated to entice someone to play the game.


BF

(video games) Initialism of Battlefield, an FPS video game series.


DPS

DPS (countable and uncountable, plural DPSs)

(video games) Initialism of damage per second; a standard way to calculate the damage dealt to other players or creatures in online role-playing games.

damage per second

(by extension, video games) A player or unit whose primary role is to deal the maximum amount of damage possible (as opposed to holding the attention of the enemy, healing, or other tasks).


full motion video

full motion video (countable and uncountable, plural full motion videos)

When most companies become involved in teleconferencing, usually their first interest is in full-motion video conferencing.

1985, Steven Golen, C Glenn Pearce, Ross Figgins, Report writing for business and industry:

Originally, 72 minutes of partial-screen (one-eighth) full-motion video could be stored. These pictures are fairly coarse — worse than low-quality VCR...

1989 November, “Coming for Personal Computers: Full-motion Video”, in Popular Science, volume 235, number 5:

To digitize and store a 10 seconds clip of full motion video in a computer requires transfer of an enormous amount of data[…]

1992, Association for Computing Machinery, Computer Graphics:

But while the small screen and grainy full-motion video on a CD-ROM […] may wow computerphiles […], it won't impress the MTV generation.

1992 December 22, PC Mag, volume 11, number 22, page 346:

In reality, multimedia was associated first and foremost with the development of full-motion video. This fascination for a cinema-like illusion of motion […]

2008, Mark J P Wolf, The Video Game Explosion:

Video of sufficient quality to make motion appear continuous to humans, considered to require at least 16 frames per second.

Stored full-motion video is useful for messages and information dissemination, whereas live video can be used for direct interaction, medical applications, manufacturing applications, and a variety of other process control processes.

1996, Prabhat K. Andleigh, Kiran Thakrar, Multimedia Systems Design, page 18:

In games, full motion video (FMV) truly began in the 16-bit era on the Amiga and Atari ST. Psygnosis, an innovative company that is now a distant memory, often put an awe-inspiring, beautifully rendered movie at the front ot their games.

2004, Kevin Oxland, Gameplay and Design, page 161:

Privateer II had real actors in full motion video sequences doing all sorts of silly stuff.

2005, William Abner, Gamer's Tome of Ultimate Wisdom 2006, page 125:

Full motion video (FMV) is a popular term for pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation in a video game. FMV is simply a playback of something that was previously recorded. With modern computer hardware, games are rendered at much higher resolutions than typical FMV's, resulting in FMV's being easily spottable as "lower quality" than the game itself.

2007, Jielin Dong, Network Dictionary, page 206:

Fight through to the end of the tekken tournament with any of these eight original characters and you unlock a hidden character (including favorites like Kuma and Wang), as well as being treated to a short FMV (full motion video) sequence that expands a little on each fighter's motivation.

2013, Matt Fox, The Video Games Guide, page 293:

Enter the Full Motion Video (FMV) game – in which pre-recorded video was used to display action – and the seminal title Star Trek: Bee on the Bridge.

2017, Nate Crowley, 100 Best Video Games (That Never Existed), page 50:

(video games) In-game footage that is pre-rendered, often using real-world scenes, as opposed to being rendered in-engine or in real time.


CPS

CPS (countable and uncountable, plural CPSes)

(video games) Initialism of clicks per second.


FC

FC (countable and uncountable, plural FCs)


BW

Pokémon Black and White
w:Pokémon Black and White

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Black and White.


DOT

DOT (countable and uncountable, plural DOTs)

Alternative form: DoT

(video games) Initialism of damage over time.

(by extension, video games) A weapon or ability that deals damage over time as opposed to or in addition to direct damage.


DP

DP (countable and uncountable, plural DPs)

displaced person
displaced person#English

dynamic programming
dynamic programming#English

(computer science) Initialism of dynamic programming.


DP

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
w:Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.


GTA

(video games) Initialism of Grand Theft Auto, a series of video games by Rockstar Games involving car theft and gang warfare (e.g. GTA V).


GTA

I remember that car was in one of the classic GTAs.

(video games) Any game in the Grand Theft Auto series.


ESP

ESP (countable and uncountable, plural ESPs)

Near-synonym: wallhack

extrasensory perception
extrasensory perception#English

(parapsychology) Abbreviation of extrasensory perception.

(by extension, video games) A cheat program that provides extra information that is not attainable during regular gameplay, such as player positions, equipment status, etc.


TD

TD (countable and uncountable, plural TDs)

(video games) Initialism of tower defense.


PES

Pro Evolution Soccer
w:Pro Evolution Soccer

(video games) Initialism of Pro Evolution Soccer.


CMS

CMS (countable and uncountable, plural CMSes or CMSs)

(video games) Initialism of construction and management simulation: a style of game that involves planning and managing a population of citizens in a town or similar, without direct control of characters


SS

Pokémon Sword and Shield
w:Pokémon Sword and Shield

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Sword and Shield.


DQ

(video games) Initialism of Dragon Quest.


trichording

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From tri- + coordinate + -ing, referring to simultaneous movement along three orthogonal axes.

I know nothing about elite players but I belive^([sic]) trichording works at its best in dogfights.

1997, micnet, “SpaceOrb Debate (was: auto-levelling)”, in alt.games.descent (Usenet):

In order to know when someone's cheating, one has to know everything about the weapons in Descent 3. One must know reload rates, relative shield damage, and physics (to a small degree). One should also know about ship physics for each ship, and of course know about trichording and know what it looks like when a certain ship is trichording.

2002, Samus, “Releasing the 1.5 patch unofficially...”, in alt.games.descent (Usenet):

(slang, video games) Moving in three directions, about three axes.


HUD

An explosion just made us an exit! I'll mark it on your HUD, Chief, go!

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Cortana (Jen Taylor), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Cortana:

heads-up display
heads-up display#English

(technology) Acronym of heads-up display.


dink

en-verb

dink (third-person singular simple present dinks, present participle dinking, simple past and past participle dinked)

dinks (present singular third-person)
dinking (participle present)
dinked (participle past)
dinked (past)

Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.

sound-symbolic

Imitative

(video games, slang, transitive) To land a non-lethal headshot on.


AO

(video games) Initialism of Anarchy Online.


DDR

Dance Dance Revolution
w:Dance Dance Revolution

(video games) Initialism of Dance Dance Revolution.


add-on

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-add-on.wav


pacifist

From French pacifiste, equivalent to pacific + -ist.

pacifist

one who loves, supports, or favours peace

(video games, roguelikes) A player who attempts the challenge of winning a game without attacking any enemy characters.


PP

(video games) Initialism of Puzzle Pirates.


shard

From Middle English shard, scherd, scheard, schord, from Old English sċeard (“a broken piece; shard”), from Proto-West Germanic *skard, from Proto-Germanic *skardą (“notch; nick”), from *skardaz (“damaged; nicked; scarred”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”). Akin to Scots schaird (“shard”), French écharde (“splinter”), Dutch schaarde (“tear; notch; fragment”), German Scharte (“notch”), Old Norse skarð (“notch, hack”) ( > Danish skår).
The database sense is perhaps derived from the online gaming sense or from SHARD (System for Highly Available Replicated Data), name of a 1980s database product.

cog

1997, Ultima Online. The term "shard" is related to the backstory of the game, in which the Gem of Immortality is shattered by the Stranger, the protagonist of Ultima I.
"The planet was still bound to the jewel's magic, even as it lay shattered upon the floor of Mondain's castle. For, within each shattered remnant of the jewel, dwelled a perfect likeness of Sosaria. Thus is the world in which you are born, live, and die. Brittania, that was once Sosaria, now exists as a thousand worlds, each with its own peoples, history and destiny. This Brittania is but one of many in the multiverse that is... ...ULTIMA ONLINE." - Intro cinematic to the game, written by Michael Morlan https://web.archive.org/web/20080706122926/http://michael-morlan.net/pages/production/prod_uo.htm

(online gaming) An instance of an MMORPG that is one of several independent and structurally identical virtual worlds, none of which has so many players as to exhaust a system's resources.


shard

en-verb

shard (third-person singular simple present shards, present participle sharding, simple past and past participle sharded)

shards (present singular third-person)
sharding (participle present)
sharded (participle past)
sharded (past)

(online gaming, transitive) To divide (an MMORPG) into several shards, or to establish a shard of one.


proc

proc (third-person singular simple present procs, present participle proccing, simple past and past participle procced)

procs (present singular third-person)
proccing (participle present)
procced (participle past)
procced (past)

Dunno the weapons' stats, except they both procced fairly frequently - lightning sword procced decapitation (instant death), and the whip procced fire reel (or whatever it was called) which reeled to target into the balor's body, engulfing you in searing flames for big damage.

2000, S H, “The baddest weapons/armor”, in rec.games.mud.diku (Usenet):

Establish a proccing percentage of a weapon by putting it in the primary hand and then put it in your offhand and check the proccing percentage with varying levels of dual wield skill (while keeping level and dex constant).

2000, Billy Shields, “The truth about offhand procs”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet):

(video games) To cause a special event to occur.


tilt

tilt (third-person singular simple present tilts, present participle tilting, simple past and past participle tilted)

tilts (present singular third-person)
tilting (participle present)
tilted (participle past)
tilted (past)

From Middle English tilte, from Old English *tyltan, *tieltan (“to be unsteady”), related to the adjective tealt (“unsteady”), from Proto-West Germanic *talt, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”), see also Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Cognate with Icelandic tölt (“an ambling pace”).
The nominal sense of "a joust" appears around 1510, presumably derived from the barrier which separated the combatants, which suggests connection with tilt "covering". The modern transitive meaning is from 1590; the intransitive use appears 1620.

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The D.F.S. industry is still inextricably tied up in those poker roots. Players talk about "tilting" because of "variance," especially when a "fish" puts in a "donkey" lineup that ends up going crazy. (In regular American English, this translates roughly to "I am really mad because some idiot punched in some random lineup that ended up catching every conceivable break and beating me.")

2016 January 6, Jay Caspian Kang, “How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-28:

Even the best players can tilt which can cause their performance to drop significantly. Players often tilt when they're on a losing spree or frustrated with the game.

2022 September 2, Gökhan Çakır, Harrison Thomas, “How to get better at VALORANT”, in Dot Esports, archived from the original on 2023-03-15:

This was yet another surprising momentum swing, with Nepomniachtchi seemingly having addressed his tendency to tilt after a loss, and with Ding crashing back down to Earth after having squared the ledger in the previous game. Is this a new Nepomniachtchi, capable of digging deep and avenging losses?

2023 April 19, Ben Tippett, “Haymakers Are Flying At The World Chess Championship”, in Defector, archived from the original on 2023-06-05:

(originally poker, video games, chess, slang) To enter a state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.


tilt

to go on tilt

In his landmark book, The Mental Game of Poker, sports psychologist Jared Tendler defines "tilt" as "anger + bad play". In short, you lose your mental equilibrium and start playing below your best, often making big mistakes. Tilt is caused by many different factors and Tendler defines seven types of tilt.

2014 September 10, Amit Varma, “Magnus Carlsen's weakness”, in The Economic Times, Mumbai: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2014-09-19:

In his follow-up video below, ScrapComputer goes into a long list of suggestions for stopping and avoiding tilt while you play League of Legends.

2016 February 26, Philip Kollar, “What is 'tilt' in League of Legends, and how can you avoid it?”, in Polygon, archived from the original on 2023-04-01:

Doing the same thing and expecting a different result can drive you insane, especially League of Legends. As you keep losing, you become tilted and get frustrated. No matter how mechanically gifted you are, it can't help ameliorate tilt.

2019 October 15, Hawken Miller, “How to quickly climb the League of Legends ranked ladder”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-07-17:

As long as you know that being consistent and sticking to a strategy in the long run, will win you money, you can avoid tilt and negative emotions.

2022 March 16, “Online poker: from beginner to pro”, in Times of Malta, archived from the original on 2022-04-21:

(uncountable, poker, video games, chess, slang) A state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.


LV

en-noun

LV (countable and uncountable, plural LVs)


(online gaming) Initialism of pay-to-play.


Tetris

From Russian Те́трис (Tétris), coined by the creator of the game, Alexey Pajitnov, from the Russian numerical prefix тетра- (tetra-, “tetra-”) (as all of the game's pieces contain four segments) and те́ннис (ténnis, “tennis”), his favourite sport.

There is one nice moment in the music, but it's not the moment identified by the owner of the system, and one idiot goes so far as to gush, "This is better than Tetris!"

2001, Matt O'Keefe, You Think You Hear, page 25:

From the kitchen the guy said, "I write science fiction. Or I'm trying to write. I've been staring at that screen for three days. You just interrupted a one-hour Tetris marathon. I need to talk to a real human being."

2007, David Skibbins, The Star: A Tarot Card Mystery, page 147:

[…]there were some other guys there who were into cosplay—that's costume play—and their thing was, they were dressed as Tetris blocks.

2008, Daniel Radosh, Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, page 213:

A puzzle video game in which falling tetrominoes must be manipulated to form complete lines, which are then cleared from the grid.

Тэ́трыс

game in which falling shapes must be manipulated


Tetris

For some it's staying low on the play field, steadily advancing through the levels, for others its ^([sic]) trying to clear the board entirely or scoring an unprecedented number of tetrises.

See figure 3 for an example of a logical decision tree that indicates whether there is a possibility to score a tetris.

1995, Kurt Driessens, “Relational Reinforcement Learning”, in Recent Trends in Data Type Specification, page 276:

Maximizing the number of tetrises (the number of times that four rows are cleared in a Tetris game) is NP-complete.

2003, Tandy Warnow, Binhai Zhu, Computing and combinatorics: 9th annual international conference:

Score two Tetrises in two drops playing Marathon.

2007, Barbara Smith, Chad Yancey, Video Game Achievements and Unlockables:

(video games, by extension) The act of clearing four lines at once (the maximum possible) in Tetris.


feeder

From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.

(video games, derogatory) A player whose character is killed by the opposing player or team more than once, deliberately or through lack of skills and experience, thus helping the opposing side.


DPP

Pokémon Diamond, Pearl
w:Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.


all your base are belong to us

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-all your base are belong to us.wav

Mistranslation of Japanese 君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた (literally “we (CATS) have taken all of your bases”). This grammatically incorrect "Engrish" phrase originated in the English subtitles of the 1991 European Sega Mega Drive version of the 1989 Japanese arcade game Zero Wing and became a catchphrase/meme on the Internet in the early 2000s.

der

君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた

(Internet slang, humorous) Used to tout victory over an opponent, or simply as a humorous catchphrase.


NFS

(video games) Initialism of Need for Speed.


MOTAS

Mystery of Time and Space
w:Mystery of Time and Space

(video games) Initialism of Mystery of Time and Space.


cinematic

Is there a way to skip this long cinematic?

When you talk about writing in games, some designers think you're speaking only about cinematics. Of all the ways to evoke emotion, however, cinematics are the least game-like portion of any game.

2004, David Freeman, Creating Emotion in Games, New Riders, →ISBN, page 390:


shoot 'em up

My wife won't watch this movie; it's a shoot ’em up.

The arcaders have it easy. All they need to do is drop a quarter into a machine to find out how good the latest shoot 'em up game really is. But for the home computer owner, it's another story.

1983 August, Popular Mechanics, volume 160, number 2, page 88:

An unmissable shoot 'em up.

1989, Duncan Macdonald, R-Type (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 37, January 1989

(idiomatic, film, television, literature, video games) A piece of media which depicts considerable gunplay.


SSB

(video games) Initialism of Super Smash Bros.


GBC

Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation
w:Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation

Initialism of Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.


GBC

(video games) Initialism of Game Boy Color.


SFC

(video games) Initialism of Super Famicom.


video games console

en-noun

video games console (plural video games consoles)

(video games, nonstandard) A video game console.


lobby

→ Armenian: լոբբի (lobbi)

→ Catalan: lobby

→ Danish: lobby

→ Dutch: lobby

→ French: lobby

→ German: Lobby

→ Italian: lobby

→ Japanese: ロビー (robī)

→ Korean: 로비 (robi)

→ Macedonian: лоби (lobi)

→ Polish: lobby

desc

→ Portuguese: lóbi, lobby (unadapted spelling)

→ Russian: ло́бби (lóbbi)

Serbo-Croatian:

→ Cyrillic script: лоби

→ Latin script: lobi

→ Slovene: lobi

→ Spanish: lobby

From Old French *lobie, from Medieval Latin lobium, lobia, laubia (“a portico, covered way, gallery”), borrowed from Frankish *laubijā (“arbour, shelter”).
Related to Old English lēaf (“foliage”). More at leaf. Doublet of lodge and loggia.
Political sense derives from the entrance hall of legislatures, where people traditionally tried to influence legislators because it was the most convenient place to meet them.

(video games) A virtual area where players can chat and find opponents for a game.


buffer

en-verb

buffer (third-person singular simple present buffers, present participle buffering, simple past and past participle buffered)

buffers (present singular third-person)
buffering (participle present)
buffered (participle past)
buffered (past)

Agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”).
The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed.

inperken

to isolate, to minimise the impacts of one thing on another

Some games let you buffer jumps—if you hold the jump button mid-air, your character will jump as soon as they touch the ground.

To use a buffer or buffers; to isolate or minimize the effects of one thing on another.

(video games) To queue up (an input) so that it is performed immediately once it is possible.


STAB

(fandom slang, Pokémon) A 50% damage boost applied when a Pokémon uses a move with the same type as itself (for example, an Electric-type Pokémon using an Electric-type move).


co-op

(video games, board games) A cooperative game, as opposed to a competitive game or deathmatch.


overpower

overpower (third-person singular simple present overpowers, present participle overpowering, simple past and past participle overpowered)

overpowers (present singular third-person)
overpowering (participle present)
overpowered (participle past)
overpowered (past)

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Rather than overpowering the characters or giving them some kind of slow-mo adrenalin abilities, Bloody Days does the most unexpected thing: it introduces a genuinely smart tactical system.

2017 March 10, Adam Smith, “Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days is smarter than you’d think”, in Rock Paper Shotgun:

(video games, transitive) To make excessively powerful.


SMD

en-noun

SMD (countable and uncountable, plural SMDs)

(video games, countable) Initialism of Sega Mega Drive.


emergent

en-adj

emergent (comparative more emergent, superlative most emergent)

more emergent (comparative)
most emergent (superlative)

/ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒənt/

/ɪˈmɝd͡ʒənt/

In short, emergent games are ones that allow a huge range of possibilities and don't dictate a strict, linear flow of events. A strategy game is emergent because so many units can interact and have some effect on each other.

2008, Jim Rossignol, This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Cities, page 126:

(video games) Having gameplay that arises from its mechanics, rather than a linear storyline.


trigger

Originally tricker, from Dutch trekker (“pull”, noun, as in drawer-pull, bell-pull), from Dutch trekken (“to drag, draw, pull”).

laukaisin

music: electronic transducer allowing a percussion instrument to control an electronic device

(online gaming) A text string that, when received by a player, will cause the player to execute a certain command.

triggeri

online gaming: text string that causes the player to execute a certain command


USF

Nintendo Ultra 64 Sound Format
w:Nintendo Ultra 64 Sound Format

(video games) Initialism of Nintendo Ultra 64 Sound Format.

University of South Florida
w:University of South Florida

Initialism of University of South Florida.

University of San Francisco
w:University of San Francisco

Initialism of University of San Francisco.


DK

(video games) Initialism of Donkey Kong.


pwn

en-verb

pwn (third-person singular simple present pwns, present participle pwning, simple past and past participle pwned or pwnd or pwnt)

pwns (present singular third-person)
pwning (participle present)
pwned (participle past)
pwned (past)
pwnd (participle past)
pwnd (past)
pwnt (participle past)
pwnt (past)

From own, possibly born out of a typographical error (the adjacency of o and p on qwerty keyboards).

I pwned them in game!

2nd guard: "Yeah, shiiit! I PWNED YO @zz!"

1999 August 5, Quaestor, “Re: [SP] So..the first victim of the Evil/Hero System”, in rec.games.computer.ultima.online (Usenet), retrieved 2016-09-23, message-ID <37AA8154.D77E6EB8@Skara.Brae>:

Otherwise I use fury as my normal attack. Fury completely pwns!

2001, Edward Glamkowski, alt.games.diablo2 (Usenet):

When you get to the Temple of Marr, look very closely at the vases at zone-in and see if you can find the picture where Mith Marr "pwns" someone.

2003, James Grahame, alt.games.everquest (Usenet):

My Trident pwns the Cirrus Logics!

2004, Bronney Hui, alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (Usenet):

NOOBZ STILL R NOT PWNED. CONTINUE PWNERSHIP UNTIL ALL NOOBZ R PWNED.

2005, AlphaDream, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Nintendo:

(Internet slang, online gaming, originally leet, transitive, intransitive) To own, to defeat or dominate (someone or something, especially a game or someone playing a game).


top-down

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-top-down.wav

a top-down shooter

(video games) presenting the player with an aerial view


PlayStation

Compound of play + station; coined by American multinational software company Sony Interactive Entertainment.

coin

Back then, kids didn't have TV or video games, so I guess slaughtering your mom and dad was a bit like the Playstation^([sic]) of its day.

2003, Cash Peters, Gullible's Travels: The Adventures of a Bad Taste Tourist, page 55:

The Everlasting Treat Ball landed like the PlayStation of the pet products world back in 2004.

2009, Michael Schaffer, One Nation Under Dog, page 150:

He was obsessed with bullfighting, which was the PlayStation of the day, only considerably more dangerous; he was soon gored to death.

2009, Paul Clammer, Alison Bing, Anthony Sattin, Paul Stiles, Lonely Planet Morocco, page 38:

(video games, trademark) A video game console of the "PlayStation" brand.

(video games, trademark) The original PlayStation.


PlayStation

en-verb

PlayStation (third-person singular simple present PlayStations, present participle PlayStationing, simple past and past participle PlayStationed)

PlayStations (present singular third-person)
PlayStationing (participle present)
PlayStationed (participle past)
PlayStationed (past)

Mark Bond, designer “25 years ago I was bouncing around on my Space-hopper, watching Thunderbirds and playing Kerplunk. 25 years later, I have just bought a Sacco bean-bag from Coexistence to sit on whilst Playstationing.^([sic])[…]”

1999, Coexistence: Twenty-Five Years, [London?]: Blueprint, →ISBN, page 119:

Connectix does not claim to emulate all Sony games and even the ones it does accommodate won’t necessarily run smoothly or accurately, but with a fair-sized library of perfectly compatible games, CVGS does “broaden consumer choice,” as it purports to intend, and allows for PlayStationing at work, during a long commute via one’s laptop, or at home when the TV isn’t available.

2000 May 15, Cox News Service, “PlayStation games can run on PC”, in Dayton Daily News, volume 123, number 232, Dayton, Oh.: Cox Ohio Publishing, →ISSN, page 2E:

A boat was moored up at one: the fairy-lit waterline cabins looked impossibly cosy, the pigtailed daughter PlayStationing on the bridge painfully evocative.

2001, Tim Moore, Continental Drifter: Taking the Low Road with the First Grand Tourist, London: Abacus, →ISBN, page 296:

Do you fit much PlayStationing into your hectic schedule?

2001 May, Chris Stead, “Mat Hoffman”, in Official NZ PlayStation Magazine, number 44, Auckland: ACP Publishing, →OCLC, page 82:

He’ll play outside in the fresh air when he should be inside playstationing and getting asthma.

2005, Nicemongoose, quotee, edited by Tim Worstall, 2005: Blogged; Dispatches from the Blogosphere, London: Friday Books, →ISBN, page 52:

“I moved in to ‘guard’ the place from vagabonds and dossers,” says [Orin] Walters, laughing. “And I turned it into a living, eating, Playstationing,^([sic]) music-making, smoking den for me and my mates. And that’s what we did, 24-7.”

2005 June/July, Vivian Host, “broken RULES”, in XLR8R, number 88, San Francisco, Calif.: Amalgam Media, Inc., →ISSN, page 50, column 1:

While she falls asleep studying, the rest of gang is partying and PlayStationing; […]

2008 February 14, Wesley Morris, “Dancing aside, ‘Step Up 2’ just plods”, in The Boston Globe, volume 273, number 45, Boston, Mass., →ISSN, page D9, column 3:

And faceless Jason, Playstationing^([sic]) for 30 hours or more, ratcheted down from Druggie High, to twitch upon the floor.

2009, Michael Yates, edited by John Clarke, Life Class, [Wakefield]: Nettle Books, →ISBN, page 57:

[Lenore] Skenazy wrote on her May 22 dotcom FreeRangeKids, it would be “a day to get kids outside to meet each other and relearn the lost art of playing! As opposed to PlayStationing.”

2010 May 19, Joanna Molloy, “Ring Around the Rosie days in city are long gone”, in Daily News, New York, N.Y., →ISSN, page 3, column 1:

Dad comes in—Skyler is playstationing. Dad says: “What about your homework?” Skyler says: “Later. All work and no Playstation^([sic]) makes Jack a dull boy.”

2015, J. T. Dock Houk, Life’s a Joke, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page 348:

They laughed, thinking of their friend who had swapped his evening run for pizza eating and PlayStationing and had ballooned.

2016, Amanda Prowse, Another Love, London: Head of Zeus, →ISBN, page 100:

(rare) To play on the PlayStation video game console.


MOO

(video games) Initialism of Master of Orion.


MOO

(video games) Initialism of MUD, object-oriented.


minesweeper

en-noun

minesweeper (countable and uncountable, plural minesweepers)

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(uncountable, computing, video games) A logic-based computer game in which the player has to discover the position of mines in a rectangular grid, based on numerical hints.


ding

(colloquial, roleplaying games, especially video games) The act of levelling up.


ding

en-verb

ding (third-person singular simple present dings, present participle dinging, simple past and past participle dinged)

dings (present singular third-person)
dinging (participle present)
dinged (participle past)
dinged (past)

(intransitive, colloquial, roleplaying games, especially video games) To level up.


DAD

Currently replaying in preparation for DAD, and the Josiemance is still as lovely as I remember.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
w:Dragon Age: The Veilguard

(fandom slang) Initialism of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (early title of Dragon Age: The Veilguard).


turbo

From turbocharged (“increased power”). From the action of a turbocharger, which increases the speed of an automobile through the increase in power of an engine.

Controllers with turbo features are banned from most competitive tournaments.


turbo

a turbo button on a controller; a PC equipped with a turbo mode

(computing, video games) Causing or relating to increased speed.


turbo

turbo (third-person singular simple present turbos, present participle turboing, simple past and past participle turboed)

turbos (present singular third-person)
turboing (participle present)
turboed (participle past)
turboed (past)


arcading

en-noun

arcading (countable and uncountable, plural arcadings)

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Whatever your taste in arcade games, one thing is certain: the world of home arcading has never been richer.

1988, Computer Gaming World, volumes 43-54, page 47:

(uncountable, video games) The playing of arcade games.


third-person shooter

third-person shooter (plural third-person shooters)

(video games) A combat-themed video game of a kind with a perspective view, typically positioning the camera over the shoulder of the player.


first-person shooter

first-person shooter (plural first-person shooters)

(video games) A combat or video game in the genre characterized by a three-dimensional view from the player's perspective (POV, point of view) and the ability to fire a weapon.

trò chơi bắn súng góc nhìn người thứ nhất


shitter

Agent noun formed from shit + -er. The sense referring to a toilet formed from shit + -er (patient suffix).

kakhuis

coarse slang for toilet — see also toilet

(slang, especially video games) Someone lacking skill, especially in a video game: one who is shit at doing the activity.


combo

→ Portuguese: combo

Obviously, this is something not seen very often, with super flashy, combo-driven fighters dominating store shelves everywhere.

2002, Andy Slaven, Video Game Bible, 1985-2002:

(gaming) Effective combination of gameplay elements.

(video games) An action composed of a sequence of simpler actions, especially a composite attacking move in a fighting game.


combo

en-verb

combo (third-person singular simple present combos, present participle comboing, simple past and past participle comboed)

combos (present singular third-person)
comboing (participle present)
comboed (participle past)
comboed (past)

(video games, transitive) To perform a combo attack on.


rumble

rumble (third-person singular simple present rumbles, present participle rumbling, simple past and past participle rumbled)

rumbles (present singular third-person)
rumbling (participle present)
rumbled (participle past)
rumbled (past)

From Middle English rumblen, romblen, rummelyn, frequentative form of romen (“to roar”), equivalent to rome + -le. Cognate with Dutch rommelen (“to rumble”), Low German rummeln (“to rumble”), German rumpeln (“to be noisy”), Danish rumle (“to rumble”), all of imitative origin.

(video games, intransitive, of a game controller) To provide haptic feedback by vibrating.


scumming

Probably from skimming, modified by the derogatory sense of scum.

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(video games, derogatory) The strategy of collecting easy rewards in unchallenging areas, e.g. when a high-level character visits levels suitable for low-level characters in roguelike games.

(video games, derogatory) The act of restoring a game's save file, or restarting the game, for the purpose of continuing play with a better outcome than was obtained the first time.


time warp

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(video games) Acceleration of in-game time relative to real-world time.


time trial

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(video games) A mode in which the main goal is to complete levels—or, in some cases, the entire game—as quickly as possible.


en-noun

massively multiplayer online role-playing game (plural massively multiplayer online role-playing games)

An online computer role-playing game in which a large number of players can interact with one another.

大型多人在线角色扮演游戏

dàxíng duōrén zàixiàn juésè bànyǎn yóuxì

massiivinen monen pelaajan verkkoroolipeli

jeu de rôle en ligne massivement multijoueur

masiuri mravalmotamašiani onlain roluri tamaši

მასიური მრავალმოთამაშიანი ონლაინ როლური თამაში

videojuego de rol multijugador masivo en línea


Sim

Most likely a clipping of simulation, as The Sims, SimCity, and related franchises are simulation games; compare sim (“simulator, simulation”).

(video games) Any of the characters in the video game The Sims, which simulates aspects of a human social environment.


rez

en-verb

rez (third-person singular simple present rezzes, present participle rezzing, simple past and past participle rezzed)

rezzes (present singular third-person)
rezzing (participle present)
rezzed (participle past)
rezzed (past)

Don't rez some enormous prop: it'll lag the server!

(video games) To spawn or load into the game.


DS

en-noun

DS (countable and uncountable, plural DSs or DSes)


emote

en-verb

emote (third-person singular simple present emotes, present participle emoting, simple past and past participle emoted)

emotes (present singular third-person)
emoting (participle present)
emoted (participle past)
emoted (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-emote.wav

The verb is a back-formation from emotion. The noun is derived from the verb.

There aren't many chances to see your character in Borderlands 3, but one of them is when you're emoting. Emoting allows your character to perform a gesture like a wave or a thumbs up, and it shifts the camera to a third-person view while they do.

2019 September 17, Austen Goslin, “Borderlands 3 guide: How to use emotes”, in Polygon, archived from the original on 2023-02-02:

Lords of the Fallen is yet another entry in the action-RPG soulslike craze, complete with an unsettling fantasy setting, other players invading your game for some co-op or PvP goodness, and, of course, lots of dying. It makes use of the same sort of deadly third-person combat system full of dodge rolling, posture meters, and emoting over fallen enemies as a sign of utmost disrespect.

2023 October 12, Travis Northup, “Lords of the Fallen Review”, in IGN, archived from the original on 2023-11-07:

(video games) To perform a short action, such as a gesture or a dance move, which may be seen by other players but does not have any effect on gameplay.


emote

Many video games allow players to purchase emotes for real-life money.

Juggernaut franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield are trying to capitalize on the success of Fortnite, but battle-royale games aren't just about skins and emotes.

2018 June 14, Carter Melrose, “Why Battle Royale Games Like Fortnite Are Everywhere (It’s Not Just Money)”, in Wired, San Francisco, C.A.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-10-08:

As old maps return to Fortnite, so do old battles over who owns some of the emotes used in-game.

2023 November 4, Wes Davis, “The copyright fight over Fortnite dance moves is back on”, in The Verge, archived from the original on 2023-11-10:

(video games) A short action, such as a gesture or a dance move, which may be seen by other players but does not have any effect on gameplay.


legit

en-adj

legit (comparative more legit, superlative most legit)

more legit (comparative)
most legit (superlative)

Did you see how fast that person was moving? I don't think they're legit.

(informal) Legitimate; legal; allowed by the rules; valid.


shooter

From Middle English schoter, schuter, schotter, scheter, schetare, scheotere, from Old English sċēotere (“shooter”), equivalent to shoot + -er. Compare Dutch schieter, schutter (“shooter”), German Schießer (“shooter”), Swedish skjutare, West Frisian sjitter (“shooter”).

I love shooters, RPGs, and pretty much anything with free-roam or gore.

2009, The Official Xbox Magazine - Issues 92-95, page 335:

(video games) A video game in which shooting enemies (or targets) is the main objective.


rax

Eventually they just broke our base and took out every single one of our raxes.

2014 March 19, 44:28, in Free to Play (Film), Clinton "Fear" Loomis (actor):


Sega

From Japanese セガ (Sega), an abbreviation of service games, because the company's earliest products were aimed at American servicemen on military bases.

(video games, trademark) A Japanese video game developer and publisher and manufacturer of arcade games and formerly of video game consoles.


Sega

I would lay in bed for a few hours playing games on my Sega, getting totally absorbed in it as though it were all real and then I would sleep for the rest of the day.

Any of various video game consoles manufactured by this company.


diff

tank diff (i.e., the deciding factor in the game was the difference in skill between the teams' tank players)

(video games, slang) Used to trash-talk an opposing team at the end of a game by pointing out a skill difference between some role and the same role on the other team.


sim

They played a flight sim all afternoon.

But shooters, sims and real-time strategy games ascended as the industry grew and mouseless home consoles made the genre's mechanics awkward.

2009 July 11, Darren Zenko, “U.K. pair turn time into romp”, in Toronto Star:

(informal) A simulation session or scenario.


scry

en-verb

scry (third-person singular simple present scries, present participle scrying, simple past and past participle scried)

scries (present singular third-person)
scrying (participle present)
scried (participle past)
scried (past)

From Middle English scrien, scryen, a shortened form of Middle English ascrien, from Old French escrier (“to cry out”). Influenced by Middle English descrien (“to descry”).

Scrying spells can simply toggle the state of hidden objects to the revealed state, […]

2014 April 22, Jeff Howard, Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 149:

[…] with the loss of Mekha, the shields and wardings on the temple had weakened. That meant Alonnen could now scry inside directly, albeit with a fuzzy view and no real hope of clear sound. On hearing that, Guardian-apprentice Pelai had suggested he could send in a whole series of clever, Mendhite-style scrying nodes.

2014 May 6, Jean Johnson, The Guild, Penguin, →ISBN, page 239:

[…] to get the kid's family back, they needed a plan. “You three keep an eye out. I'm going to scry inside that house.” “You sure that's a good idea?” Naleni asked. “If he's actually a string mage, no. He might sense [it].”

2020 January 26, Stephanie Flint, The Restless Sands of Neel, Infinitas Publishing, page 66:

He glanced at the silver bowl on the table near the window. She had explained its purpose, how it was used to scry what was and what might be. He feared her device more than his for what was more frightening than an uncertain future? Her gaze followed his. She squeezed his hand and looked deeply into his eyes.

2023 October 31, Garrett Boatman, The Clocks of Midnight, Crossroad Press:

(more broadly, fantasy, video games) To use magical means to see or look into (something that is happening outside one's sight, e.g. inside a building or far away, or in the distant past, or future, etc).


machinima

en-noun

machinima (countable and uncountable, plural machinimas or machinima)

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Fiona's been off at some kind of anime camp in New Jersey – Quake movies and machinima workshops, Japanese staff who claim not to know a word of English beyond ‘awesome’ and ‘sucks’, which for a vast range of human endeavor, actually, is more than enough…

2013, Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge, Vintage, published 2014, page 135:

(video games, film, countable, uncountable) The rendering of computer-generated imagery using low-end (real time) 3D engines such as those found in video games, as opposed to the high-end, complex 3D engines used by professionals.

(video games, film, uncountable) The genre of films created by such techniques.


headshot

en-verb

headshot (third-person singular simple present headshots, present participle headshotting, simple past and past participle headshotted)

headshots (present singular third-person)
headshotting (participle present)
headshotted (participle past)
headshotted (past)

SCOUTMASTER / HEADSHOTTED A SCOUT WITH THE BREECHSHOT.

2013, Doug Walsh, Gears of War: Judgment, collector’s edition, Indianapolis, Ind.: DK/BradyGames, →ISBN, page 336:

Everybody knows someone who feels left out when video games are being played. Maybe your girlfriend is bad at headshotting newbs in “Halo 4” or racing against you in “Gran Turismo,” but she could definitely play this.

2013 May 1, Matt Grippi, “Battleblock Theater is insane, hilarious fun”, in Daily 49er, volume LIX, number 601, Long Beach, Calif.: California State University, Long Beach, page 5, column 3:

Workplace bouts of Novalogic’s tactical firstperson shooter Delta Force 2 further seeded the sense that cover was neglected. “We all were playing that after work when we were having the debate about cover and first- or thirdperson,” [Chris] Esaki says. “I remember very vividly getting headshotted when I thought I was behind a piece of cover, but it was clear in the replay afterwards that my head was above the piece of stone. I couldn’t tell, and that was the reason why we went thirdperson with Kill Switch.”

2015 December, Tristan Donovan, “The Making of… Kill Switch”, in Edge, number 286, →ISSN, page 97:

(transitive, video games, slang) To kill (someone) by shooting them in the head.


NGC

(video games) Initialism of Nintendo GameCube.


checkpoint

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You can't finish the race if you haven't passed all of the checkpoints on the track.

This is not a videogame, this is real life! People get hurt! There is no restart from last checkpoint.

2010 March 8, 20:40, in Chuck Versus the Beard (Chuck), season 3, episode 9, spoken by Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi):

(video games) A predetermined point in a map, level or scenario that the player may resume from if they die or restart from if they choose to.


tactical realism

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A style of gaming in first-person shooters (FPS), where realistic ("real-world") settings are simulated by the gaming engine (to the best of its ability) and players use authentic military tactics to accomplish goals in the game.


launch game

(video games) A video game that has been made available to consumers simultaneously with its respective video game console.


killer game

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(video games) An electronic game that has compelled many to buy a particular video game console or upgrade their computer hardware simply to play it.


re-record

re-record (third-person singular simple present re-records, present participle re-recording, simple past and past participle re-recorded)

re-records (present singular third-person)
re-recording (participle present)
re-recorded (participle past)
re-recorded (past)

When making a tool-assisted speedrun, re-recording is inevitable if you want to attain a good time.

(video games) To revert to an earlier save state while recording a speedrun.


re-record

Gavin Ward's tool-assisted speedrun of Sonic 3 & Knuckles has no fewer than 160,027 re-records.

(video games) An instance of reverting to an earlier save state while recording a speedrun.


speedrun

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From speed + run. There are isolated attestations of the term as far back as the 19th century, mostly hyphenated as speed-run and in an engineering context; it is unlikely that these cases influenced the modern form.

In the speedrun of Super Mario Bros. 3, Anonymous Jones finishes the whole game in just 11 minutes.

(video games) A playthrough of a computer or video game in which the whole game or a select part of it, such as a single level, is played with the intent of completing it as quickly as possible, optionally with certain prerequisites.

速通

completing a video game as fast as possible


SMP

Scale Model Products
w:Aluminum Model Toys

Standard Motor Products
w:Standard Motor Products

Send More Paramedics
w:Send More Paramedics


dummy out

dummy out (third-person singular simple present dummies out, present participle dummying out, simple past and past participle dummied out)

dummies out (present singular third-person)
dummying out (participle present)
dummied out (participle past)
dummied out (past)

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From Japanese ダミー (damī), which was often used as a placeholder term for the designation of certain things that ended up going unused in a video game. The Japanese term was itself derived from English dummy, and thus tended to be translated in games (even if inaccessible by normal means) as "DUMMY".
ダミー may specifically be a derivative of the programming sense of English dummy.

(video games) To remove (a feature, subplot, item, or character) from a video game.


set piece

What’s so great about the episode is it takes its time. The first 30 minutes of this 79-minute behemoth—a model for season eight’s reportedly extended run-times—are a single set piece, the big parlay in the Dragon Pit at King’s Landing.

2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:

The message is that Hynkel is not a brilliant strategist or a mighty leader. He is an overgrown adolescent – as demonstrated in the sublime set piece in which he dances with an inflatable globe, dreaming of being "emperor of the world".

2021 February 5, Nicholas Barber, “The Great Dictator: The film that dared to laugh at Hitler”, in BBC:

(film, video games) An elaborate and interesting scene in a movie or video game, usually the most important and visually iconic scene in the work.


itemization

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The itemization in this game is terrible. All the good items are so rare, it gives players no desire to grind at all.

(video games) The system of items available to players and their design and qualities.


MK

en-proper noun

MK (countable and uncountable, plural MKs)

(countable, video games) Initialism of Mortal Kombat.

(countable, video games) Initialism of Mario Kart.


valk

(informal, video games, roguelikes) valkyrie


racer

→ Japanese: レーサー (rēsā)

For our kart racer, we will start by investigating common elements in similar games that we will need to bring to life, […]

2012, Jeff W. Murray, Game Development for iOS with Unity3D, page 102:

(video games, informal) A video game involving racing of any kind.


consolized

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(of a computer game, video games) Converted to run on a games console.


DPM

en-noun

DPM (countable and uncountable, plural DPMs)

(video games) Initialism of damage per minute.


hot seat

In addition to traditional LAN play and online modes, there's […] a hot seat mode in which multiple players take their turns on the same computer […].

2008 September 14, Jonathan Miller, “Civilization IV: Colonization Multiplayer Hands-On”, in GameSpot:

(video games, attributive) A multiplayer game mode where the players take turns playing the game.


gamepad

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(video games) A type of game controller held in both hands and controlled with the thumbs.


faceplant

From face + plant (“place, set firmly”). Originally skateboarding and snowboarding slang, a humorous variant of handplant, which is an intentional technique in these sports.

(video games) Death or defeat in a multiplayer online game.


level up

en-verb

level up (third-person singular simple present levels up, present participle leveling up or levelling up, simple past and past participle leveled up or levelled up)

levels up (present singular third-person)
leveling up (participle present)
levelling up (participle present)
leveled up (participle past)
leveled up (past)
levelled up (participle past)
levelled up (past)

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From level + up. The video game sense is a calque of Japanese レベルアップ (reberu appu).

I leveled up after defeating the dragon.

(roleplaying games, video games, intransitive) To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities, often by acquiring experience points in role-playing games.


CDR

en-noun

CDR (countable and uncountable, plural CDRs)

(video games) Initialism of cooldown reduction.


finishing move

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(video games) In media such as one-on-one fighting video games and professional wrestling, a dedicated special attack used to knock out an enemy on the brink of defeat in a flashy and spectacular manner.

奥義

おうぎ, オウギ, ōgi


brawler

From Middle English brawler, brawlere, equivalent to brawl + -er.

The world hath noted. And your name is great
In mouthes of wiſeſt Cenſure. What's the matter
That you vnlace your reputation thus,
And ſpend your rich opinion, for the name
Of a night-brawler? Giue me anſwer to it.

c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 320, column 2:

A Biſhop then muſt be blameleſſe, the huſband of one wife, vigilant, ſober, of good behauiour, giuen to hoſpitalitie, apt to teach;
Not giuen to wine, no ſtriker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not couetous;
One that ruleth well his owne houſe, hauing his children in ſubiection with all grauitie.
(For if a man know not how to rule his owne houſe, how ſhall he take care of the Church of God?)

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 3:2–4, columns 1–2:

One who brawls, engages in noisy, unseemly fights.

"Classic brawlers ranging from Double Dragon to Streets of Rage and even Brutal Legend created my initial seed of interest for working on one," Deighan said.

2020, Patrick Hickey Jr., The Minds Behind Adventure Games, page 136:

(video games, informal) A beat 'em up game.


god-modding

Misspelling of god mode + -ing (see godmoding)

(video games) Any form of cheating by automatic hits and controlling another player's character implemented by installing a mod in the game.


offline

en-verb

offline (third-person singular simple present offlines, present participle offlining, simple past and past participle offlined)

offlines (present singular third-person)
offlining (participle present)
offlined (participle past)
offlined (past)

(video games, Rust) To raid another player's base while that player is not currently playing.


RTS

en-noun

RTS (countable and uncountable, plural RTSs or RTSes or RTS's)

RTSs (plural)
RTSes (plural)
RTS's (plural)

real-time strategy
real-time strategy#English

(video games) Initialism of real-time strategy.


(video games) A Microsoft Xbox 360, a video game console.


player character

player character (plural player characters)

(roleplaying games, video games) A character in a role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player.


adoptable

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(online gaming) A unique creature for a user to adopt.


heads-up display

heads-up display (plural heads-up displays)


head-up display

head-up display (plural head-up displays)

(video games) A display of score, status, etc. superimposed over the playfield.


X-ray vision

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Whilst it's only been implemented in a "limited capacity" up until now, Krafton says that lobbies using the anti-cheat system saw x-ray vision cheats decrease by "over 50 per cent", and up to 62 per cent "in key regions".

2022 September 25, Vikki Blake, “PUBG Mobile's anti-cheat tech system halves x-ray vision cheaters”, in GamesRadar:

(video games) A hack allowing players to see enemies behind walls or other solid objects.


non-player character

non-player character (plural non-player characters)

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(roleplaying games, video games) A character in a role-playing game or computer game whose actions are not controlled by a player.

AI

for computer games, but not role-playing games


MMO

massively multiplayer online game#English

(video games) Initialism of massively multiplayer online game.


real-time strategy

(video games) A warfare video game genre usually played from a third-person overhead perspective, which is based on the real-time movement of troops.

reaaliaikainen strategiapeli

video game genre characterised by real-time movement of troops


NPC

NPC (countable and uncountable, plural NPCs)

non-player character
non-player character#English

(roleplaying games, video games) Initialism of non-player character.

Several months ago, users on 4chan and Reddit, the online message forums, started using the term NPC to refer to liberals. These people, they said, join the anti-Trump crowd not because they are led by independent thought or conscience to oppose President Trump’s policies, but because they’re brainwashed sheep who have been conditioned to parrot left-wing orthodoxy, in the manner of a scripted character.

[2018 October 16, Kevin Roose, “What Is NPC, the Pro-Trump Internet’s New Favorite Insult?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2022-12-30:

While watching the VOD later, xQc insinuated that Fortnite pro Bucke was an "NPC" who was only there to defend Tate and not give Piker a fair shot – and what resulted afterward has caused quite a stir in its own right.

2022 July 22, Alec Mullins, “NRG Bucke kicks off after xQc calls him an “NPC” for siding with Andrew Tate”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 2022-09-25:

(Internet slang, figuratively) A person with no ability to think for themselves; a sheeple (originally referring to opponents of former US President Donald Trump).


BFG

(video games) Initialism of Big Fucking Gun.


javazon

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(video games, Diablo II slang) An Amazon character focusing on javelin skills.


SDA

Speed Demos Archive
wikipedia:Speed Demos Archive

(video games) Initialism of Speed Demos Archive.


pickup

pickup (countable and uncountable, plural pickups)

Chinese:

→ Mandarin: 皮卡 (píkǎ)

→ Finnish: pick-up

→ French: pick-up, pickup

→ German: Pickup

→ Indonesian: pikap

→ Japanese: ピックアップ (pikkuappu)

desc

→ Khmer: ភីកអាប់ (pʰiik’ap), ពីកឺប (piikəɨp)

→ Korean: 픽업 (pigeop)

→ Portuguese: pickup, pick-up, picape (Brazil)

→ Russian: пика́п (pikáp)

→ Spanish: pickup, picop

→ Thai: ปิคอัพ (bpìk-àp)

→ Turkish: pikap

→ Uyghur: پىكاپ (pikap)

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Every step of the way you come across absolutely loads of aliens, pick-ups and new and weird obstacles to overcome.

1991, James Leach, Turrican II (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 69

Enter the graveyard if you want pick-ups, otherwise make a left under the archways to progress. When the pathway ends, you'll see two blocked-off tunnels and a switch between them.

2002, Acclaim Entertainment, Turok Evolution: The official strategy guide, page 73:

(video games) An item that can be picked up by the player, conferring some benefit or effect; a power-up.


buttery

en-adj

buttery (comparative butterier, superlative butteriest)

butterier (comparative)
butteriest (superlative)

From Middle English buttry, equivalent to butter + -y. Piecewise doublet of butyric, butter ultimately being from Latin būtȳrum and -y being a doublet of -ic.

(see title)

2014 October 30, Greg Kumparak, “YouTube Can Now Play Videos At A Buttery 60 Frames Per Second”, in Tech Crunch:

These include improved textures and character models plus a new buttery frame rate as the game gets boosted to 1080p resolution and animation of 60 frames per second. Stylish.

2015 April 28, Jason Hidalgo, “Shout at the devil: DmC Devil May Cry Definitive Edition review”, in Reno Gazette Journal:

I dipped a few of the Nvidia-specific settings since I prefer smooth, buttery frame rate, but that’s impressive in itself given it’s the only game this year to make that happen.

2015 November 19, Hayden Dingman, “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate PC review impressions: This gorgeous, mostly smooth game is no Unity”, in PC World:

For video, setting a higher frame rate, like 60 frames per second, means having the ability for getting nicer, buttery, silky-smooth, slow motion—if you're into that sort of thing.

That frame rate is buttery. Your computer has an excellent graphics card, Masato

2018, Dachima Inaka, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?:

So, if you're looking to play PC games with a buttery frame rate, these monitors are ready to deliver a great experience, and it gets even better when paired with Nvidia’s G-Sync or AMD’s FreeSync.

2021 December 12, Mark Knapp, Matt Elliot, “Best 1080p Gaming Monitors 2021”, in IGN:

(computing, video games) Short for buttery smooth.


pacifism

en-noun

pacifism (countable and uncountable, plural pacifisms)

From French pacifisme, from pacifique; pacific + -ism.

(video games, roguelikes) The additional challenge of winning a game without harming any enemy characters.

pacifizëm

doctrine that disputes should be settled without violence


WR

(sports, speedrunning) Initialism of world record.


nerfed

en-adj

nerfed (comparative more nerfed, superlative most nerfed)

more nerfed (comparative)
most nerfed (superlative)

(slang, video games) Crippled; made weak or worse.


nade

en-verb

nade (third-person singular simple present nades, present participle nading, simple past and past participle naded)

nades (present singular third-person)
nading (participle present)
naded (participle past)
naded (past)


clean up

clean up (third-person singular simple present cleans up, present participle cleaning up, simple past and past participle cleaned up)

cleans up (present singular third-person)
cleaning up (participle present)
cleaned up (participle past)
cleaned up (past)

The key here is to stop third partying and start cleaning up. Running to the first bullets you hear will only guarantee one thing, a fight. […] Cleaning up means only swooping in for the free kills. Is a fight over? Does Octane has his hands in a deathbox? That is when you take the zipline and catch them with their pants down.

2020 June 23, Jackson Haime, “Becoming a Legend: 4 Easy Ways to Climb in Apex Legends”, in Medium:

(video games) To intervene in a fight between two players at low health and easily kill both of them or the winner.


one-shot

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(video games) A player that can be killed in a single hit.


one-shot

one-shot (third-person singular simple present one-shots, present participle one-shotting, simple past and past participle one-shotted or one-shot)

one-shots (present singular third-person)
one-shotting (participle present)
one-shotted (participle past)
one-shotted (past)
one-shot (participle past)
one-shot (past)

(video games) To kill or destroy with a single hit.


tilted

(originally poker, video games, chess, slang) To be in a state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.


endgame

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(video games) The gameplay available in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for players who have completed all of the preset challenges.


dubbed

This shows that audiovisual constraints do not always result in loss, but might also contribute to the pretended spontaneity of dubbed dialogue.

2016, Andrea Esser, Iain Robert Smith, Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino, Media Across Borders: Localising TV, Film and Video Games, page 137:

In theaters, most foreign films are not dubbed, while animated films and some films meant for children offer a dubbed version.

2018, George Pierce, Introducing Translational Studies, page 181:

The dubbed statement, however, seems to reflect different connotations.

2019, Sofía Sánchez-Mompeán, The Prosody of Dubbed Speech: Beyond the Character's Words, page 121:

(film, television, video games) Having had the original soundtrack replaced with a synchronized translation.


Zelda

The Wind Waker is the best Zelda I’ve played since Link to the Past on the Super Nintendo.

2003, Ken Ayers, letter to the editor, Play, July 2003, page 8

The blurring of distinctions between theory and evidence, between agent and tool, and between individual and group knowledge are seen in fan discussions about Zelda like they are in the practices of science.

2008, Luke Cuddy, editor, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am, Open Court Publishing Company, →ISBN:

Unlike previous Zeldas, Breath of the Wild doesn't hold your hand.

2017, Tim Wilkus, in "Big & little Reviews: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", Little Player: Video Game Magazine for Kids, May/June 2017, page 25

When developing Zelda games, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi thinks about the main hook of the game play before digging deeper into how it will out in combat or puzzles.

2018, The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, →ISBN:

For better or worse, Ocarina was the perfect fan service for kids and adults who'd spent years closing their eyes and imagining how cool a 3D Zelda was going to be.

2020, Gabe Durham, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, unnumbered page:

The small motifs that [Jason] Brame identifies are used in the Hyrule Field to provide a sonic connection to earlier Zelda games but primarily avoid direct quotation.

2021, Tim Summers, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: A Game Music Companion, Intellect, →ISBN:

(video games) Short for Legend of Zelda.


ganking

en-noun

ganking (countable and uncountable, plural gankings)

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(online gaming) Action of the verb to gank.


sonic hedgehog

Named after the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, in reference to the hedgehog signalling pathway, itself from sonic (Japanese ソニック (Sonikku)).

(biochemistry, sometimes capitalized) A morphogenic protein that controls cell division of adult stem cells and has been implicated in the development of some cancers.

Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
sonic hedgehog


button mashing

button mashing (countable and uncountable, plural button mashings)

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(video games) The act of repeatedly pressing random buttons on a video game controller in hopes of executing attacks and/or other various motions found in video games.


quick match

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Hi,
Whenever I try to play a quickmatch, I always find that someone leaves the
game basically as soon as the game has started.
This pi**es me off, wondered if anyone else was having the same prob.

2002 May 16, Chris Pay, “Annoying quickmatch games”, in alt.games.redalert2 (Usenet):

Though the bug hinders players attempting to use the optimatch option,
they can still readily play the game online using the quick match
mode.

2004 March 26, Pluvious, “Splinter Cell: PT freezing in Live?”, in alt.games.video.xbox (Usenet):

In quick match, players choose their characters before beginning a match, and the matchmaker assembles two opposing teams of players using these preselected characters.

2019 July 11, Günter Wallner, Data Analytics Applications in Gaming and Entertainment (Data Analytics Applications), CRC Press, →ISBN, →LCCN:

(video games) An unranked match in a format that is more casual compared to the game's skirmish and competitive modes.


teabagging

teabagging (countable and uncountable, plural teabaggings)

They are infamous in gaming for their glitchy behaviors, leading to gamer innovations such as teabagging ...

2019, Nina B Huntemann, How to Play Video Games, NYU Press, →ISBN, page 145:

There are no penalties for teabagging, however, and other informal forms of hazing or humiliation.

2013, David Grondin, War Beyond the Battlefield, Routledge, →ISBN:

(video games) The act of simulating the above sex act in a video game (usually by crouching).


honking

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DI

DI (countable and uncountable, plural DIs)

directional influence
directional influence#English

(video games) Initialism of directional influence (“the ability to change one's direction of movement while falling”).


gamester

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Gamesters should know that Nintendo is considering a phone link that would allow players to compete via modem in nationwide competitions.

1990, Popular Mechanics, volume 167, number 3, page 37:

(video games, nonstandard) One who plays video games.


cosplayer

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From Japanese コスプレイヤー (kosupureiyā). Equivalent to cos- + player or cosplay + -er.

The environments and spaces created for and by cosplay provide cosplayers with a variety of spaces for social interactions.

2006, Frenchy Lunning, Mechademia 1: Emerging Worlds of Anime And Manga, page 75:


joypad

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From joy + pad, modelled on earlier joystick.

I heard it through Michael's window, I dropped the joypad on his floor.

If you enjoy playing arcade-style games on your PC, you may have found that they benefit immensely from a joypad.

2004, Simon Carless, Gaming Hacks, page 146:

Joypads, as they are used in the gaming idustry, have the great advantage that they are designed to be used without looking at them (relief buttons, hand ergonomics).

2006, Karl-Friedrich Kraiss, editor, Advanced Man-Machine Interaction, page 361:

(video games) A type of game controller held in the hands, where the digits (especially thumbs) are used to provide input.


cosplay

en-verb

cosplay (third-person singular simple present cosplays, present participle cosplaying, simple past and past participle cosplayed)

cosplays (present singular third-person)
cosplaying (participle present)
cosplayed (participle past)
cosplayed (past)

→ Norwegian: cosplay

→ Portuguese: cosplay

→ Russian: коспле́й (kospléj)

→ Spanish: cosplay

→ Thai: คอสเพลย์ (kɔ́ɔs-plee)

→ Ukrainian: коспле́й (kospléj)

Borrowed from Japanese コスプレ (kosupure), which is a clipping of コスチュームプレイ (kosuchūmu purei), from a compound of English costume + play.

Why has the Russian Federation decided to cosplay the Nazi Third Reich by attacking the peaceful neighboring state and plunging the region into war?

2022 March 17, Aila Slisco, “Ukrainian UN Ambassador Accuses Russians of Engaging in 'Nazi Cosplay'”, in Newsweek, retrieved 2022-03-18:

On weekends, there was usually a party. Her classmates, free from their wealthy families, cosplayed as struggling intellectuals.

2022, Ling Ma, “Office Hours”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN:

[…] turning conservative white men into amateur commandos cosplaying war wherever they liked and the US into a war zone.

2022 May 30, Rebecca Solnit, “US mass shootings will continue until the majority can overrule the minority”, in The Guardian:

Whilst their stability was generally an improvement on earlier German destroyers, as the vessels no longer displayed a strong desire to cosplay as U-boats, the main armament proved to be something of a problem.

2022 August 27, Drachinifel, 2:44 from the start, in Type 1936A / Narvik class - Guide 298, archived from the original on 2022-08-29:

(figurative, often derogatory, transitive) To adopt the behavior and mannerisms of another.


simulator

a pinball simulator

While writing for Mastertronic, David had seen that sales figures were much better for 'simulators' compared to less realistic games […]

(video games) A game that attempts to reproduce an experience realistically.


roguelike

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From Rogue + -like, after the 1980 computer game Rogue, which introduced the genre.

If you haven’t played a ‘roguelike’ before, it’s basically what happens when you take a twitchy hack-and-slash game like Diablo and make it boring, confusing, and frustrating.

I “Like-Like” Roguelikes (Because Love Should Never Be So Cruel), 2011

(video games) Any of a genre of computer role playing games loosely characterized by various characteristics such as randomised environment generation, permadeath, turn-based movement, text-based or primitive tile-based graphics and hack-and-slash gameplay.


retrogaming

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(video games) The hobby of playing or collecting older video games and computer games.


singleplayer

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/ˈsɪŋ.ɡəlˌpleɪ.əɹ/

(video games) played by a lone (1) player


doorgame

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From door + game. See door (“software mechanism for BBS interaction”).

bulletin board system
bulletin board system

(online gaming) A computer game hosted by a bulletin board system.


overworld

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An overarching map or region connecting various disparate towns, dungeons, or stages, usually represented on it by icons.

The overworld theme for the original Super Mario Bros. remains one of the most recognizable video game tunes to date.

2017, Alyssa Aska, Introduction to the Study of Video Game Music, page 88:

The portion of a game that is set above ground, as opposed to underground caves etc.

(roleplaying games) The entirety of the world where the player can walk around, as opposed to separate game sections for battles, puzzles, etc.


savepoint

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I died just before I reached the savepoint and had to repeat everything from my previous save.

(video games) A designated spot where the player can save their progress.


matchmaking

en-noun

matchmaking (countable and uncountable, plural matchmakings)

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/ˈmæt͡ʃˌmeɪkɪŋ/

From match + making. By surface analysis, matchmake + -ing.

(video games) The act or process of locating suitable players to take part in a multiplayer game session.


game over

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/ˌɡeɪm ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/

The message originated on pinball machines and has been very widely used in video games.

Before I could figure out what the hell was the object of the game, I hear the thing go boom-boom, and the screen lights up with a sign: game over.

(video games) A message signaling that the game has ended, usually because the player failed (for example by losing all of their lives) but sometimes following successful completion of the game.


game over

/ˌɡeɪm ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/

When you die too many times in this game, you get a game over.

(video games) An appearance of a game over message.


game over

en-verb

game over (third-person singular simple present game overs or games over, present participle game overing or gaming over, simple past and past participle game overed or gamed over)

game overs (present singular third-person)
games over (present singular third-person)
game overing (participle present)
gaming over (participle present)
game overed (participle past)
game overed (past)
gamed over (participle past)
gamed over (past)

/ˌɡeɪm ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/

(video games, rare, intransitive) To receive a 'game over' message.

(video games, rare, transitive) To deliver to someone a 'game over' message.


DotA

Defence of the Ancients
w:Defence of the Ancients

(video games) Acronym of Defence of the Ancients


playable

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(video games) A character in a game who may be chosen as the player character.


OP

I know they are going to tweak stuff in the next few weeks with patches as they find one class is OP and another is sucking...

2012 August 29, “Re: 5.0.4 first blush”, in alt.games.warcraft (Usenet), message-ID <k1l1nq$emb$1@dont-email.me>:

(video games) Abbreviation of overpowered.


side scroller

(video games) A video game where the player views the world from the side, controlling a character who mostly travels horizontally (usually left to right) through a level.


foozle

The original Ultima was a kill-the-foozle type of game where the goal was to destroy the Gem of Power, which was held by an evil wizard named Mondain.

2005, William Abner, Gamer's Tome of Ultimate Wisdom 2006:

(video games, slang) The final boss character in a game.


platform game

(video games) A video game of the genre characterized by jumping (or otherwise moving) to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles.

videojoc de plataformes

A video game characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles


overworld map

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The overworld map is kinda confusing to walk through, i had know idea where i was going.

1999 April 26, BuffGuy, “Shadow Madness Demo thoughts”, in rec.games.video.sony (Usenet):

By the way, the games FF2 and FF3 (both for NES, never released in the US) allowed you to save on the overworld map.

2001 July 5, Michael McIntyre, “Re: Game design theology... aka NEENER NEENER”, in rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons (Usenet):

I remember before FFVII came out I had never seen any pics of an overworld map and I thought that it had been removed completely.

2001 July 27, Kevin Sullivan, “Re: Final Fantasy X - No Overworld Map?”, in rec.games.video.sony (Usenet):

2002, Andy Slaven, Video Game Bible, 1985–2002, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 155,
Featuring an enormous overworld map and expansive dungeons, this game was large to begin with, but the inclusion of the Dark World makes the game twice as big as originally perceived.

There is a certain quest that you take, that even if you don't walk the overworld map, you will get ambushed.

2002 May 9, Zach Levy, “Re: Insane instakill overworld ambush”, in rec.games.roguelike.angband (Usenet):


skybox

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Thankfully, tools have been created to assist in the skybox creation process.

2004, Paul Marino, 3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima:

To ensure consistent sizing for all images, you should give each image in the skybox the same pixel width and height dimensions.

2007, Stephen Cawood, Pat McGee, Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide:

(video games, computer graphics) A cube with textures on its inner faces, used to simulate the sky or similar backdrop around a three-dimensional playfield.


instadeath

en-noun

instadeath (countable and uncountable, plural instadeaths)

/ˈɪnstəˌdɛθ/

It may seem rather harsh, but if one's going to play a cyborg (or the equivalent), the benefits of almost unlimited cyberware counterbalance the risk of dying in pure zones (or InstaDeath due to transformation).

1994 February 11, Jacob Bara-Skowronek, “Re: Space Gods (was Re: Demographics)”, in alt.games.torg (Usenet):

It's way too powerful, the point with the inferno SRM-2 was that it needed to close into a range where the infantry might have a chance of firing back before suffering instadeath.

1995, Robert J Chverchko, “Re: Napalm LRM's”, in rec.games.mecha (Usenet):

"Dylan O'Donnell", "Re: New spoiler - instadeath"http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/msg/d0a9feedf4d1b605, rec.games.roguelike.nethack Usenet
It's still only on the 5-turn timer if you're hit by a monster-thrown egg, though, as opposed to the instadeath from "elementary physics" if you throw one upwards yourself.

2007, "Mark Mackey", "Lost char due to bug in Crawl SS 0.7"http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.misc/msg/cce4ed2df23f1e64?dmode=source, rec.games.roguelike.misc Usenet
One of the nice things added to Crawl in the dc400 beta days was the removal of typo instadeaths: back in the bad days accidentally moving onto a lava or deep water square was effectively an instadeath.


instakill

Poisoned projectiles have a 10% chance of an instakill vs non-poison-resistant monsters. (Note that the Tsurugi of Murumasa and Vorpal Blade only have a 5% chance of an instakill.)

2006, Joe Bednorz, “Re: How do warrior types ever get the hang of spells?”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):

(board games, video games, slang) An instant kill.


instakill

Quite true re 3 hit DP instakill combo.

1994, Mike Hall, “Re: Best incarnations of characters..”, in alt.games.sf2 (Usenet):

The level of frustration is subjective. As long as everyone has the same instakill mobs there is a level playing field ergo I live with it. The instakill mobs do decrease the amount of adventuring you can do w/o being high level, so that is a personal pain in the butt for me.

1999, Richard Cortese, “Re: Aren't games supposed to be fun?”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet):

(board games, video games, slang) Having the ability to instantly kill.


permadeath

permadeath (countable and uncountable, plural permadeaths)

And yes, especially 'special' mobs coming back is a bit of a stretch. But then the players coming back is a stretch too, no? (yes, I know, many have implemented some form of permadeath).

1996 April 21, Jay Sax, “Re: Best features of a mud.”, in rec.games.mud.diku (Usenet), message-ID <ayudanteDq7xJB.9LG@netcom.com>:

If you are doing your job right designing a game, the newbie experience should be almost good enough that people don't care about permadeath any more then they would picking up a new novel.

2001 February 4, Rick Cortese, “Re: Permadeath Debate Today”, in rec.games.computer.ultima.series (Usenet), message-ID <t7s713pgas0b26@corp.supernews.com>:

I don't consider permadeath a reasonable solution for most virtual worlds.

2004 June 15, Lee Sheldon, Character Development and Storytelling for Games, page 401:

Permadeath is simply a way to encourage the playing of more than one game so they can try everything.

2007 January 12, Ray Dillinger, “Re: Roguelike developer diary”, in rec.games.roguelike.development (Usenet), message-ID <45a7f875$0$68978$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:

(video games, slang) Permanent death, where the player cannot continue but is obliged to restart the game from the beginning.

Last week, as you might recall, I promised to play Fire Emblem: Awakening with permadeath on. I also promised to continue battling no matter what happened: in other words, if any of my party members died in combat, they'd be dead for good.

2013 February 8, Jason Schreier, “A List Of Characters I Accidentally Killed In Fire Emblem: Awakening”, in Kotaku (Usenet):

For many fans of the dungeon crawler genre, the ultimate risk is permadeath. And it’s just what it sounds like. If you die in a game with permadeath, your character is toast. Gone. Permanently.

2015 April 4, Laura Hardgrave, “Darkest Dungeon and Permanent Death in Video Games”, in Den of Geek (Usenet):

Combat gets a lot more challenging in the back half of the story, especially if you ratchet up the sliding difficulty gauge to hard (which, notably, features Fire Emblem’s signature permadeath for added consequences to your actions).

2017 October 26, Meghan Sullivan, “Fire Emblem Warriors Review.”, in IGN (Usenet):

it features character permadeath which can’t be disabled; as the press release puts it, “in this Fire Emblem game, if your soldiers meet their end, they’re gone forever.”

2023 June 16, Oli Welsh, “A classic Fire Emblem is coming to Switch Online very soon”, in Polygon (Usenet):

(video games, slang) Likewise, any situation where a player character or characters who die are lost permanently but do not trigger a game over, allowing the player to proceed without the character(s). Particularly applies if said deaths are avoidable (not forced by the plot) and occur only as a result of player blunder.


JNTSC

(video games, DVD) The Japanese version of NTSC, which differs from NTSC only in using the black level and blanking level of PAL rather than the differing ones of North American NTSC.


finisher

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Tie Up Fallaway Slam (Finisher)

1999, BradyGames, Secret Codes for Sega Dreamcast:

Shadow Kick (OO+O) is best used as a punishing move and a combo finisher.

2002, Ben Cureton, Paul Edwards, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance™ Official Strategy Guide:

(video games, informal) A finishing move.


mapper

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As he churned out early versions of the Quake III engine, the mappers and artists felt adrift, with no direction on what to pursue.

2003, David Kushner, Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture:

(video games) A designer of levels for video games.


round robin

/ˌɹaʊnd ˈɹɒbɪn/

From round (adjective) + robin. Sense 1 (“senses relating to something with a round shape, or which goes around”) is connected with the word round, while sense 2 (“senses relating to people, animals, or plants”) is connected with some English regional senses of the word robin where it is used in the names of various fish and plants which are not related to the red-breasted bird. However, apart from the alliteration, it is not clear why the two words came to be linked together in compounds. It is possible that the term was first used to refer to sense 1.13.1 (“consecrated host”) which appears to be the earliest attested sense, and then extended to other senses either having the sense of round or robin.
Alternatively, it has been suggested that the term is a corruption of French ruban rond (literally “round ribbon”), referring to the practice in 17th-century France of signing on ribbons which were then attached to petitions of grievances in a circular manner: see sense 1.1. However, this etymology does not explain the senses of the term unrelated to a signed document.

der

(also attributive) Senses relating to something with a round shape, or which goes around.

(online gaming) A method of dividing loot among a party of players by having the game assign loot, or an enemy corpse to loot, to each player in turn.


SV

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
w:Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.


resupply

en-noun

resupply (countable and uncountable, plural resupplies)

A resupply gives you the chance to refill your fuel bottle as well as your food bag.

2003, Buck Tilton, Trekker's Handbook: Strategies to Enhance Your Journey:

(countable, backpacking, video games) A package of materials used to replenish supplies.


healee

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(video games) A character who is healed.


third-party

en-verb

third-party (third-person singular simple present third-parties, present participle third-partying, simple past and past participle third-partied)

third-parties (present singular third-person)
third-partying (participle present)
third-partied (participle past)
third-partied (past)

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A very common mistake that Fortnite players make is being too exposed during their fights. The first step is to acknowledge that they can get third-partied.

2022 February 12, Aakrit Sharma, “8 things Fortnite pros do during a 3rd party situation (& you should too)”, in Sportskeeda:

While the majority of players have given up with Seer, there are a select few who believe he still has a place in the meta. One of them is aceu, who recently explained on stream why Seer is still a strong pick due to his ability to "third-party" opponents.

2022 April 27, Alex Garton, “Aceu claims Seer is actually "meta" in Apex Legends for third-partying”, in Dexerto:

Not only that, but you can also gauge the whereabouts of their target, making it easier to third-party them.

2022 June 21, Josh Brown, Joseph Yaden, “Call of Duty: Warzone tips and tricks to win the war”, in Digital Trends:

(video games) To intervene in a fight between two players or teams, often allowing one to easily defeat both (sometimes seen as unfair).


hall of fame

Scoring is by time taken, percentage of quest completed and charms collected with an overall rating offered. As in Underwurlde there is no Hall of Fame, largely due to the size of the program.

1985, Knight Lore (video game review in Crash issue 12)

[…] hanging out with Dave instead down at the video arcades in Houndsfield Street, spending our pocket money on rubbing out each other's names from the Space Invaders' Hall of Fame.

2013, Emlyn Rees, Josie Lloyd, The Boy Next Door, page 100:


puzzler

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With the exception of certain handheld titles […], puzzlers (such as the countless Tetris iterations), and download-only games […], two-dimensional gaming has largely become a lost art, alienating many of us who grew up in a 2D virtual world.

2012, Brett Weiss, Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide:

(video games) A video game in which the player is presented with (usually abstract) puzzles to solve.


tryhard

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/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/

/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/

(video games) A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game.


tryhard

tryhard (third-person singular simple present tryhards, present participle tryharding, simple past and past participle tryharded)

tryhards (present singular third-person)
tryharding (participle present)
tryharded (participle past)
tryharded (past)

/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/

/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/

Tryhard like you’ve never tryharded before. If you don’t get called a tryhard in game, you’re not tryharding enough. OK, so maybe don’t go overboard but, if you want to take ranked seriously this season, be sure to start off on the right foot.

2018 January 16, Ryan Gilliam, “What should you expect your new rank to be?”, in The Rift Herald:

Some people view tryhards negatively since more casual players can get instantly overwhelmed by people in matchmaking that are hard-pressed to win rather than to just have fun. But that’s where an important distinction is being asked: is tryharding the same as simply trying to win.

2020 August 17, Alan Bernal, “Have tryhards ruined gaming? Viral video divides opinion”, in Dexerto:

If you’re looking to have fun while tryharding in One For All, you can’t go wrong with Malphite.

2022 April 1, “Best League of Legends champs to pick in One For All game mode”, in DotEsports:

(intransitive, video games) To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game.


rebirthing

en-noun

rebirthing (usually uncountable, plural rebirthings)

(video games, online gaming) An act of resetting a player character's level to its initial value (i.e., 1) while retaining equipment and/or some skills (a feature that allows a player to try out different classes or builds).


cheat code

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Got more patience than a tree grow / Got love that feels like a cheat code

2023, “Practice”, in Water Made Us, performed by Jamila Woods ft. Saba:

(video games) A line of text or series of commands which can be used to change a game's behavior, alter a character's looks and abilities, skip levels, or access other hidden features.


walkthrough

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(video games) A thorough demonstration that explains the steps involved in winning the game.


god mode

god mode (countable and uncountable, plural god modes)

In the sense "a game mode where the player character is invulnerable to damage", attested at least since 1991, as a cheat code activation message in the game Commander Keen IV ("God mode ON").

Turns what Id calls "GOD mode" on and off. Basically it just means that you're invincible.

1992 May 24, Ben Rudiak-Gould, “All about Wolfenstein 3-D debugging mode ***SPOILERS***”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games (Usenet), message-ID <1992May24.084922.27622@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>:

IDDQD: God Mode. The eyes of your character will turn ablaze and no damage will befall you.

1995 February, “Cheat Codes: Doom II”, in Computer Player, number 1.9, page 84:

And playing a mobile shooter with a mouse is like playing in god mode.

2018 March 27, Matthew Gault, “PC Master Race Invades 'PUBG Mobile' With Dishonorable Keyboards and Mice”, in Motherboard:

(video games) A game mode where the player character is invulnerable to damage, typically activated by entering a cheat code.

The difference is that wizard mode is a SUBSET of god mode. For example, both wizard and god mode let you "teleport", but only GOD mode allows you to "allocate treasures" or "create object".

1989 September 22, Kent C. Brodie, “wizard/god help (was Re: wizard password, um, what IS it?)”, in rec.games.moria (Usenet), message-ID <2755@moocow.uucp>:

So as a developer you've got to have a way to create characters of any particular skillset & level, insert them into any dungeon level, set up chosen maps, conjure particular equipment and/or monsters, etc. So as a developer, you almost *have* to develop a "god mode" or "wizard mode" that allows you to do such things.

2007 February 20, Ray Dillinger, “Re: A question about the nature of roguelikes.”, in rec.games.roguelike.development (Usenet), message-ID <45db2e3e$0$27185$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:

[…] [T]he Animus Control Panel is essentially a built-in god mode-style official modding tool […] which allows players to control and customize various aspects of the game.

2018 April 21, Joe Allen, “Animus Control Panel Out Now For Assassin's Creed Origins On PC”, in TechRaptor:

(video games) A mode of play in (mostly) roguelike games, allowing the player to create objects on demand, to be resurrected in the case of death, etc.


trick shot

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(video games) a type of shot, often performed with a sniper rifle, to show off a player's skill


double-dip

en-verb

double-dip (third-person singular simple present double-dips, present participle double-dipping, simple past and past participle double-dipped)

double-dips (present singular third-person)
double-dipping (participle present)
double-dipped (participle past)
double-dipped (past)

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I usually don't double-dip, but this port convinced me to with its additional content and improved graphics.

(video games) To buy the same game twice, especially on different platforms.


ragdoll

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In this chapter I'll give you a taste of some of the most popular applications for physics: ragdolls, breakable objects, and movie-style explosions.

2007, Ian Millington, Game physics engine development, page 401:

It is, in itself, a beautiful little game, but what it really indicates is a new way to create game controls: by simulating muscles rather than arbitrary forces. The rig in Ski Stunt Simulator is a controlled, active ragdoll.

2008, Steve Swink, Game Feel: A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation, page 333:

(computer graphics, video games) A model consisting of a set of connected rigid bodies that can collapse in a loose, natural manner.


ragdoll

ragdoll (third-person singular simple present ragdolls, present participle ragdolling, simple past and past participle ragdolled)

ragdolls (present singular third-person)
ragdolling (participle present)
ragdolled (participle past)
ragdolled (past)

(intransitive, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, video games) To be flung about, such that a person or character has an appearance like that of a rag doll that is flung about.


beat 'em up

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(video games) A video game of the genre oriented around interpersonal combat (e.g. martial arts, street fighting, brawling, etc).


supp

last season i got myself to g4 by abusing swain and other mage supps.

2022 January 28, u/victingz, “Should I "boost" myself to gold with mage supps ?”, in Reddit, r/supportlol, archived from the original on 2023-11-18:

Is there any hero that actually builds blink dagger to specifically blink away from a fight? Mostly its an initiation item. Even supps like Oracle and SD build it more to be able to hide and then jump to save carry afaik. Blink can be used to disengage, but I don't think that's ever the primary explicit goal of the hero building it.

2023 August 5, u/punksterb, “My Dota 2 Defensive Item Alignment Chart”, in Reddit, r/DotA2, archived from the original on 2023-11-18:

Nah supps were garbage in S1 unless you have short term memory. Dps were overturned due to the passive and they had to buff a few supps (remember the +5 mercy pistol bullets?) and remove the dps passive because of how strong it was. Although I agree that support is definitely the strongest role now.

2023 September 19, u/sankara123, “Are supports really OP?”, in Reddit, r/Overwatch, archived from the original on 2023-11-18:

(video games, slang) A support (in a competitive video game, a player or character who supports or heals their team's players rather than directly engaging enemies).


Nintendo

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Borrowed from Japanese 任(にん)天(てん)堂(どう) (Nintendō).

(video games, trademark) A Japanese multinational company that develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.