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)

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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.


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.


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.


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


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.

"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.


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


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.


fanservice

Calque of Japanese ファンサービス (fansābisu), equivalent to English fan + service.

And because of that soy sauce, girls can get one of the few fanservice shots made for women in the entire history of the Ranma 1/2 series.

2000, Ryan Omega, Anime Trivia Quizbook: Episode 1: From Easy to Otaku Obscure (Anime Trivia Quizbooks):

(fandom slang, chiefly ACG, often derogatory) The inclusion in a work of fiction of material, especially of a racy or sexual nature, which may or may not have relevance to the storyline and is designed merely to excite the viewer.

殺必死

often racy or sexual material included in fiction merely to excite the viewer


button mashing

en-noun

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.


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.


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


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

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.


resupply

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.


Nintendo

Wanna play on my Nintendo after school?

There is nothing wrong with the accoutrements of personal affluence, but if the numbers of personal stereos, Nintendos, mobile phones and cars grow […].

1995, David Gladstone, editor, British Social Welfare: Past, Present, and Future, page 274:

These professionals are the sort whose children play with Nintendos and own bikes

2005, Lila Abu-Lughod, Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt, page 280:

Franz: “How do elves make Nintendos?” Dad: “You ask all the hard questions, don't you? I really don't know.”

2005, Larry L. Meyer, No Paltry Thing: Memoirs Of A Geezer Dad, page 128:

The only message at home was from my nephew, letting me know my mother was back home, safe and sound, except for a sore "Nintendo thumb".

2007, Ilene Schneider, Chanukah Guilt, page 106:

(video games) A Nintendo Entertainment System, or other video game system made by Nintendo.

ኒንተንዶ

(video games, by extension) Any video game console, especially by those not familiar with video games.


first time

first time (third-person singular simple present first times, present participle first timing, simple past and past participle first timed)

first times (present singular third-person)
first timing (participle present)
first timed (participle past)
first timed (past)

I'm first timing this game.

Looking forward to first time this champion in my ranked games.

(chiefly video games, transitive) To try for the first time.


collider

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The race controller will check for a trigger hit between this player's collider and the start/finish line trigger, but this script has an OnTriggerEnter function to check for triggers used to force a respawn.

2014, Jeff W. Murray, C# Game Programming Cookbook for Unity 3D, page 339:

(video games) A model of the shape of an object for purposes of collision detection.


PKK

(video games) Initialism of player killer killer.


unequip

unequip (third-person singular simple present unequips, present participle unequipping, simple past and past participle unequipped)

unequips (present singular third-person)
unequipping (participle present)
unequipped (participle past)
unequipped (past)

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role-playing video game
role-playing video game

(transitive, video games) In role-playing video games, to deactivate (an item carried by a player).


proxy mine

2000: "twopinacoladas", review of The World is not Enough http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/review/R12476.html
In mid night departure (forest with the air control) base the frame rate ''SUCKS'' out side far worse then PD with 4 players 8 sims and proxy mines.

Proxy mines are always good because the computer doesn't seem to defend against them.

2002: "yc", Super Smash Bros. Melee: Marth http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/516492/18648

2004: "TerranRedneck", review of Custom Robo http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/review/R73394.html
Pods are like "little buddies" that help you out. Some buzz around your rivals head obscuring his vision and annoying him, some serve as proxy mines, while others simply bounce off the walls blowing up on the first bot they meet.

The proxy mines detonate when anyone comes near them (including the one who set the mine) and are absolutely wonderful for laying traps.

2006: "ProtectorOne", Perfect Dark: Multiplayer Scenario FAQ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/file/198275/43519

If you get too close it'll trigger. Shoot it from a safe distance and it will blow up. … Leave the room and go through the door that was previously protected by a proxy mine.

2007: "UnknownMercernary", Die Hard: Vendetta: FAQ/Walkthrough http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/479800/47821

(slang, weaponry, video games) A proximity mine; a mine that explodes when something approaches within a certain distance.


bunny hop

bunny hop (third-person singular simple present bunny hops, present participle bunny hopping, simple past and past participle bunny hopped)

bunny hops (present singular third-person)
bunny hopping (participle present)
bunny hopped (participle past)
bunny hopped (past)

first-person shooter
first-person shooter

(video games) to jump repeatedly while making contact with ground for as little time as possible, often combined with air strafing, especially in first-person shooters.


OG

en-adj

OG (comparative more OG, superlative most OG)

more OG (comparative)
most OG (superlative)

Accounts with OG names like "Daniel" or "summer" can often fetch a high price.

I joined Twitter pretty early and managed to snag a semi-OG handle.

I'm sure in lots of cases people get paid. In fact there is a black market for OG handles that can reach prices of up to 5k.

2020 May 24, u/jbutens, “How are celebrities able to get social media handles that are exactly their name? Do they buy it from people etc. if it's already taken?”, in Reddit, r/NoStupidQuestions, archived from the original on 2024-02-26:

Tryna fill my friends list with og/semi og names.

2021 May 16, @Horroraholic_, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-02-26:

Just wait untill the doxing / social engineering comes for og accounts

2023 May 11, u/Esco1980, “Why is this change being pushed despite overwhelmingly negative feedback?”, in Reddit, r/discordapp, archived from the original on 2024-02-26:

Shut down http://kyo.rip, haven't touched siege in ages, lots of people using the site to try to brute force accounts, check for og names and just being weirdos and I cba to update or maintain the site anymore. Goodbye

2023 June 6, @KyoDaHotdog, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-02-26:

It's a semi OG name, CocoChopper isn't og in any way

2023 June 11, u/HypeTheMoneyMaker, “Stepping down from CocoChopper for a semi-OG ign 🫡”, in Reddit, r/HypixelSkyblock, archived from the original on 2024-02-26:

(social media, video games, slang) Relating to a username which is a common word, phrase, or name.


BG

Along the way, a host of NPCs will join your party—and, as proven in the BG games, no one does NPCs better than BioWare.

2004 February, Jeff Green, “[Reviews] Knights of the Old Republic: BioWare and LucasArts deliver a brilliant Star Wars RPG”, in Jeff Green, editor, Computer Gaming World, number 235, New York, N.Y.: Ziff Davis Media, Inc., →ISSN, page 61, column 1:

All BG fans have a soft spot for Minsc, the ranger with one too many conks on the noggin and his famous Space Hamster, Boo. […] There’s a lot of great user-made content out there for the BG series.

2005 December, William Abner, “Baldur’s Gate: Closet Classic (1998)”, in The 2006 Gamer’s Tome of Ultimate Wisdom: An Almanac of Pimps, Orcs, and Lightsabers, Indianapolis, Ind.: Que Publishing, →ISBN, page 19, columns 1–2:

Interestingly, there’s no alignment system in Dragon Age, unlike previous BG games.

2008 August, “First Shots: Dragon Age: Origins”, in PCGZine, number 21:

When David [Gaider] was hired, BioWare was still at the Whyte Avenue site, ramping up work on Baldur’s Gate II. “I didn’t know anything about BioWare, but had heard of BG I,” David says.

2020 November, Ben Gelinas, “BioWare Labs”, in BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Books, →ISBN, part 3 (From Ambition to Reality), page 175, column 1:

(Can we date this quote?), (Please provide the book title or journal name):

(video games) Initialism of Baldur’s Gate (series).

Starting off as a half-elf ranger with a stick, Scooteris was kind of cool by the end of BG and its expansion, with +2 armor and a longbow. But it’s not until TOB [Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal] that he gets equipment that can kill with one blow.

2001 October, Thierry Nguyen, “BioWare gives gamers a fitting send-off to its epic role-playing game: This Is the End, My Only Friend”, in Jeff Green, editor, Computer Gaming World, number 207, New York, N.Y.: Ziff Davis Media, Inc., →ISSN, page 86:

The Baldur’s Gate series (BG with its expansion pack and sequel/expansion pack) has sold nearly 4 million units worldwide. […] Role-playing games like BG also more complicated and required additional QA [quality assurance] time and completely different QA processes.

2003, Erik Bethke, “What Makes Game Development Hard?”, in Game Development and Production (Wordware Game Developer’s Library), Plano, Tex.: Wordware Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, pages 22, column 1, and 24, column 2:

BG’s pausable combat system was a landmark for tactical RPGs, and Dragon Age wants to recreate that same sense of combat orchestration. […] Talky party members with big personalities were a staple of BG, but having thousands of pixels instead of a few dozen to render your allies’ personas means BioWare is eager to develop new favorites for its fans. We’re not sure they’ll be as off-the-wall as Minsc from BG2 […]

2009 March, “Dragon Age: Origins”, in Gary Steinman, editor, PC Gamer, number 185 / volume 16, number 03, South San Francisco, Calif.: Future US, Inc., →ISSN, pages 32–33:

BG maps (75 in total) represent mostly indoor environments while WIII [Warcraft III] maps (36 in total) – imaginary outdoor environments.

2018, Anton Andreychuk, Natalia Soboleva, Konstantin Yakovlev, “eLIAN: Enhanced Algorithm for Angle-Constrained Path Finding”, in Sergei O. Kuznetsov, Gennady S[imeonovich] Osipov, Vadim L. Stefanuk, editors, Artificial Intelligence: 16th Russian Conference, RCAI 2018, Moscow, Russia, September 24–27, 2018, Proceedings (Communications in Computer and Information Science; 934), Cham, Zug: Springer, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 213:

Baldur’s Gate
w:Baldur's Gate (video game)

Initialism of Baldur’s Gate (the first game).


sublevel

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(video games) A level making up part of a larger level.


tate

This is a monitor, not a TV - but I LOVE it for gaming purposes as I can easily rotate the screen. I had to unscrew the rotation mechanism and flip it around so that Tate mode games play the right way up.

2002 September 20, JigsawMan, “What television are you using with your console?”, in uk.games.video.dreamcast (Usenet):

Shiki is good, haven;t played that in tate mode yet. I though^([sic]) Psyvariar was boring to begin with - but that was because I just didn;t 'get' the game. Now I love it. Haven;t played that in Tate yet either. Hence the need for a whizz bang TV!

2003 August 4, Dan, “Good 4:3 TV for Gaming?”, in uk.games.video.misc (Usenet):

Perhaps the next generation of consoles, with more RAM, will finally give us some worthy collections. All vertical games should have 'tate' capability, Menus should be slick, with full-screen detailed adverts, commercials, interviews w/developer, etc.

2003 December 4, EssenceK, “Midway arcade classics”, in alt.games.video.xbox (Usenet):

I think the small size of the screen allows the eye to take in the entire playfield, lessening the chances of dying from some unseen projectile catching your vision off guard. Plus, it's a snap to flip the monitor vertically to play in "tate" mode.

2005 September 21, crymad, “What size TV do you use to play classic games?”, in rec.games.video.classic (Usenet):

Many would likely not orient their screen in a vertical or tate orientation (i.e, turned sideways as a vertical monitor) and many of these games do not have a rotation feature to support vertical/tate monitor orientation (although some do support it but then it means rotating the monitor to play and then rotating back afterward).

2009 October 17, Daniel W. Rouse Jr., “Aspect ratio 16:9”, in alt.tv.tech.hdtv (Usenet):

(video games, attributive) Of video games, a vertical mode.


gibs

At the perfect moment, Romero fired into the barrel, leaving the monster in a bloody pile of gibs.

2004, David Kushner, Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, page 148:

(video games) The internal organs of certain computer game characters after being splattered to death.


meat shield

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(video games) A so-called "tank" whose main purpose is to hold aggro from mobs and absorb damage.

(video games) A stunned or dead enemy character used as a shield against attacks.


ICA

International Contract Agency
w:International Contract Agency

(video games) Initialism of International Contract Agency.


adventure game

Phipps have put together a well planned and sometimes amusing adventure game here, with text and location graphics, which are simple but attractive.

1984 May, “Living Guide to Spectrum Software: Adventure Games”, in Crash, number 4:

The critics of adventure games are quick to point out that, really, adventure games are not games at all, but merely a series of puzzles strung together with bits of story between them. The puzzles, regardless of their form, serve as locked doors […]

2010, Richard Rouse III, Game Design: Theory and Practice, Second Edition:

Undoubtedly a force in the early days of the graphical adventure game genre was LucasArts. With an army of professional film personnel from which to draw, LucasArts titles gained a huge reputation for outstanding storytelling[…]

2011, Sue Blackman, Beginning 3D Game Development with Unity, page 6:

(video games) A computer or video game of the genre characterized by investigation, exploration, puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters, and a focus on narrative rather than reflex-based challenges.


RNG

en-noun

RNG (countable and uncountable, plural RNGs)

Random Number God
Random Number God#English

(roguelikes, humorous) Initialism of Random Number God.

QRNG

quantum random number generator; quasirandom number generator


difficulty level

difficulty level (plural difficulty levels)

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(video games) A variable setting in a video game determining how challenging it is to play.


Atari

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Company name, founded in California in 1972, from Japanese 当たり (atari), with reference to the game of Go.

Asked what they liked best about visiting their father, both named playing his Atari game. "What if he didn't have an Atari, would you still go visit him?" Dr. Davis asked.

1988, Jerry Bledsoe, Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder, Dutton, →ISBN, page 204:

Even my husband, when he takes a break from playin' his Atari on the TV, makes comments about how weird the livin' room looks without the rain lamp.

2003, Ruby Ann Boxcar, Ruby Ann's Down Home Trailer Park Guide to Livin' Real Good, Citadel Press, →ISBN, page 76:

Whatever the reason, you've found yourself wanting an Atari once again. Yes, the very first video game company did produce many different consoles, but when I say "an Atari" you know what I'm talking about: the Video Computer System, a.k.a. the VCS, a.k.a. the 2600, a.k.a. the Atari.

2005, Chris Kohler, Retro Gaming Hacks, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 8:

(video games) An Atari video game system or computer, such as the Atari 2600 or Atari ST.


replayability

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This new game is reported to have excellent replayability, with many features that draw players into the game's engaging world.


replay value

(video games) The entertainment value obtained by playing a computer game more than once; replayability.


EQ

(video games) Initialism of EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.


ring out

Calque of Japanese リングアウト (ringu auto), equivalent to English ring (noun) + out (verb)

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Even when Heihachi doesn't score a ring out with these combos, almost half of an enemy's health disappears […]

2003, Michael Lummis, Soul Calibur II Official Fighter's Guide Limited Edition, page 105:

(video games) A win in a fighting game obtained by throwing one's opponent out of the arena.


ring out

en-verb

ring out (third-person singular simple present rings out, present participle ringing out, simple past and past participle ringed out)

rings out (present singular third-person)
ringing out (participle present)
ringed out (participle past)
ringed out (past)

(video games, transitive, intransitive) To throw (an opponent) out of the arena, thereby winning.


geno

(video games, roguelikes, informal) Genocide.


geno

geno (third-person singular simple present genos, present participle genoing, simple past and past participle genoed)

genos (present singular third-person)
genoing (participle present)
genoed (participle past)
genoed (past)

I decided to geno insects because of the risk of swarms in the early game.

(video games, roguelikes, transitive, informal) To (commit) genocide.


PLA

Pokémon Legends: Arceus
w:Pokémon Legends: Arceus

(fandom slang, video games) Initialism of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.


galge

Borrowed from Japanese ギャルゲー (gyarugē), a shortening of ギャルゲーム (gyaru gēmu), a wasei-eigo derived from English gal + game.

(video games) A video game centered around interactions with attractive anime-style girls.


remaster

remaster (third-person singular simple present remasters, present participle remastering, simple past and past participle remastered)

remasters (present singular third-person)
remastering (participle present)
remastered (participle past)
remastered (past)

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But the remastering shows how nostalgia is driving publishers’ decision making.

2020 August 1, Imad Khan, “Like Old Hollywood Movies, Video Games Get a Polish for New Audiences”, in The New York Times:

(video games) To produce a new version of a video game with updated graphics, often re-recorded music, and added features and content.


jank

Ostensibly a back-formation from janky (“shoddy, poor quality”).

back-form

Bethesda’s jank made a PvP-centric experience hellish. Players kept finding exploits left and right.

2019, Patricia Hernandez, After the backlash, Bethesda is on a long quest to redeem Fallout 76, Polygon:

Maybe Soulstorm is an ideal tribute to the PlayStation era, considering how much period-specific jank is in the code.

2021, Luke Winkle, Oddworld: Soulstorm review, PC Gamer:

Jank is the understated secret sauce of game development. It can make a bad game good and a good game great.

2018, Ryan Cooper, The Joy of Jank, Unwinnable:

The build I played was rough around the edges; I experienced a couple of hard crashes, as well as some placeholder assets and bugs that went beyond the charming old-school jank I was expecting.

2023, Jordan Oloman, STALKER 2 is a merciless trip down memory lane, Polygon:

(video games, slang) Game mechanics of unconventional or flawed design or implementation, and the experience of such mechanics, as to ruin or disrupt play, or break immersion; e.g. bugs and glitches.


laggy

en-adj

laggy (comparative laggier, superlative laggiest)

laggier (comparative)
laggiest (superlative)

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I've given up trying to play on that laggy server.

(computing, Internet, video games, informal) Tending to lag, or respond slowly because of network latency.


gaymer

You're a gaymer aintcha? :)

2003, Gorf, “FA:Fzero Jap”, in uk.games.video.gamecube (Usenet):

> Are you a gaymer then?
No, I'm just a gay man that enjoys computer games in exactly the same way that non-gay men enjoy computer games.

2003, Nick, “Gaymers”, in uk.games.video.gamecube (Usenet):

How is this self-ostracism? Is anyone who would choose to post there thus prevented from posting here, or to any of the planet* websites Gamespy owns? Or to any of the publisher/developer forums available for discussion? I post to a mailing list for gay gaymers, and yet I post here. How am I ostracized?

2003, Julie d'Aubigny, “Gaymers”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (Usenet):

(slang, video games) A homosexual gamer.


ATB

(video games) Initialism of active time battle.


telefrag

en-verb

telefrag (third-person singular simple present telefrags, present participle telefragging, simple past and past participle telefragged)

telefrags (present singular third-person)
telefragging (participle present)
telefragged (participle past)
telefragged (past)

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(video games, first-person shooter) To frag (a player) by teleporting into the other player.


telefrag

(video games, first-person shooter) A frag caused by teleporting into the other player.


platformer

Conceptually speaking, the platformer may be the most archetypal video-game genre.

2010, Tom Bissell, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 97:

(video games, informal) A platform game.


light gun

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(video games) A device resembling a gun that allows the player of a video game to target a point on the screen.


collision detection

en-noun

collision detection (countable and uncountable, plural collision detections)

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(computing, chiefly video games) The process or mechanism of determining whether two shapes are partially occupying the same space.


game with a purpose

game with a purpose (plural games with a purpose)

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Coined by Luis von Ahn in 2008, see citations.

(video games) A computer game that serves some purpose for the people setting up the game by harnessing human abilities in an entertaining setting.


retrogamer

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miniboss

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One of MadWorld's minibosses is about to turn our hero into a flapjack.

2009, Nintendo Power, volumes 237-239, page 58:

(video games) A minor or incidental boss in a video game.


Snake

en-proper noun

Snake (countable and uncountable, plural Snakes)

en:Snake (disambiguation)
en:Snake (zodiac)
en:Snake River

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(video games) An early computer game, later popular on mobile phones, in which the player attempts to manoeuvre a perpetually growing snake so as to collect food items and avoid colliding with walls or the snake's tail.


skill point

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(video games) One of the points allocated to a player character, often when leveling up, to purchase abilities on their skill tree.

(video games) A renewable energy point that may be used alongside magic points, to separate magical and physical abilities.


skill tree

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(video games) A hierarchical visual representation of customizations a player can make to their character. Skill trees can either branch out or eventually fold back to a single point depending on the game. Typically some form of skill point is used as opposed to spending experience points.


technology tree

en-noun

technology tree (plural technology trees)

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(video games) A hierarchical representation of technology that may be researched and implemented for the whole faction by the player, most often in real-time strategy games.


content key

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downloadable content
downloadable content

(video games) A downloadable content file that unlocks items, characters, levels, or other content that was included with a video game but not immediately accessible (if at all through normal gameplay).


save point

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(video games) A location found in a video game that allows the player to save their game, often found in non-overworld areas such as towns and dungeons, where saving anywhere is not allowed. Gameplay resumes from the save point used.


2-up (countable and uncountable, plural 2-ups)

(video games) An item that grants the player two extra lives in the game.

Before any player registers points, the PAC-MAN scoring table displays in white "1 UP" and "2 UP" where the scores will appear.

1982, Harlington Wood, Jr., Atari v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607, n. 2 (7th Cir. 1982)

(video games, uncountable) In a game with multiple players, an indicator or identifier of player 2.


"Extra life" sense borrowed from Japanese 1UP (wan appu) and perhaps popularized by Super Mario Bros. (1985); but the term existed earlier in multi-player pinball and other arcade games in the 1960s, where "1Up" and "2Up" were used as flashing notifications to indicate who would play next (or who was "up" next in order). See https://www.inverse.com/gaming/1up-meaning-origin-definition-gaming.

(video games) An item that grants the player an extra life in the game, staving off game over by one more try.

This is the players turn (1-up or 2-up)

1998, Sega Genesis, Frogger 1998 - Walkthrough:

(video games) In a game with multiple players, an indicator or identifier of player 1.


survival horror

survival horror (countable and uncountable, plural survival horrors)

Calque of Japanese サバイバルホラー (sabaibaru horā), from English survival + horror.

cal

(video games, uncountable) A video game genre that emphasizes scarcity of resources (such as health or ammunition refills) in a dangerous setting like that of a horror film.


cut scene

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Coined by game designer Ron Gilbert to describe non-interactive cinematic sequences in the 1987 adventure game Maniac Mansion, in reference to the cuts between scenes in films.

(video games) A typically non-interactive portion of cinematic narrative shown during a video game to advance the story. Cut scenes may be presented with full motion video or may be done with the game engine, in which case they may allow some interactivity.


level cap

(video games) The maximum attainable level of the player character, often in role-playing video games. Level caps may be raised in subsequent playthroughs or expansion packs/downloadable content.


red ring of death

en-noun

red ring of death (plural red rings of death)

Derived from blue screen of death, a type of failure on a personal computer running Microsoft Windows.

(video games) A fatal hardware exception in the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console characterised by three or four red indicator LEDs around the power button.

Xbox 360 technical problems#General Hardware Failure errors


sidequest

Completion of a sidequest often results in the acquisition of money or items that are otherwise unavailable, or unlocks another sidequest.

The following items are either the objects of a quest or vital components of an optional sidequest.

2003, Bryan Stratton, Stephen Stratton, The Legend of Zelda®: The Wind Waker, Prima Games, →ISBN, page 19:

Two tasks I want to discuss are mentioned several times within this chapter: sidequests and adventure paths. These tasks are unique because they offer students a challenge beyond the required work within Michael's classroom. Sidequests are projects that students complete to deepen their understanding of the content.

2022, Adam Moreno, Purpose-Driven Learning: Unlocking and Empowering Our Students’ Innate Passion for Learning, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN:

(video games) A quest given to the player that has no direct bearing on the main story or campaign of the game.


save slot

(video games) One of a set of programmer-determined slots (such as files or memory addresses) for creating a saved game.


arcade game

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Luckily for fans, these arcade games (as the good old classic titles are now called) used to have rather simple mechanics, and most players could learn to play them, despite their poor or non-existent knowledge of English.

2014, Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino, Translation and Localisation in Video Games:

(video games) A coin-operated video game or amusement device.

арка́дна игра́

‘They’re Twitch Games,’ he grinned, ‘arcade games. An adventure game is one where you use your mind; if you can type, you can play an adventure. If you require anything other than that, you’ve got a twitch game — an arcade game — where your skill of movement is more important than your thinking. […]

1985, Scott Adams, quoted in Graeme Kidd, Great Scott!, in Crash issue 15

It's not an arcade game—there is no crack of the bat or roar of the crowd or even much in the way of a screen display—but for the true fan, there is the excitement of mathematically structured matchups of real current and past teams with a more-than-passing resemblance to real-life outcomes.

1985, PC Mag, volume 4, number 14, page 51:

(video games) A game for a computer or console that shares traits of coin-operated video games, such as short levels, simple and intuitive controls, and rapidly increasing difficulty.


minigame

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If you collect 100 coins, you get to play a balloon-popping minigame.

I promise to enter next time, if you keep the compo like it is now ;-) Or... why not alternating between a minigame compo and a minidemo comp ?

2002, Fabrice Frances, “2002 MiniGame Compo - download and vote!”, in comp.sys.oric (Usenet):

(video games) A small and simple game, especially an incidental game within a larger video game.


respawn

en-verb

respawn (third-person singular simple present respawns, present participle respawning, simple past and past participle respawned)

respawns (present singular third-person)
respawning (participle present)
respawned (participle past)
respawned (past)

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(video games, of a collected item, weapon or other pickup, or enemy) To reappear at its spawn point.

weapon or other pickup; or enemy; weapon or other pickup; or enemy

Some top 100 websites are circumventing user deletion of HTTP cookies by respawning them using Flash cookies with identical values, […]

2009 September 17, Pinsent Masons, “Hidden Flash cookies track even opt-out users on web's biggest sites”, in Out-law, retrieved 2014-04-24:

How and why he gets stuck in this constant respawn cycle is a bit unclear, […]

2014 March 25, Angela Watercutter, “Tom Cruise Respawns Into Alien War in New Edge of Tomorrow Trailer”, in Wired, retrieved 2014-04-24:

“Everything in this cult of personality is fragile,” Borkowski said, but added that Musk had proven before that he can “re-spawn” when he encountered difficulties.

2024 April 3, Dan Milmo, quoting Mark Borkowski, “How much is Elon Musk to blame for Tesla sales slip?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(video games, of a character) To re-enter play after being killed, often where the game was last saved.


respawn

The race controller will check for a trigger hit between this player's collider and the start/finish line trigger, but this script has an OnTriggerEnter function to check for triggers used to force a respawn.

2014, Jeff W. Murray, C# Game Programming Cookbook for Unity 3D, page 339:

(video games) The reappearance of an item or enemy; the situation where something is respawned.


gamerscore

en-noun

gamerscore (countable and uncountable, plural gamerscores)

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From the trademark Gamerscore, from gamer + score.

(video games) Points accumulated by earning achievements in Xbox video games.


JRPG

From J- (“Japanese”) + RPG (“role-playing game”).

prefix

role-playing game
role-playing game#English

(video games) Initialism of Japanese role-playing game, a traditional genre of role-playing video game generally understood as involving a pre-determined story and player characters, a party of multiple controllable characters, and an emphasis on narrative and storytelling.


debuff

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From de- + buff (“to make a player or item stronger”).

(roleplaying games, video games) An effect that makes a game character weaker; a negative status effect.


debuff

en-verb

debuff (third-person singular simple present debuffs, present participle debuffing, simple past and past participle debuffed)

debuffs (present singular third-person)
debuffing (participle present)
debuffed (participle past)
debuffed (past)

(roleplaying games, video games) To make a character or unit weaker.


Xbox

From "DirectX box". In use since the announcement of the original Xbox in 2000.

The Xbox or the Arcade Game Box? That's weird. They knocked off the look of the Xbox with the PlayStation controller.

2015 June 24, “Top 10 Chinese Knockoffs of Foreign Products” (00:01:45 from the start), in China Uncensored, spoken by himself (Chris Chappell), New Tang Dynasty Television, via New Tang Dynasty Television:

(video games, trademark) Any of the home consoles in Microsoft's Xbox product line, especially the original Xbox.

Xbox

video game console manufactured and distributed by Microsoft


Xbox

Xbox (third-person singular simple present Xboxes, present participle Xboxing, simple past and past participle Xboxed)

Xboxes (present singular third-person)
Xboxing (participle present)
Xboxed (participle past)
Xboxed (past)

There's a time and a place for mindless activities (we don't need to make them a big deal) but, if done excessively, they don't exactly deliver what they promise. In other words, Xboxing for hours at a time may give you an illusion of rejuvenation but it doesn't truly make you feel rested.

2018, Shelley Aggarwal, Signe Darpinian, Wendy Sterling, No Weigh!: A Teen's Guide to Positive Body Image, Food, and Emotional Wisdom, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 49:

(intransitive, video games, informal) To play a video game using an Xbox home console.


d-pad

(video games) A plus-shaped directional input pad on a video game controller that allows for eight degrees of movement, now largely superseded by the thumbstick.


saved game

(video games) A block of saved data, representing the player's progress in a game, that can be restored at a later time for continued play.


in-engine

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(video games, especially of a cut scene) Rendered in real-time or pre-rendered by the game engine.


playthrough

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(video games) The act, or a recording, of playing a game from start to finish.


savestate

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(computing, video games) A file that contains an emulator's or virtualizer's state at the moment it was saved to disk. The file contains the contents of the memory, registers and other pertinent data that allows the user to resume the application from the moment the file was created.


battery-backed

akkukäyttöinen

electronics: using a battery to maintain something

using a rechargeable battery to maintain operation

paristokäyttöinen

using a non-rechargeable battery to maintain operation

akkumuistia käyttävä

using a rechargeable battery to maintain storage

paristomuistia käyttävä

using a non-rechargeable battery to maintain storage

(video games, of saved game data) Written to a volatile memory chip in a video game cartridge to maintain the data when not in use.


quick time event

en-noun

quick time event (plural quick time events)

Introduced by the Japanese 1999 action-adventure video game Shenmue.

(video games) An interactive cut scene-like sequence in a video game where the player has a limited time in which to push a button, or sequence of buttons, displayed on screen.


spawn point

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(video games) A location on a game map in which a player, bot or item spawns.


TV game

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(video games) An early type of video game, the predecessor of modern games consoles, consisting of a unit with a built-in controller that plugged into a television set.


pay-to-play

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As the lawsuit claims, we’re being programmed to constantly seek a dopamine hit from each swipe in what it calls a “pay-to-play” loop.

2024 March 14, Georgina Lawton, “I’m not surprised people are suing a dating app company – our addiction to swiping makes us miserable”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(video games, of an online game) Requiring payment from the player.


sidescrolling

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Another sequel, Pac-Land, transported the adventurous wedge into a sidescrolling world where he had to navigate a series of platforms and obstacles.

2008, Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Jonas Heide Smith, Susana Pajares Tosca, Understanding video games: the essential introduction, page 63:

(video games) That scrolls horizontally.


aimbot

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For the British, in the first confrontation, [a range-clock system] probably would've been somewhat useful - especially if Iron Duke was giving the ranges, considering that thing seemed to have an aimbot installed - but it would've maybe only marginally improved things for the British, I think.

2021 May 2, Drachinifel, 3:58:12 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 144, archived from the original on 2022-09-26:

(video games) A program or patch that allows the player to cheat by having the character's weapon aimed automatically.


aimbot

en-verb

aimbot (third-person singular simple present aimbots, present participle aimbotting, simple past and past participle aimbotted)

aimbots (present singular third-person)
aimbotting (participle present)
aimbotted (participle past)
aimbotted (past)

(video games) To cheat in a video game using an aimbot.


cooldown

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I had to wait for the cooldown to finish before recasting the spell.

Private Terminal: After using a power, you must wait for it to recharge before using it again.
Private Terminal: This is called the cooldown period. When a power is in cooldown, its icon is gray. A red icon indicates that the power cannot affect the current target.

2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tactical Mastery: Advanced Power Use:

(video games) The minimum length of time that the player needs to wait after using an ability or item before it can be used again.

(by extension) A particular ability with a powerful effect but long cooldown period, making it important to track when it was last used and when it can be used again.


fire button

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You launch him into the air with a quick press on the fire button, trying to pass over bombs as you fly.

1986, Rachael Smith, Bomb Jack (video game review in Your Sinclair issue 5, May 1986)

(video games) A button on a joystick or joypad that corresponds to the action of firing a weapon, but often represents other in-game actions.


autofire

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You start off with just seven clips of ammo and five grenades — so all you autofire merchants are in trouble. Only real soldiers, with an accurate eye and careful trigger finger need apply here.

1988, Operation Wolf (review), Crash issue 59 (December 1988)

High-speed autofire and a choice of two joystick sizes are featured.

1989 October, Popular Mechanics, volume 166, number 10:

Also the crappy joystick, the SJS1, is useless. It's as stiff as a Skoda's steering and there's no autofire on it. I can't help thinking that I made the worst investment of my life by buying this computer.

1990 March, Letters: Your Sinclair, number 51:

(video games) A feature on a joystick or gamepad that permits automatic firing, as though the player were repeatedly pressing the fire button.


autofire

autofire (third-person singular simple present autofires, present participle autofiring, simple past and past participle autofired)

autofires (present singular third-person)
autofiring (participle present)
autofired (participle past)
autofired (past)

(video games, weaponry) To fire automatically.


bad ending

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(video games) An ending that occurs when the player finishes the video game but is not completely successful for some reason, as opposed to a good ending.


good ending

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(video games) An ending that occurs when the player finishes a video game and is completely successful, as opposed to a bad ending.


powerup

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(video games) Alternative spelling of power-up


party game

Mario games range from strict arcade games to racing games, party games, and complex 3D action-adventures.

2009, Rusel Demaria, Reset: Changing the Way We Look at Video Games, page 373:

(video games) A multiplayer game, usually consisting of a series of short minigames, that can be easily played in a social setting.


casual game

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(video games) A video game targeting casual, irregular gamers, typically having few rules to learn and a low initial level of difficulty.


Sokoban

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Borrowed from Japanese 倉庫番 (sōkoban, “warehouseman”).

bor+

These so-called deadlock states are largely responsible for the failure of our attempts to solve positions in the game of Sokoban.

1998, Robert Mercer, Eric Neufeld, Advances in Artificial Intelligence:

The sokoban problem encodes a small instance of a well known computer game, where a single stone must be pushed to its goal position.

2000, Zbigniew W Ras, Setsuo Ohsuga, editors, Foundations of Intelligent Systems:

Sokoban exhibits a large number of difficult search-space properties.

2002, Jonathan Schaeffer, H. J. Van Den Herik, Chips Challenging Champions, page 30:

(video games) A computer puzzle game, devised in 1980 and frequently reimplemented, in which the player must push boxes to designated locations under a set of movement constraints.


unlockable

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But usually when people refer to the metagame, they mean things such as unlockables or customizable features.

2012, Keith Burgun, Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 98:

(video games) An initially hidden feature that is made available to reward the player for some achievement.


I-frame

invincibility frame
invincibility frame#English

(video games, speedrunning) Abbreviation of invincibility frame.


flip-screen

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Learic and Leanoric concoct their spells by travelling round the flip-screen landscape, collecting rare herbs and roots from the countryside.

1987, Feud (review in Crash magazine issue 38)

Yes, that's right, you've correctly deduced from the plot that what we're talking about here is a flip-screen adventure, each screen presenting you with a few baddies to beat up and one or two problems to solve before you can progress onto the next one.

1990, Hammerfist (review in Your Sinclair magazine issue 54)

So, your masterpiece is going to have to be either a straightforward (upward?) vertically scrolling blast (with a choice of fast or faster still but both supremely smooth), a single flip-screen affair or a 'push-scrolling' jobbie where the screen scrolls in accordance with the main sprite.

1992, Ian Osborne, Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit (review in Zzap! magazine issue 84)

(video games) Not scrolling, but composed of linked screens between which the player can travel.


sourcebook

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That sourcebook is aimed at players of fighters, rogues, rangers, and warlords, and by design you're not going to find much in that book to appeal to other characters.

2008, James Wyatt, Bill Slavicsek, Richard Baker, Dungeon Master 4th Edition For Dummies, page 156:

(video games) A publication intended to supplement the core materials of a roleplaying game.


bullet time

First used with reference to the 1999 film The Matrix, and later to the slow-motion effects in the 2001 video game Max Payne.

...particularly in the use of the bullet-time technique...

2006, Dani Cavallaro, The Cinema of Mamoru Oshii: Fantasy, Technology and Politics:

(film, video games) A visual effect in which the camera pans around a slowed-down object, such as a flying bullet.

(video games) A mode in which gameplay slows down to allow the player to observe and maneuver around bullets or other fast moving objects.


attract mode

(video games) A demonstration mode intended to attract potential players to an arcade game.


spawner

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[…] at this point, there are enemy birds that fly out of the pipe and attack the player's avatar. The pipes themselves are "enemy spawners" […]

2006, Alice J. Robison, Inventing fun: videogame design as a writing process, page 77:

(video games) An object in a simulated game world that spawns further objects.


gameboard

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The Mario games extended the gameboard with side scrolling […]

2011, Janet H. Murray, Inventing the Medium: Principles of Interaction Design as a Cultural Practice:


shmup

Highlights include the great-looking shmup Judgement Silversword.

Galaga was probably the most influential of all of these because it added bonus levels and the power-up, a concept that has become standard in every shmup.

2005, Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design: