BroShep

The fact that advertising for Mass Effect 3 included “FemShep” as well as “BroShep” was significant for many fans.

2012, Jillian Scharr, "From 'Epic' to 'Epic Win': Play and performance as open-database storytelling in pre- and postliterate media", paper submitted to Vassar College, page 83

While BroShep displays obliviousness to issues of "reproductive rights and control over the female body," FemShep expresses solidarity with the female Krogan, Eve, indicating there are some galactic power struggles only FemShep can truly understand.

There is little deviation between the FemShep and BroShep scripts for the romance with Liara, which positions Commander Shepard as an experienced soldier (and lover) pursuing the naïve, reticent academic.

2020, Amanda Phillips, Gamer Trouble: Feminist Confrontations in Digital Culture, page 148:

(fandom slang, video games) The male version of the Commander Shepard player character in the Mass Effect series.


stealth nerf

en-verb

stealth nerf (third-person singular simple present stealth nerfs, present participle stealth nerfing, simple past and past participle stealth nerfed)

stealth nerfs (present singular third-person)
stealth nerfing (participle present)
stealth nerfed (participle past)
stealth nerfed (past)

(transitive, slang, video games) To cripple or weaken an element of a video game (such as a character, a weapon, or a spell) without announcing the change to the playerbase.


stealth nerf

(slang, video games) The weakening or worsening of an element of a video game (a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.) in an update without the change being announced to the players of the game.


screen crunch

(video games) The condition in which a video game's camera focuses too closely on the player character, partially obscuring the player's sight radius within the game.


autoscroller

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It would be tough to sim accurately, but I suppose you could just have someone saying whatever you see on the autoscroller.....

2001 June 17, Larry Roberts, “Title Fight 2001 Questions”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.sports (Usenet):

Super Mario Bros 3 a Nintendo exclusive classic (World 8 - first autoscroller) and […]

2014, Bogdan Ion Purcaru, Games vs. Hardware. The History of PC video games: The 80's, Purcaru Ion Bogdan, page 470:

(video games) A section of a two-dimensional video game which automatically scrolls the player through it.


subweapon

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SGB

(video games) Initialism of Super Game Boy.


backdash

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(video games) A backwards dashing movement.


auto-save

en-noun

auto-save (countable and uncountable, plural auto-saves)

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(video games) Alternative form of autosave


auto-save

en-verb

auto-save (third-person singular simple present auto-saves, present participle auto-saving, simple past and past participle auto-saved)

auto-saves (present singular third-person)
auto-saving (participle present)
auto-saved (participle past)
auto-saved (past)


downstab

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(video games) An instance of stabbing downward.


OoT

Ocarina of Time
w:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

(video games) Initialism of Ocarina of Time.


Capcom

A clipped compound of Capsule Computers, a term coined by the company for the arcade machines it solely manufactured in its early years, designed to set themselves apart from personal computers that were becoming widespread. Capsule alludes to how Capcom likened its game software to “a capsule packed to the brim with gaming fun”, and to the company’s desire to protect its intellectual property with a hard outer shell, preventing illegal copies and inferior imitations.

(video games, trademark) A Japanese video game developer and publisher


spleef

spleef (third-person singular simple present spleefs, present participle spleefing, simple past and past participle spleefed)

spleefs (present singular third-person)
spleefing (participle present)
spleefed (participle past)
spleefed (past)

From Spleef, the name of a minigame on Minecraft, a blend of splat + grief.

These servers host many types of gameplay, from minigames, to spleefing (my favorite), to PvP (I'm terrible at Player-vs-Player battles), to fractions, to Survival, to Creative . . . It's amazing what people have created with Minecraft, and these many, many servers are evidence of the creative potential Minecraft offers those with imaginative minds.

2015, Mark Cheverton, The Jungle Temple Oracle: The Mystery of Herobrine, page IX:

It also includes everything you need to Spleef right, like observation posts and an entrance way (most Spleef games are teleported to from servers, so they need somewhere to enter), and it would work great on just about any server.

Minecraft Event, Jan. 24 to April 25, Jan. 24 10 a.m. Kida^([sic – meaning Kids]) ages 7 to 14 are invited to join in the “grinding, building, spleefing and raising of diamond swords” at this monthly Minecraft Event with instructor Rand Whipple and the Box of Light Studio staff.

2015 January 15, “The List: A Weekly Guide to Area Events & Attractions”, in The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., page J12, column 4:

As parents are confused at the dinner table when their offspring talk about ‘Endermen’ and ‘spleefing’[…]

2017 August, “Reviews”, in Starburst, page 101, column 2:

(video games) To play the Minecraft game of "Spleef", in which players try to knock blocks out from beneath other players in order to be the last player standing.


AWDS

Advance Wars: Dual Strike
w:Advance Wars: Dual Strike

(video games) Initialism of Advance Wars: Dual Strike.


PMD

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
w:Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

(video games) Initialism of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.


kaizo

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From Kaizo Mario World, the name of an early set of fan-created levels in this style first released in 2007, where kaizo is from Japanese 改造 (kaizō, “revamp, remodel, modify”).

bor

I like too, he stole kaizo. Like, that name, that's the ubiquitous term for romhacks that are more annoying to play. […] Is kaizo now just like an internet adjective for anything that's, like, mildly irritating?

[2011 April 1, Michael "Slowbeef" Sawyer, That's so Kaizo!, archived from the original on 2023-01-20:

I recently played the kaizo hack known as Invictus.[…]As my sore hand recovers, I’m left asking this question: is “kaizo” good game design?

2019 May 5, Josh Bycer, “The Bizarre World of Kaizo Games”, in Medium (published in SUPERJUMP):

What if it could be different? What if there was a way for your average Mario player to learn these tricks? That’s what GrandPOObear, one of Mario Maker’s most prolific streamers, is trying to accomplish with his already-impressive “tech talk” series, where he combines detailed video tutorials explaining basic kaizo techniques alongside Mario Maker 2 stages he’s specifically designed to help anyone accomplish those very same techniques.[…]GrandPOObear wasn’t born with inherent kaizo knowledge;

2019 July 11, Patrick Klepek, “'Mario Maker' Expert Creates Easy Way to Learn Game's Secret Kaizo Tricks”, in Vice:

Troll and kaizo levels, however, are designed to generate very different sets of emotions in their players, and to understand these we must understand first their construction and the intentions of their designers, before considering their players.

2020, Mark R. Johnson, “Playful Work and Laborious Play in Super Mario Maker”, in Pablo Abend, Sonia Fizek, Mathias Fuchs, Karin Wenz, editors, Digital Culture & Society (09: Laborious Play and Playful Work I), volume 5, number 2/2019, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, →ISBN, page 110:

A kaizo trap is an obstacle that will kill the player if it gets triggered, but there is no way of knowing where a trap is unless it gets sprung.

2020, Joshua Bycer, Game Design Deep Dive: Platformers, CRC Press:

Many Mario Maker 2 kaizo stages can take over 25 hours for a top-level player to beat. Even at its most impressive, solving a kaizo level is an incredibly repetitive act: Each one of them will take hundreds (if not thousands) of attempts to clear, meaning that any viewer will essentially be watching the same level for hours on end. For some reason, watching GrandPOObear, or other kaizo speed runners try and fail, over and over again was the only thing I could focus on, the only thing that kept the fear out of my mind.

2020 January 20, Sam Greszes, “Waiting and watching: How brutally difficult Mario levels helped me through my mom’s stroke recovery”, in The Washington Post:

“There’s still a stigma in the [Super Mario Maker 2] community that troll levels have, which is that people think the super expert hot garbage levels are troll levels,” Chichiri said. “And the well-made troll levels are so much the opposite. They are carefully designed levels made with a lot of planning and psychology in them. It’s not just ‘Lul kaizo block’ or ‘Lul enemy spam’ or ‘Lul this required item was in this hidden block you’d NEVER ever find.’ So I wish people would stop calling the hot garbage levels ‘troll levels’ when they’re really not.”

2020 April 1, Michael Goroff, “These Super Mario Maker Level Designers Have Elevated Trolling Into an Artform”, in Electronic Gaming Monthly:

A simple, unexpected obstacle is not only funny but also creates that special sauce that makes kaizo so fun to watch.[…]The most classic example of a kaizo troll is set up like this: You’re jumping over a pit, but midway through the jump you bonk your head on a block that wasn’t there before, sending you to your death.

2021 June 18, Jeremy Signor, “Six Super Mario kaizo trolls that surprise and delight”, in Polygon:

While the game doesn’t touch the main plot or structure of the original Pokémon Emerald, this Kaizo edition changes basically everything else. […]Pokémon Dark Rising: Kaizo. That last one is a remake of the first, only much more difficult like you’d expect from a Kaizo game, but also has some significant plot and structural changes that make it worth experiencing again.

2022 May 27, Jesse Lennox, Digital Trends:

(video games, often attributive) A philosophy of game design distinguished by very high difficulty levels and hidden traps that can only be solved by repeated deaths and trial and error, especially associated with romhacks of Super Mario games.


NG+

(video games) Initialism of new game plus.


limit break

Introduced in the Final Fantasy game series.

(video games) A special move accompanied by a cinematic sequence, accessible when a character's power gauge has filled up to a certain point.


game set

Calque of Japanese ゲームセット (gēmu setto), derived from English game, set, match.


walljump

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(video games) Alternative spelling of wall jump


poopsock

en-verb

poopsock (third-person singular simple present poopsocks, present participle poopsocking, simple past and past participle poopsocked)

poopsocks (present singular third-person)
poopsocking (participle present)
poopsocked (participle past)
poopsocked (past)

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From poop + sock, suggesting defecation in a sock.

Blizzard has slammed the unhealthy practise of 'poopsocking'- the act of neglecting basic hygiene in favour of remaining at your PC.

2008 November 18, Adam Hartley, TechRadar:

(video games, slang, intransitive) To be engrossed in a video game so much as to not leave to go to the toilet.


bhop

bhop (third-person singular simple present bhops, present participle bhopping, simple past and past participle bhopped)

bhops (present singular third-person)
bhopping (participle present)
bhopped (participle past)
bhopped (past)


RDM

RDM (third-person singular simple present RDMs, present participle RDMing, simple past and past participle RDMed)

RDMs (present singular third-person)
RDMing (participle present)
RDMed (participle past)
RDMed (past)

Do not RDM in the lobby.

Most servers have limitations on what’s acceptable for wardens and guards to do, but that’s mostly to prevent RDMing

2017 January 25, John Butler, The Inquisitr:

(video games) To arbitrarily kill players in a video game, typically players on one's own team when friendly fire is enabled.


PEGI

Pan European Game Information
w:Pan European Game Information

(video games) Acronym of Pan European Game Information (“a video-game content rating system”).


stream sniper

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(video games, Internet) someone who engages in stream sniping


Xbot

(slang, derogatory, video games) A slavish supporter of the Xbox range of video game consoles; an Xbox fanboy


EverCrack

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An allusion to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.

(video games, slang, humorous) The massively multiplayer online role-playing game EverQuest.


Warcrack

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Blend of warcraft + crack, in allusion to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.

(video games, slang, humorous) The massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.


RDMer

(video games) A person who engages in RDMing.


KDR

en-noun

KDR (countable and uncountable, plural KDRs)

kill-to-death ratio
kill-to-death ratio#English

(video games) Abbreviation of kill-to-death ratio.


kill/death ratio

kill-death ratio (countable and uncountable, plural death ratios)

kill-death ratio (canonical)
death ratios (plural)

NFL fans know that San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman can lock down an opposing team's top receiver and play at the game's highest level. ¶ But what about his kill-death ratio in Call of Duty: Warzone?

2020 April 18, Chris Bumbaca, “Pro Call of Duty players team up with celebs, go from big stage back to where they started”, in USA Today:

(video games) Alternative form of kill-to-death ratio.


hidden gem

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You get a bonus in this game if you find the five hidden gems.

(video games) A hidden item for a player to find.


fast travel

(video games) The ability to travel instantaneously between previously discovered locations in an open world.


fast travel

en-verb

fast travel (third-person singular simple present fast travels, present participle fast traveling or fast travelling, simple past and past participle fast traveled or fast travelled)

fast travels (present singular third-person)
fast traveling (participle present)
fast travelling (participle present)
fast traveled (participle past)
fast traveled (past)
fast travelled (participle past)
fast travelled (past)

I measured the distance to the castle and fast traveled us to the steps. “Fifth floor, center of the building,” Ryo said, his eyes measuring my expression. A Lurcher swarmed at us, and Grigfen shot a wave of ghostlight to knock it over.

2020 February 18, Sheena Boekweg, Glitch Kingdom, Feiwel & Friends, →ISBN:

She could see that fifty NPCs had fast-traveled from an unlisted location in the complex to another unlisted location in the complex. It didn't tell her where the node was, but it told her that fast-travel was active within Bare Metal[…]

2021 November 30, Joseph R. Lallo, Top Level Player, Joseph R. Lallo, →ISBN:

He tells you to fast travel to the Room of Awakening (yay we've unlocked fast travel!) to reach the fourth shrine.[…]

2023 May 21, GamerGuides.com, The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom - Strategy Guide, Gamer Guides, →ISBN:

(video games) To travel instantaneously between previously discovered locations in an open world.


clicker game

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(video games) A simplistic casual game in which the player makes progress by repeatedly clicking elements on the screen.


simcade

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(video games) A game with the simple, intuitive controls of an arcade game but also having some of the technical accuracy of a simulation.


hurtbox

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“Our goal with this update is to more tightly tie hitboxes and hurtboxes to our character’s animations,” devs explained in the blog post.

2022 August 9, Brad Norton, “MultiVersus patch 1.02 notes: Gizmo release, hitbox overhaul, Finn buffs, more”, in Dexerto:

As of the current patch, Luke’s crouching Medium Punch has been nerfed. It will now have a larger hurtbox, in addition to having a slower recovery when the attack misses.

2024 February 27, Rishov Mukherjee, “Street Fighter 6 update 1.11 patch notes: JP, Luke nerfs, Ryu buff, & more”, in Dexerto:

(video games) The area (hitbox) around a character in a fighting game such that, if an attack impinges upon it, the character will take damage.


stunlock

stunlock (third-person singular simple present stunlocks, present participle stunlocking, simple past and past participle stunlocked)

stunlocks (present singular third-person)
stunlocking (participle present)
stunlocked (participle past)
stunlocked (past)

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I got stunlocked by that boss's electric attack and died.

In his labcoat, his phone buzzed. Stunlocked by Karen's furious glare, he pulled it out.

2024 September 12, HarryBlank, “Nothing Changes”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 2024-09-15:

(video games, transitive) To render (a character) unable to move or react by repeatedly hitting them and keeping them in a stunned state.


stunlock

en-noun

stunlock (countable and uncountable, plural stunlocks)

(video games) A stunned state of this kind.


wombo combo

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Reduplication. Popularized following its use by commentators on a 2008 tournament match of the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee in a video clip which spread virally. Likely an oblique reference to a menu item from the Northern California pizza chain restaurant Round Table Pizza introduced in 2004.

One League player showcased a superb wombo combo in a Reddit post yesterday, which began with Gnar and Sett’s ultimates and ended with a Vayne pentakill.

2020, Andreas Stavropoulos, “Insane Gnar and Sett wombo combo helps Vayne player secure pentakill”, in Dot Esports:

[…] it would not be surprising if Ox and the Bison were to gang up against this wretched foe. In a visually comical but spiritually inspiring act of animal solidarity, they instinctively go for the obvious wombo-combo: The Bison charges Mr. Hoosier Pride, who trips over the bulldog braced behind him.

2021, Juno Martin, “OPINION: Which of IU’s historical mascots would win in a fight for the soul of Hoosier pride?”, in Indiana Daily Student:

(slang, chiefly video games) A combination of actions which create a decisive advantage (often involving coordination between teammates).


wombo combo

en-verb

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

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

Just leave it as it used to be so we can stop worrying about "balancing" teams. It is supposed to be fun games with a friend to wombo combo on other bros with silly dumb synergies.

2014, Justen A.K.A Panda, “AdeptiCon Rules Packets are off to the printers”, in Chicago Malifaux Players mailing list:

Kaiba is completely wombo-comboed by Yugi this turn, as he uses the effect of Apple Magician Girl to bring Lemon Magician Girl onto the field, who then brings out the Dark Magician Girl to just absolutely trash Kaiba.

2020, Eric Jeffries, “Yu-Gi-Oh!: Every Magician Card Yugi Ever Used”, in CBR.com:

(slang, chiefly video games, transitive, intransitive) To perform a wombo combo (against someone).


loot whore

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(video games, roleplaying games, slang, often derogatory) A person who plays video games or tabletop role-playing games for the primary purpose of acquiring in-game items, sometimes to the detriment of fellow players.


(video games) Initialism of PlayStation 5.


hack-and-slay

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It is usually the 'hack-and-slay' gaming that is publicly discussed, the rapid killing of monsters for a quick rise in levels.

2009, Elke Hemminger, The Mergence of Spaces, page 47:

(roleplaying games, video games, informal) Synonym of hack-and-slash


gravity gun

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first-person shooter
first-person shooter

(video games) A device in video games, particularly first-person shooters, with which players can directly manipulate objects in the virtual world, often allowing them to be used as projectiles.


developer exit

(video games) A hidden exit or shortcut that a video game developer places in a level of a platform game that allows the player to effortlessly or more easily reach the goal.


(video games) Initialism of Electronic Entertainment Expo (trade event for the video game industry).


TLOZ

The Legend of Zelda
w:The Legend of Zelda

(video games, slang) Initialism of The Legend of Zelda.


PSVR

(video games) Initialism of PlayStation VR.


BOTW

Audio (US)

(video games, slang) Initialism of Breath of the Wild, short for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.


The two games, collectively, are the fourth iteration in the Super Smash Bros. series.

(video games) (collective) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.


Super Mario Galaxy 2
w:Super Mario Galaxy 2

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario Galaxy 2.


New Super Mario Bros. 2
w:New Super Mario Bros. 2

(video games) Initialism of New Super Mario Bros. 2.


NSMB

New Super Mario Bros
w:New Super Mario Bros

(video games) Initialism of New Super Mario Bros.


NSMBU

New Super Mario Bros. U
w:New Super Mario Bros. U

(video games) Initialism of New Super Mario Bros. U.


SSBU

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
w:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(video games) Initialism of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.


Super Smash Bros. (video game)
w:Super Smash Bros. (video game)

(video games) Initialism of Super Smash Bros. (video game). on the N64.


MKWii

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart Wii.


SSBB

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
w:Super Smash Bros. Brawl

(video games) Initialism of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.


ALBW

A Link Between Worlds
w:A Link Between Worlds

(video games) Initialism of A Link Between Worlds.


(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart 64.


ALTTP

(video games) Initialism of A Link To The Past.


SML2: 6GC

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
w:Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.


LOZ

(video games) Initialism of The Legend of Zelda.


DKCTF

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
w:Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

(video games) Initialism of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.


Super Smash Bros. 4

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Collectively, these games are the fourth entry in the Super Smash Bros. series.

(video games, fandom slang) A fan nickname for both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.


stream snipe

stream snipe (third-person singular simple present stream snipes, present participle stream sniping, simple past and past participle stream sniped)

stream snipes (present singular third-person)
stream sniping (participle present)
stream sniped (participle past)
stream sniped (past)

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It is typically frowned upon to stream snipe another person.

Chat, I'm blocking the screen so you don't stream snipe me.

(video games, Internet slang, Twitch-speak) To watch another person play a multiplayer game on a live stream, and to use the knowledge gained from watching the broadcast to gain an unfair in-game advantage over the streamer or to disrupt the streamer's gameplay.


NSMBW

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
w:New Super Mario Bros. Wii

(video games) Initialism of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.


NSO

Nintendo Switch Online
w:Nintendo Switch Online

(video games, Internet) Initialism of Nintendo Switch Online.


Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
w:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.


MKDD

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
w:Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.


Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
w:Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

(video games) Initialism of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS.


Super Mario 3D World
w:Super Mario 3D World

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario 3D World.


MKDS

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart DS.


MKSC

Mario Kart Super Circuit
w:Mario Kart Super Circuit

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart Super Circuit.


(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart 8.


SMK

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario Kart.


back-seat game

back-seat game (third-person singular simple present back-seat games, present participle back-seat gaming, simple past and past participle back-seat gamed)

back-seat games (present singular third-person)
back-seat gaming (participle present)
back-seat gamed (participle past)
back-seat gamed (past)

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(video games) To commentate excessively on the in-game decisions and actions of someone playing a video game, whilst not playing the game.


(video games) Initialism of Sonic 3 & Knuckles.


(video games) Initialism of Sonic Adventure 2.


pay to win

en-adj

pay to win (comparative more pay to win, superlative most pay to win)

more pay to win (comparative)
most pay to win (superlative)

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Concerns about pay-to-win dynamics are laced through core games, as the default norm is that superior players should win battles contested on a level playing field.

2020, Christopher A. Paul, Free-to-Play: Mobile Video Games, Bias, and Norms, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 59:

Admittedly, the loot boxes first of all monetize video games, by reinforcing the pay-to-win logic, but they also contribute to their gamblification (Johnson 2018), […]

2021, Stéphane Le Lay, Emmanuelle Savignac, Jean Frances, Pierre Lénel, editors, The Gamification of Society, volume 2, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 107:

(video games) Designed in such a way as to allow players to exchange real-world currency for in-game benefits.


pay to win

(video games) The ability and/or practice of exchanging real-world currency for an in-game benefit.


Mariolike

Mariolike (comparative more Mariolike, superlative most Mariolike)

more Mariolike (comparative)
most Mariolike (superlative)

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(video games) Similar to Mario and his series, in tone, gameplay, or other aspects.


Metroid-like

Metroid-like (comparative more Metroid-like, superlative most Metroid-like)

more Metroid-like (comparative)
most Metroid-like (superlative)

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(video games) Similar in gameplay or atmosphere to the Metroid series.


ragdoll physics

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(computer graphics, video games) Physics based around ragdolls (models consisting of a set of connected rigid bodies that can collapse in a loose, natural manner).


Zelda-like

Zelda-like or Zelda-like (sense 2) (comparative more Zelda-like, superlative most Zelda-like)

Zelda-like (canonical)
more Zelda-like (comparative)
most Zelda-like (superlative)

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The Tale Of Poporokuroisu – a Zelda'''-like RPG with great characterisation (SCE)

At its heart, “Legacy of Goku” combines RPG and action elements to form a very Zelda-like feeling, but with the addition of experience points.

2003, Pojo’s Unofficial Dragon Ball Z: The Complete Player and Collector’s Guide to Every Card and Character, Triumph Books, →ISBN, page 46:

Eventually I ended up finding how to enter a cave and completed a Zelda-like dungeon “level” to rescue the dog.

2010, José P. Zagal, quoting Timothy, Ludoliteracy: Defining, Understanding, and Supporting Games Education, ETC Press, →ISBN, pages 84–85:

Anyway, if you’re looking for a Zelda-like adventure for your machine you won’t go far wrong with Golvellius 2.

2011, Classic Videogame Hardware Genius Guide, Imagine Publishing, →ISBN:

He [Hidemaro Fujibayashi] steers away from game play that doesn’t feel “Zelda'''-like,” instead asking how that game play can provide a fresh perspective on the familiar and beloved world of Hyrule.

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

Faria[: A World of Mystery and Danger!] borrows elements from numerous games: although the town exploration and random battle encounters are similar to traditional RPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, these battles are Zelda-like real-time fights.

2019, Chris Scullion, The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Pen and Sword WHITE OWL, →ISBN, page 73:

[Koji] Kondo may be making such compositional choices deliberately, or he might simply be writing music that he thinks is ‘Zelda-like’ in style, which manifests as these motivic echoes.

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

A Zelda-like Quest to Fight an Unbeatable Foe

2021, Mark Leslie, Fear and Longing in Los Angeles: A Canadian Werewolf Novel, Stark Publishing, →ISBN:

[…] it wasn’t the first game to really combine roguelike elements such as perma-death and random generation with another genre (in this case, a Zelda'''-like dungeon crawl), but it was by far the one that captured the most attention.

2021, Patrick Hickey, Jr., quoting Joe Mirabello, The Minds Behind Shooter Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (Studies in Gaming), Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, →ISBN, page 146:

Much like his appearance, sonic cues associated with Xandir [P. Whifflebottom] clearly stem from well-known video games: There are Mario-esque leaping sounds, Sonic [the Hedgehog]-like metallic arpeggios, and in a direct nod to The Legend of Zelda (and tangentially to Super Mario Bros. 3), a recorder that whisks Xandir away from danger. Yet these cues are often used in comedic fashion outside of the contexts with which those sounds would have been associated in the original games. The Zelda'''-like recorder, for example, creates a tornado that, in carrying Xandir away, also destroys a trailer park.

2023, Karen M. Cook, “Xandir P. Whifflebottom, Video Game … Hero?”, in Lisa Scoggin, Dana Plank, editors, The Intersection of Animation, Video Games, and Music: Making Movement Sing (Routledge Research in Music Series), Routledge, →ISBN, page 80:

(video games) Having similar characteristics such as atmosphere and gameplay to the Legend of Zelda series.


community manager

en-noun

community manager (plural community managers)

(video games, business) A person whose job is to be a liaison between a video game's developers and that video game's community.


desuicide

en-verb

desuicide (third-person singular simple present desuicides, present participle desuiciding, simple past and past participle desuicided)

desuicides (present singular third-person)
desuiciding (participle present)
desuicided (participle past)
desuicided (past)

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(video games, transitive, informal) To modify (a protected, encrypted arcade game board) so that it will no longer automatically destroy its own code if tampering is detected.


twitch gameplay

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(video games) A type of video game gameplay that requires fast reactions.


deconfirm

deconfirm (third-person singular simple present deconfirms, present participle deconfirming, simple past and past participle deconfirmed)

deconfirms (present singular third-person)
deconfirming (participle present)
deconfirmed (participle past)
deconfirmed (past)

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(fandom slang, video games) To confirm a character's lack of playable status.


deconfirmation

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(fandom slang, video games) A confirmation of a character's lack of playable status.


Hyrule

First use appears in 1986 with the release of The Legend of Zelda.

... Hyrule was ruled by Princess Zelda, who used the magic of her Triforce triangles to help her people.

1989, Art Ellis, Kim Ellis (illustrators), The Legend of Zelda - Molblin's Magic Spear:

The scenery of Hyrule includes roads, water, mountains, plains, deserts, graveyards, forests, swamps, bridges, caves, towns, and, of course, the Palaces.

1990, Donald R. McCrary, Conquering Zelda - The Unauthorized Guide, page 81:

Also included is a fold-out map that shows the layout of the land of Hyrule, describes some of the creatures you'll meet and the weapons you can obtain, and offers still more playing tips.

1991, Steven A. Schwartz, The Big Book of Nintendo Games, page 182:

Hyrule's large bodies of water have several whirlpools.

2002, Bryan Stratton, Stephen Stratton, The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, page 172:

(video games) The kingdom that serves as the iconic setting for a majority of the games in the Legend of Zelda series.


Sony pony

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(slang, derogatory, video games) A slavish supporter of Sony's video games or consoles; a Sony fanboy


roflstomp

roflstomp (third-person singular simple present roflstomps, present participle roflstomping, simple past and past participle roflstomped)

roflstomps (present singular third-person)
roflstomping (participle present)
roflstomped (participle past)
roflstomped (past)

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Sure, it seemed like we had the Vikings outclassed right now, but I'd seen way too many battles where Goliath gets roflstomped by an enterprising David.

(video games, slang) To defeat (an opponent) easily and decisively; to trounce.


roflstomp

(video games, slang) An easy and decisive defeat.


back-seat gamer

en-noun

back-seat gamer (plural back-seat gamers)

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Formed by analogy with back-seat driver.

(Internet, video games) A person who excessively commentates on the in-game decisions and actions of someone playing a video game, whilst not playing the game.


hypercarry

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From hyper- + carry, in the sense that this character "carries" the player through the game.

Alice is a hypercarry: level her up and she will take you all the way to endgame.

2015, Dignitas, Hypercarries: Misconceptions and Reality, Dignitas.gg
Be it hyper carry, hypercarry, hard carry, or any other term you want to call it, a hypercarry is a specific subclass of the carry role.

Her Elemental Burst also gets stronger for every attack that Eula lands, making her a hypercarry similar to Hu Tao and Razor.

2021, Marc Santos, “'Genshin Impact' Guide: Best Team Compositions For Eula”, in International Business Times:

(video games) A video game character that does so much damage that success in the game is mainly dependent on that character.


side mission

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When one of the daily robberies ends with him accidentally merking the robber (a real player, which the NPCs aren’t supposed to be able to attack), Guy gets his hands on the victim’s sunglasses—a pair of eyewear that allows him to see, like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in They Live, the secret messages (and, in this case, powerups and side missions and stats) scattered across his world.

2021 August 6, A. A. Dowd, “The Ryan Reynolds action-comedy Free Guy is a Truman Show for the Fortnite age”, in The A.V. Club:


perma

en-verb

perma (third-person singular simple present permas or perma's, present participle permaing or perma-ing, simple past and past participle permaed or perma'd)

permas (present singular third-person)
perma's (present singular third-person)
permaing (participle present)
perma-ing (participle present)
permaed (participle past)
permaed (past)
perma'd (participle past)
perma'd (past)

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My points were that a permanent death model was used on LegendMUD the predecesor to UO and it failed miserably. Promoted ongoing endless "hate" wars of permaing other peoples characters (perma'd character would make new one, build up, hunt down who perma'd him, that person would respond in same).

1997 December 21, Jag, “Re: Good Post/Idea”, in rec.games.computer.ultima.online (Usenet):

(transitive, video games, slang) To permakill.


hi-score

(nonstandard, video games) Alternative spelling of high score


Goomba

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Possibly derived from Hungarian gomba (“mushroom, fungus”).

(video games) A mushroom-like enemy in the Mario franchise.


world state

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The game will come up with a default world state and give you a description about what’s been going on.

2013 December, Sam Smith, “Dragon Age: Inqusition”, in Play, page 43:

Players can edit their decisions from previous games they have played to affect the world state in the newest game in the series: Dragon Age: Inquisition.

2017, Tyler Paulley, "The Official Rulebook for Choice in Video Games: An Examination of Choice in Modern Narrative Games", thesis submitted to Bellarmine University, page 12

Skyrim presents players with a variety of actions that they can perform to change the game’s world state.

2018, John Drake, "Planning For Non-Player Characters By Learning From Demonstration", dissertation submitted to the University of Pennsylvania, page 10

(video games) The state of a gameworld at a given time, comprising all player locations, object states, narrative variables, etc.


playersexuality

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Multiple posters from the collected content acknowledged that many of the explicitly queer opportunities in the games are actually cases of “playersexuality” (Cole, 2016).

2019, Sam Stockton, "Dating Ga(y)mes: Queer Performance in Farming Simulation Roleplay Games", thesis submitted to the University of Calgary, page 47

It can be argued that explicit representations of bisexuality, pansexuality, and other multiple-gender-attracted people are erased from games that use 'playersexuality' as a mechanic.

2020, Alayna Cole, Dakoda Barker, Games as Texts: A Practical Application of Textual Analysis to Games, unnumbered page:

In some ways, playersexuality simplifies romance for both players and developers; […]

2020, Alexandra M. Lucas, “Innovative Origins, Playersexuality, & Complex Inquisition: The Evolution of Relationship Mechanics in Dragon Age”, in Lindsay D. Grace, editor, Love and Electronic Affection: A Design Primer, page 183:

(video games) The state of an NPC being attracted to the player character, especially without regard to gender, race, etc.


pay-to-win

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(video games) Alternative form of pay to win


The problem with consumers is that they are often quick to label any microtransaction as P2W, which muddies the discussion of ethical game design. Today's developers have learned from some of the most egregious examples of P2W design.

2022, Joshua Bycer, Game Design Deep Dive: Free-to-Play, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 5:


free to play

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(video games) Alternative form of free-to-play


hitmarker

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You can use hitmarkers to locate enemies by shooting them through walls.

2013, Philip Marcus et al., BradyGames Signature Series Guide: Call of Duty: Ghosts, →ISBN, page 111:

If you see a hit marker from your grenade/tactical, you’ll know where they are (generally), even if you don’t get the kill outright.

2020 March 25, Mike Hume, “Warzone gulag tips: How to win when it’s all on the line”, in The Washington Post:

While you might expect something called Hardcore mode to toss away crutches like the HUD, hitmarkers, and anything else that's remotely useful, it doesn't.

2023 January 24, Shabana Arif, “Modern Warfare 2 Hardcore mode launching in Season 2 after Tier 1 playlist flops”, in The Daily Mirror:

(video games) An audiovisual cue indicating that an enemy has been hit.


hyperbeam

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"I'm not saying that, Vil. I only say what you hear me say and you haven't heard me say that. But, Vil, to get out we're depending on you. I can't call for help because I can't aim a hyperbeam without knowing where we are: I can't find out where we are because I can't pinpoint any stars—"

1972, Robert Silverberg, New Dimensions II: Eleven Original Science Fiction Stories, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 122:

"Unless that fellow was lying, they do have some combat-worthy units. And hyperbeams must be flying from end to end of their fleet."

1990, Isaac Asimov, The Diplomacy Guild, Avon Books, →ISBN, page 194:

Wasting no time, Crossfire aims her hyperbeam cannon and fires her spatial blast which engulfs Charlemagne and punches a hole in the ground.

2018, Xavier J. Fulwood, Knighthood: The Dangerous Adventures, Page Publishing, Incorporated, →ISBN:

(science fiction, video games, rare) An extraordinarily intense beam of any size (of energy or matter); a superbeam.


wallbang

wallbang (third-person singular simple present wallbangs, present participle wallbanging, simple past and past participle wallbanged)

wallbangs (present singular third-person)
wallbanging (participle present)
wallbanged (participle past)
wallbanged (past)

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Whilst running to the checkpoint, I was wallbanged.

Your weapon’s penetration status will determine exactly what walls you can and cannot wallbang.

2020 June 13, Andy Williams, Complete Valorant wallbang guide for Bind: Spots, angles, glitches, more, archived from the original on 2020-10-26:

In some maps, shadows may clip through buildings/walls. Players will often exploit this by wallbanging to eliminate unlucky targets. This depends on the user's graphical settings.

(Can we date this quote?), Bullet Penetration, archived from the original on 2019-03-18:

Wallbanging your opponents can be one of the most hilarious ways to land a kill on your opponent when playing a competitive shooter.

2021 July 14, Sonu Banerjee, Valorant Player Discovers Insane Wallbang Spot on Split, archived from the original on 2021-10-24:

(video games) To shoot at a character through a wall without having vision on them.


wallbang

Barriers could not save them from a well-placed wallbang.

While being on the receiving end of a flurry of Agent abilities and can often catch players off-guard, there’s nothing better than one-upping your opposite number with a good old fashioned wallbang.

With waves of enemies pouring at each other in constant droves, it’s easy to blow past the more impressive shots that pros pull off—like wall bangs, which require some ingenuity and planning.

2018 January 6, Maddy Myers, Here's A Textbook Wall Bang, Which Is Totally Not A Sex Thing, archived from the original on 2021-10-24:

(video games) An instance of wallbanging; in particular a kill obtained by wallbanging.

Careful, that wall is a wallbang.

So, a newly respawned opponent can fall prey to the wallbang from Passageway if players are lucky enough.

2021 May 5, Ashim, COD Mobile: Top 5 wallbang spots on Firing Range for Ranked MP, archived from the original on 2021-10-24:

(video games) A position or constellation that allows wallbanging.


unwield

unwield (third-person singular simple present unwields, present participle unwielding, simple past and past participle unwielded)

unwields (present singular third-person)
unwielding (participle present)
unwielded (participle past)
unwielded (past)

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(transitive, video games) To cease to wield (a weapon).


hyperbomb

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The hyperbomb of that day will have lost meaning as a weapon and gained meaning as a complex substitute for Francoise Sagan's "sports" car, as this death device is so playfully called.

1957, Clifton Fadiman, Any Number Can Play, World Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 33:

"He went back inside," Igor grunted. "After examining the artefacts we'd packed for dispatch. Probably wants to make sure the computer records don't describe them as ultra-guns or hyperbombs or whatever the hell."

1974, John Brunner, Total Eclipse, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 33:

We entered an area where a hyperbomb had been detonated during the war.

2014, J. Michael Reeves, Terry Austin, Byron Preiss, I—Alien, J. Boylston, →ISBN:

(rare, military, science fiction, video games) An exceedingly powerful, destructive bomb; superbomb.


box art

→ Spanish: box art, boxart

→ Portuguese: box art, boxart

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(video games, by extension) The artwork used to promote or represent a video game when it is distributed digitally, without physical packaging.


ARTS

real-time strategy
real-time strategy#English

(video games) Acronym of action real-time strategy.


permadead

Back-formation from permadeath; by surface analysis, perma- + dead.

(rare, chiefly video games, slang) Permanently dead.


permadie

permadie (third-person singular simple present permadies, present participle permadying, simple past and past participle permadied)

permadies (present singular third-person)
permadying (participle present)
permadied (participle past)
permadied (past)

Back-formation from permadeath; by surface analysis, perma- + die.

(rare, chiefly video games, slang) To permanently die.


permastun

permastun (third-person singular simple present permastuns, present participle permastunning, simple past and past participle permastunned)

permastuns (present singular third-person)
permastunning (participle present)
permastunned (participle past)
permastunned (past)

(video games, rare) To permanently stun.


boost pad

(video games) In a video game, especially a racing game, a patch of ground that causes the character to speed up temporarily when crossed.


greataxe

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From great + axe. Probably modeled on greatsword, greathelm, etc.

The Saint-Commander rested his famous greataxe against his chair. Gil recalled its name, Red Pilgrim.

1979, Brian Daley, The Starfollowers of Coramonde, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 48:

Dragon King Greataxe can be buffed by spells and consumables, while the Dragon Greatsword cannot.

2020 July 23, Corvo Attano, EdgeOfDreams, “Dragon king greataxe or Dragon greatsword?”, in reddit.com:

Last few days I played outpost rush or wars, the team with the most hammers + greataxes just wins.

2021 November 16, Leandermann, “PvP is only the highest number of greataxe + hammer wins”, in reddit.com:

(rare, video games, fantasy, weaponry) A giant axe; a broadaxe.


greatshield

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Probably modeled on greathelm, greatsword, etc.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:greatshield.

(especially fantasy and video games) A particularly large, durable shield.


greathammer

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From great + hammer. Probably modeled on greatsword, greathelm, etc.

A knife may inflict 5 points on a hit, but a Greathammer would inflict 25 points of Damage, shatter bone, and severely dent a suit of armour. This reflects the differences in size, weight and design of various weapons.

1993, David B. Pilurs, Sun and Storm: The Enchiridion, →ISBN, page 60:

[…]some gigantic man spinning a polearm or greathammer—struck her sister a solid blow in the chest, knocking the woman to the floor. The hammer danced, and the woman holding it rushed to capitalize on the heavy strike she had just landed.

2011, Christopher Rowe, Sandstorm: A Forgotten Realms Novel, Wizards of the Coast, →ISBN:

Just to the left of these is the final Rhogar Statue we can destroy with the Tor Greathammer for the final piece of the Armour Set (Chest - Last Traitor).

2015, GamerGuides.com, Lords of the Fallen - Strategy Guide, Gamer Guides, →ISBN:

White Hair Ancestor looked carefully, only to see that in Qin Feng's hand, a pitch black octagonal greathammer had already appeared. "Hello..." "Then ..." Qin Feng bellowed, and threw the Sky-splitting Hammer over to the other party.

2019, Deng XiaWuYu, Supreme Emperor: Volume 8, Funstory, →ISBN:

Ti'erra went to the middle of the tavern and placed the head of her greathammer on the floor, with the haft in the air. When it was set this way, at the top of the greathammer was a leather loop, […]

2021, Nicholas Stanosheck, Vhaidra & the DRAGON of Temple Mount, Notion Press, →ISBN:

(fantasy and video games) A gigantic (combat) hammer; a particularly large or powerful hammer.


buttery smooth

en-adj

buttery smooth (comparative more buttery smooth, superlative most buttery smooth)

more buttery smooth (comparative)
most buttery smooth (superlative)

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Today I hear gamers using the words “buttery smooth” to describe the effect of high refresh rates.

2008, Bernard Perron, Mark J.P. Wolf, The Video Game Theory Reader 2, page xii:

In today's parlance, Rosenthal's Space Wars was “buttery smooth” full frames presented at 30 frames a second, full frames containing glowing sticks of light that you felt you could touch.

2012, Mark J. P. Wolf, Before the Crash: Early Video Game History, page 141:

One technique for buttery smooth footage is to edit high frame rate (60 or 120 frames per second) footage to play back in slow motion by changing the frame rate to 24 or 30 frames per second.

2017, Jordan Hetrick, GoPro KARMA: How To Use The GoPro Karma Drone:

In addition, thanks to its highly-optimized game engine Doom ran buttery smooth even on the primitive PCs of the era.

2017, David Snyder, Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Speedrunning: Interviews with the Quickest Gamers:

Every game has a target frame rate to hit so that the gaming experience is buttery smooth.

2021, Paul Jones, Game Artist: The Ultimate Career Guide:

(computing, video games) Having a high refresh rate so that the subjective experience does not include flickers or pauses as the video changes frames.


Soulslike

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From Souls + -like, referencing the Dark Souls video game series, after the pattern of roguelike (“any of a genre of computer role playing games influenced by Rogue”).

Amid the tsunami of Soulslikes, Deck13's The Surge stands out as the one game to take the genre in a new direction.

2018 April, “The Surge 2 gets tooled up”, in PlayStation Official Magazine, UK, page 11:

And that's what you ultimately want from a soulslike. Challenge, struggle, and ultimate triumph. And in that sense, "Hollow Knight" is a soulslike.

2020 April 28, James Hamilton, “Hollow Knight Video Game Review”, in TechNews, Illinois Institute of Technology, page 13:

Beyond its cuteness, what makes Tails of Iron stand out from other Soulslikes is how forgiving it can feel – relatively, anyway.

2021 October, Chris Wallace, “When We Made...Tails of Iron”, in MCV Develop, page 64:

(video games) A subgenre of action role-playing video games influenced by the Dark Souls trilogy, characterized by high difficulty, trial-and-error progression, esoteric enemy movesets, environmental storytelling, and complex lore.


Nintendo hard

Nintendo hard (comparative more Nintendo hard, superlative most Nintendo hard)

more Nintendo hard (comparative)
most Nintendo hard (superlative)

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Notably, the fairness of difficulty in Nintendo hard games has been called into question in recent years (Lessel 2013), highlighting that such designs can sometimes serve more to infuriate players through frequent unfair death rather than provide an appropriate challenge.

2020, Barbaros Bostan, Game User Experience And Player-Centered Design, page 267:

(video games, informal) Having an extremely high level of difficulty.


credits warp

Using a credits warp may be allowed in an any% speedrun, but not in other categories.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:credits warp.

(video games) A sequence breaking glitch allowing a player to skip directly to the end credits.


PvE

player versus environment
player versus environment#English

(video games, roleplaying games) Initialism of player versus environment.


pvp

(video games) Alternative letter-case form of PvP.


PvP

player versus player
player versus player#English

(video games, roleplaying games) Initialism of player versus player.


pve

(video games) Alternative letter-case form of PvE.


player versus environment

(video games, chiefly roleplaying games) The situation where a player battles computer-controlled opponents rather than other human players.


Elo hell

(video games, uncountable) The supposed phenomenon where a rating range or skill group is atypically hard to escape from.

(video games, countable) A rating range where this phenomenon occurs.


ROW

(travel, video games, digital rights management) Initialism of rest of world.


hypermissile

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The sight of another hypermissile impacting the Shield mollified him only a little; the backup fire-control comp had taken over without a hiccup, but precious little good did that do him, isolated on the bridge with no way of knowing what was going on. The only comfort, and bare comfort at that, was that there was only one lance. And it was damaged, too.

1993, Sherwood Smith, Dave Trowbridge, The Phoenix in Flight, TOR, →ISBN, page 181:

Pavanaz tripped into hyperspace, burned the cruiser with his exhaust, threw all power to his screens and deflected the carrier's hypermissiles.

2006, Brian Lumley, Screaming Science Fiction: Horrors from Out of Space, Subterranean Press, →ISBN, page 124:

He did not need what it represented: a ship-size heat signature, something out in space beyond the asteroid, just a few kelvins. In the tactical display, blue diamonds shot toward the spot, hypermissiles tracking the tiny difference in temeprature. The ship did not fight back.

2017, Craig DeLancey, Evolution Commandos, 496\Perfect Number Press:

(science fiction, rare, video games) An extremely advanced and powerful missile or projectile; a supermissile.


greatbow

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He hooked the tip of his own greatbow under the door’s hasp, muttered som thing under his breath and pulled, hard. Nothing happened. Again, and again nothing.

1981, Peter Morwood, The Warlord's Domain, DAW, →ISBN, page 84:

You can turtle with a crossbow but you're wide open after every shot. Greatbows have knockdown but you're superslow.

2021 April 12, the_3rdist, “What is your all time favourite themed runs?”, in reddit.com:

Maybe samurai would give you a head start for a greatbow build.

2022 February 14, ytinifniozob, Zamoku, “Greatbows”, in reddit.com:

(rare, science fiction, video games, weaponry, fantasy) A giant bow; a longbow.


archcommander

/ɑɹt͡ʃ.kəˈmændɚ/

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And they said,"We beseech thee, Michael , our Archcommander, transfer (μεταθες) us from them, for we cannot abide with evil and foolish men, because there is no good in them but all wickedness and greediness. We beg then that we may depart from them."

1903, Christian Faith and Life, Volume 7, page 5:

Jagiello acted chivalrously; he had the body washed, covered with a purple shroud and sent to Malbork on a carriage drawn by four horses, together with the bodies of other dignitaries, such as the archcommander and the grand marshal.

1978, Paweł Jasienica, Jagiellonian Poland, American Institute of Polish Culture, page 103:

The archcommander caught his arm and tried to draw him away, counseling caution, but the enraged Patrician shook him off, saying, "He gave you this place that should have been your prison and turned it into a palace, let you work your damned unnatural magics wherever you pleased, let you recruit more of your own kind...”

1995, Martha Wells, City of Bones, TOR, →ISBN, page 316:

There's some major design flaws as well. Scaling for one is a pitta. Never liked it myself on any MMORPG, it's cheap, tacky, destroys tension and for me inserts a huge wad of loss of realism, oh, yes, those wasps I destroyed at level one in two seconds can now fight my uber level 200 with the 'Archcommanders Sword of Cheese Shoes' for ten minutes now! Go figure.

2019 April 23, Goromhir, yucklawyers, “Discussion / MOD 16 The End of Neverwinter. Lead Desinger failed.. ^([sic])”, in forums.mmorpg.com:

(rare, science fiction, fantasy, video games) The supreme commander; a commander-in-chief.


omnielemental

Like for a turn or three he deals piercing damage or Omnielemental damage with attacks and unlock something like Apotheosis and all it's^([sic]) source skills for one turn. Something.

2018 August 17, divinedpk, terrovek3, “Is summoning getting any changes in the definitive edition?”, in reddit.com:

I don’t like the omnielemental builds for the Cra, that is why I didn’t go omnielemental/critics^([sic]), but this is my opinion, and I want to know yours. What do you think?

2019 October 8, “Do you believe a water/air lvl. 199 Cra is viable?”, in reddit.com:

I am skeptical of becoming of Harbinger, simply because the Traveler will be omnielemental at that point, removing the need for a delusion.

2022 February 13, azadeth24, Patient_Insect_4463, “pure speculation here - a lil theory about the upcoming plot that I came up with recently. feel free to add your thoughts or debunk this entire thing in the comments 🛐 btw i have no idea why wouldn’t celestia just stop the tsaritsa^([sic])”, in reddit.com:

(rare, fantasy, science fiction, video games) Encompassing all elemental attributes possible.


hacklike

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(video games) A subgenre of roguelikes, characterized by persistent dungeons, little equipment upgrade path, large inventory size, single screen dungeon size, and towns without supplies.


MCPE

(video games) Initialism of Minecraft Pocket Edition.


button masher

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(video games) A video game that is played by button mashing.


dig for victory

en-verb

dig for victory (third-person singular simple present digs for victory, present participle digging for victory, simple past and past participle dug for victory)

digs for victory (present singular third-person)
digging for victory (participle present)
dug for victory (participle past)
dug for victory (past)

From a wartime slogan promoting victory gardens.

(video games, roguelikes) To descend through the dungeon as quickly as possible, without spending unnecessary time on the upper levels.


quickload

quickload (third-person singular simple present quickloads, present participle quickloading, simple past and past participle quickloaded)

quickloads (present singular third-person)
quickloading (participle present)
quickloaded (participle past)
quickloaded (past)

From quick + load. Attested at least since 1992, as a feature in the game Wolfenstein 3D (in the form "Quick Load").

(video games) To load a previous save with a rapid keystroke, especially if this can be done while already actively playing.


quickload

(video games) An instance of quickloading.


Woolseyism

This is now a well-known meme, along with other 'Woolseyisms.' But one serious gamer took it upon himself to re-translate the entire text of Final Fantasy VII from scratch.

2019, Rachael Hutchinson, Japanese Culture Through Videogames:

(video games) In video game texts, a translation or substituted phrase characteristic of Ted Woolsey, American game translator and producer.

(video games, by extension) A translation or substituted phrase deemed better than the original.


morphling

/ˈmɔː(ɹ)fˌlɪŋ/

(video games) a character with the ability to shapeshift


R.I.P. in peace

(Internet slang, video games, humorous) Alternative form of RIP in peace


RIP in peace

(Internet slang, video games, humorous) Alternative form of RIP


coyote time

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Named after the animation style of Wile E. Coyote who would frequently float in air for a few seconds after running off of a cliff.

(animation, video games) A brief delay between an action and the consequences of that action that has no physical cause and exists only for comedic or gameplay purposes.

(video games, specifically) A brief period after walking off a ledge or platform during which a character is still able to jump.


death loop

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However, upon being resurrected I found myself in the morning of a groundhog day fighting the scorpion I had just killed, exiting the room, feeling woozy, eating chocolate, falling to the ground. I was stuck in a death loop.

2012, Olli Tapio Leino, “Death loop as a feature”, in Game Studies, volume 12, number 2, Game Studies, →ISSN:

(video games) A situation in which a player respawns and inevitably dies, only to respawn in the exact same situation.


comboability

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Akuma has a LOT of comboability. He can combo into supers from both the
air and the ground with not that much effort. Plus, his dash is good.

1998 January 18, Onaje Everett, “Is Tekken 3 the most balanced fighting game?”, in rec.games.video.arcade (Usenet):

(video games) The quality of being comboable.


comboable

en-adj

comboable (comparative more comboable, superlative most comboable)

more comboable (comparative)
most comboable (superlative)

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As for the lack of variety in fighting styles, shrug, if you say so, I
think they're quite varied. I mean, the wrestlers are both wrestlers,
so yeah, they grab a lot. But one uses spinning roundhouses and
reversals, and flashy kicks and pounces. The other is more comboable
but plainer looking in moves and flash, but terribly efficient...

1996 January 31, CreeD, “Tekken Strategies NO less than VF2”, in rec.games.video.arcade (Usenet):

OTOH, Jam is pretty damn incredible too. You can do some really insane combos with
her, especially after using the d,d + attack powerups. And her Destroy move is
easily comboable because it has so little startup.

2000 December 18, Jonathan Winkler, “way OT: Guilty Gear X”, in alt.games.sf2 (Usenet):

(video games) Able to perform a combo with or on.


rushdown

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(video games) In fighting games, a strategy that aims to overwhelm the opponent through speed and aggression.


full combo

Did you get a full combo on that song?

(video games) The achievement of correctly hitting all the notes of a level in a rhythm game.


music game

(video games) A game where the player performs actions timed to music, a rhythm game.


b-hop

en-verb

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

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


FemHawke

Daaawwww. 2nd playthrough of DA2 and my FemHawke Mage just had the 1st romance scene with Anders. So cute.

2011 March 15, Rexluna (@RexlunaCosplay), Twitter:

I also have one male Hawke and all the rest are FemHawkes.

2013 March 2, MsinVader47 (@Vader47), Twitter:

Pretty sure that Ciri is voiced by the same VA as FemHawke in DA2.... giving me all the Dragon Age feels.

2015 June 17, Kelly (@mindofgeekness), Twitter:

(fandom slang, video games) The female version of the Hawke player character from the video game Dragon Age II.


Femquisitor

You know what's nice? The Qunari Femquisitor is taller than everyone else. Yes. Good.

2014 June 11, Bryce (@robothyenas), Twitter:

Been looking at too many cool Femquisitors and now I want to restart again :(

2015 January 8, Garrus Dating Sim (@aitchsee), Twitter:

i fucking love blackwall, his romance is SO underrated. when i'm playing a femquisitor, he's the one i default to. 💖

2020 December 15, ϯ♄𝚎 ƃစဌ 𝜛ῑϯ⸦♄ (@dalishkadan), Twitter:

(fandom slang, video games) The female version of the Inquisitor player character from the video game Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Quizzy

From an affectionate shortening of inquisitor + -y.

I'm just glad that I can't lose approval with Cullen. He hearts my Quizzy no matter what. TRUE LOVE GUYS TAKE NOTE.

2014 December 24, Ash (@LadyFaceshred), Twitter:

Most of my DA art is of Fenris and Hawke (male) or my elf Quizzies and Iron Bull.

2018 November 29, Diana Davidsson (@Omegasama_art), Twitter:

FINALLY played The Decent DLC with a dwarf Quizzy and I flippin love it more than ever.

2022 June 1, Jen (@jentrevellan), Twitter:

(fandom slang, video games) The Inquisitor player character from the video game Dragon Age: Inquisition.


FemQuis

As a future FemQuisitor I appreciate all awesome artwork and posters that feature our awesome Femquis.

2014 November 6, Rogue_Slayer (@Rogue_Slayer), Twitter:

Luckily, I found a Youtube^([sic]) of the scene that exactly mirrors mine (Dalish Femquis, same mix of companions, etc)

2015 April 1, AutographedCat (@autographedcat), Twitter:

No kidding. I kept trying to romance Cass as a Femquis on PS4 but forgot about that. Flirting with Harding eased the pain.

2015 September 5, Bubblegumnex (@bubblegumnex), Twitter:

(fandom slang, video games) Synonym of Femquisitor.


hackusation

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2021 November 28, “Dr Disrespect Is Worried About 'Hackusations' Invading Halo Infinite”, in GameRant:

2022 March 26, “ZLaner slams “delusional” Warzone fans still making hackusations against streamers”, in Dexerto:

(video games) An accusation against another player of hacking (cheating).


RP walk

RP walk (third-person singular simple present RP walks, present participle RP walking, simple past and past participle RP walked)

RP walks (present singular third-person)
RP walking (participle present)
RP walked (participle past)
RP walked (past)

(video games) To make the character one's playing walk, as opposed to running, which is the default form of character movement in most video games.


BotW

(video games, slang) Initialism of Breath of the Wild, short for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.


undub

undub (third-person singular simple present undubs, present participle undubbing, simple past and past participle undubbed)

undubs (present singular third-person)
undubbing (participle present)
undubbed (participle past)
undubbed (past)

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(transitive, video games) To unofficially modify (a video game) so as to restore the original spoken audio that had been localized for export, while retaining the translated text of the target language.


undub

(video games) A version of a video game that has been modified in this way.


PoE

(video games) Initialism of Path of Exile.


no johns

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Coined by Super Smash Bros 64 player Jesse "Zulu" Fuentes in the late 1990s, in reference to his friend John who would often make unconvincing excuses after losing a game.

“No Johns” is such a ubiquitous phrase in the Smash scene that it’s even inspired regional variations around the world. No Stacos. No Tiesos. No Joshis. Igna Yunas, in Swedish. It even made it into Smash itself: One of the “random” names that players can assign themselves in the Wii U and Switch versions of the fighting game is NOJOHNS.

2019 September 16, Cecilia D'Anastasio, “How A High School Smash Bros. Joke Became A World-Famous Saying”, in Kotaku:

(slang, video games, Super Smash Bros) No excuses (after losing a game).


hardlock

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(video games) A situation where a game becomes unplayable, making further progress or action impossible, typically due to a design flaw or glitch.


hardlock

hardlock (third-person singular simple present hardlocks, present participle hardlocking, simple past and past participle hardlocked)

hardlocks (present singular third-person)
hardlocking (participle present)
hardlocked (participle past)
hardlocked (past)

(video games, transitive or intransitive) To be in or cause a hardlock; to transition to becoming unplayable.


BYOC

Across the partition is the pitch-black BYOC area. That's BYOC as in “bring your own computer.” A major gaming event like CPL Winter always consists of two separate attractions.

2008, Michael Kane, Game Boys […] , Penguin, →ISBN:

That said, it's important to discuss the ways in which attendees—particularly those simply playing together on the demo stations and bring-your-own-console (BYOC) floor compared to the tournament matches—played socially.

2013, Todd Harper, The Culture of Digital Fighting Games: Performance and Practice, Routledge, →ISBN, page 81:

(video games) Initialism of bring your own computer (or console).


Minecraftian

en-adj

Minecraftian (comparative more Minecraftian, superlative most Minecraftian)

more Minecraftian (comparative)
most Minecraftian (superlative)

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It’s time to go deeper into Minecraft, to not just learn how to be great at playing Minecraft, but to dive into every crevice of Minecraftian knowledge that there is in the world.

2015, Trevor Talley, “Introduction”, in Master Builder 3.0 Advanced: Minecraft®™ Secrets and Strategies from the Game’s Greatest Players, Triumph Books, →ISBN, page 5:

A Note to Parents (…and grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, and all other Minecraftian grown-ups)

2015, James H. Clark, Cori Dusmann, John Moltz, The Visual Guide to Minecraft, Peachpit Press, →ISBN, page xii:

Cracked and CollegeHumor have taken its pop cultural musings and made them into a Minecraftian mini-world from which there’s no escape.

2015 October 2, David Berry, “The glory days of National Lampoon revisited”, in Calgary Herald, page C2:

Much, perhaps most, Minecraft fiction follows the robinsonade template, emphasizing the day-to-day life of a character, including nonhuman characters, striving to survive and thrive in a recognizably Minecraftian world by utilizing its resources.

2020, Michael T. Wilson, “Minecraft Fiction”, in Anne H. Stevens, Molly C. O’Donnell, editors, The Microgenre: A Quick Look at Small Culture, Bloomsbury Academic, →ISBN:

(video games) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Minecraft.


Minecraftian

(video games, rare) A person who plays the game Minecraft; a Minecrafter.


main menu

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My computer's so slow, it takes two minutes just to load the main menu.

(computing, video games) A list of principal options, usually presented to the user immediately upon the launch of a computer program or video game.


VACation

en-noun

VACation (countable and uncountable, plural VACations)

From VAC, initials of the Valve Anti-Cheat software, and vacation.

(video games, slang) A user's enforced absence from the Steam video-gaming service and its community, as a result of being banned for cheating.


Nuzlocke

John Locke (Lost)
List of generation III Pokémon#Nuzleaf
Lost (2004 TV series)

Blend of Nuzleaf + Locke. From the title of Nuzlocke Comics, which features a Pokémon, Nuzleaf, drawn to resemble John Locke from Lost as a recurring character.

Here are the rules for a Nuzlocke:
• If a Pokemon faints, it’s dead. You need to release it, store it in a box for the rest of the run, or transfer it to another game. You can’t use it until you’ve successfully become the Pokemon League Champion and completed the Nuzlocke.
• You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter in each location. This includes caves, towns, routes, and so on - if the area has an official title, it counts as an independent location where you can capture one single Pokemon, provided it’s the first one you come across. If you make it faint or it flees, you can’t catch a new one - no second chances. This doesn’t apply to static encounters, although using Legendary Pokemon is frowned upon. You can catch Shiny Pokemon regardless of the rules, although the consensus on whether or not they’re allowed to be used is widely disputed.

2021 January 8, Cian Maher, “The Nuzlocke Challenge Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Classic Pokemon”, in The Gamer, archived from the original on 2022-09-19:

(Pokémon) A self-imposed challenge where the player can only catch the first wild Pokémon encountered in each area, and any caught Pokémon that faints cannot be used again.

Ok now that Ive done two impromptu nuzlockes of games outside Pokemon (Mario Odyssey and Kirby Super Star). Im starting to think where else I can push it lol
Splatoon 2 Nuzlocke? Start from fresh save file and try to make it to X rank. If you lose a match you lose that weapon 🤔

2020 January 26, Failboat103, Twitter, archived from the original on 2020-01-27:

(by extension) A similarly challenging playthrough of any game other than Pokémon.


TRPG

tactical role-playing game
tactical role-playing game#English

(video games) Initialism of tactical role-playing game.


SRPG

roleplaying game
roleplaying game#English

(video games) Initialism of strategy roleplaying game.


damage boost

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(video games) The situation where the player character deliberately takes damage in order to use the resulting brief period of invulnerability to pass an upcoming hazard.


yellow light of death

yellow light of death (plural yellow lights of death)

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(video games) A general hardware failure in the PlayStation 3 video game console and related to an issue on the motherboard, the power supply, commonly caused by a degraded capacitor.


RRoD

Alternative form: RROD

If you no longer have a warranty on your Xbox, and you've gotten the dreaded Red Ring of Death ... there's still hope. The RRoD is displayed by the 360's "Ring of Light" when there's a general hardware failure.

2008, Jake "Biggs" Turner, “Fix the Red Ring of Death! (without towels!)”, in The Best of Instructables, volume 1, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 247:

After a great deal of pressure, Microsoft tacitly recognized the RRoD epidemic, and announced extended warranty support that would cost the company more than one-billion dollars.

2011 October 25, Gerry Block, “Xbox 360 RRoD Failures Finally Explained”, in IGN:

The Xbox One fiasco is not the first time that Microsoft has tried to ride out a wave of unpopularity by simply pretending the problem doesn’t exist. But with the Red Ring of Death (RROD) it succeeded.

2013 June 21, Roger Hargreaves, “The 10 greatest disasters in video games history – from Xbone to E.T.”, in Metro:

red ring of death
red ring of death#English

(video games) Initialism of red ring of death.


hackuser

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(video games) A person who claims someone else in an online game is hacking.


speedbridge

en-verb

speedbridge (third-person singular simple present speedbridges, present participle speedbridging, simple past and past participle speedbridged)

speedbridges (present singular third-person)
speedbridging (participle present)
speedbridged (participle past)
speedbridged (past)

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He's good at speed bridging and he's also organized a 1v1 tournament on the game mode before.

2021 July 19, Bhagyasri Chaudhury, “Who is Purpled? James Charles slammed for posting pic of Minecraft YouTuber, 17”, in MEAWW:

Ten teams of four competitors participate in eight different minigames that test a variety of skills within Minecraft. These skills can range from anything between player-versus-player combat, speedbridging, parkour, building, and more.

2021 October 31, Hannah (Tyler) Dahlberg, “Minecraft Championship (MCC) All-Stars: First half of the competing teams revealed”, in Sportskeeda:

This technique is useful in shooting games, PvP games, Minecraft, and clicking games. It provides fast clicking, with the virtue that you can kill more enemies, do speed bridging, and more.

2022 June 6, RJ Frometa, “Drag Click Test: Improve Your Clicks Per Second Rate With Drag Clicking Technique”, in Vents Magazine:

Knowing how to speed bridge without falling to your death can come in handy in some of these servers.

2022 September 23, Petra Dolovski, “How to Speed Bridge in Minecraft”, in Diamond Lobby:

(video games, Minecraft) To build a bridge under oneself using one of several techniques which minimize the amount of crouching, resulting in a significantly faster pace of construction.


dogwater

en-adj

dogwater (comparative more dogwater, superlative most dogwater)

more dogwater (comparative)
most dogwater (superlative)

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Compound of dog + water. According to Know Your Meme, the video game sense was popularized by Fortnite streamer Zachology in December 2020 as a euphemism for dogshit (“rubbish, bad”).

This is kinda my favorite exotic, I'm not gonna lie. Some of the exotic released have been dogwater but this one, so good, so good.

2021 April 21, Matthew Wilkins, quoting SypherPK, “Fortnite streamers are in disbelief after watching how over-powered the Exotic Grappler Bow is”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2023-05-23:

Nadia went on, saying that the player "sucks" and is "f**king ass," not letting them get a single response in, even calling her a "dogwater smelling ass b*tch."

2022 October 7, Jacob Hale, “Nadia pops off on toxic Warzone teammate after being told to "abort herself"”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 2022-12-05:

I'd dabbled a little bit before and made a few that either broke rules I didn't know existed (Lutri, the Spellchaser), or were so incredibly dogwater that they lasted maybe a game or two before being pulled apart (Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker), but Kwain was my first love.

2022 November 27, Joe Parlock, “Is It Time To Retire My Favourite Commander Deck?”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2022-11-29:

Immediately, a presumably male gamer voice said, "Ay yo you're terrible. Dogwater."

2023 January 30, Tatiana Louder, “I'm a 'gamer girl' and a model – just one hour of playing Call of Duty with men left me disgusted”, in The US Sun, archived from the original on 2023-03-22:

When we tried to get a statement from Danderson's close online friend, [SEN] Unwell, he refused further comments when we brought up his friendship with Danderson. / "Dogwater," was all Unwell had to share after our initial introductions.

2023 March 30, Bamira Burino, “Murchison Tower levels up”, in The Tritonian, archived from the original on 2023-05-23:

(video games, slang) Extremely bad or unskilled (especially at a video game); trash.


aimbotter

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What may seem like an aimbotter to a player could be just a very good player, Smedley pointed out.

2013 February 26, Jenna Pitcher, “PlanetSide 2 boss clarifies banning policies, taking legal action against cheat enablers”, in Polygon:

(video games) Someone cheating in a video game using an aimbot.


hop and bop

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Mainly for younger gamers, An American Tail: Fievel's Gold Rush features kid-friendly, hop-and-bop game play that will challenge players […]

2002, Nintendo of America, Inc, Nintendo Power Advance, page 112:

Game styles for computer and mobile devices include the following: […] In addition, there are action, sci-fi, survival, horror, racing, sports, military, realism, fantasy, hop and bop, puzzle, strategy, gambling, cards, […]

2019, Elaine A. Clark, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is (Fourth Edition):

(video games, often attributive) A style of platform game in which enemies are defeated by jumping on them.


skill issue

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Literally skill + issue (i.e. the issue is related to one's skill); popularized as a general insult around 2020.

—Dude, they nerfed my main and now I can't win any games! —Sounds like a skill issue lol

Perhaps regarded as one of her funniest lines, she can taunt the enemy after eliminating them by saying, "Wow, cringe," in a fittingly condescending tone. Some other voice lines include, "It's a skill issue," "Enjoy that killcam," "Now they're just feeding," and "Outplayed."

2022 October 21, Joanna Koziol, “D.Va Is Overwatch 2's Most Toxic Character”, in Screen Rant, archived from the original on 2022-11-04:

Well, after playing it myself, I have to say that it is a lot of fun to play as long as you can manage to stay alive long enough to enjoy it! Let me be the first to say, this is a 'skill issue' of course, but ultimately, I just thought my zombies would be stronger.

2022 December 27, Dean Clark, “THE UNLIVING First Impression: Feeling Weak Behind My Forces”, in GameTyrant, archived from the original on 2022-12-27:

The game's Reddit forum is swamped with posts about how difficult it is to win a match. Some users may state that this is a 'skill issue.' However, seeing so many players complain about their skill mismatch and inability to win a single match is somewhat concerning.

2023 January 2, Matthew Wilkins, “Is Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 the sweatiest season ever?”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2023-01-04:

(video games, slang, sometimes ironic) A lack of skill at a game.


skill issue

Those players who have ever taken to TikTok to complain about bugs and gameplay issues in a game will often be met with the reply "Skill Issue."

2022 November 11, Rebecca Smith, “What Does 'Skill Issue' Mean on TikTok and in Gaming?”, in GameRevolution, archived from the original on 2022-11-28:

(video games, slang, sometimes ironic) Suggesting that a player is just making excuses for a loss.


PvPer

From PvP (“Player versus Player”) + -er.

(video games) A player who participates in PvP activities in a video game.


fullset

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(video games) A complete romset distributed as a single package.


goodset

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From good + set. GoodTools was a set of software tools for auditing ROMs.

(video games) A large romset containing every working ROM available for a particular system.


(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart Wii.


ultra shortcut

(video games) In racing games, a shortcut that allows the player to skip the majority of a track, usually by means of a glitch.


archpaladin

/ɑɹt͡ʃˈpælədɪn/

From arch- + paladin. Originally from the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, in which the fictional deity, Heironeous, is known as The Archpaladin, and the AdventureQuest game.

Foremost in her mind has always been to serve the Archpaladin [Heironeous] and improve the lives of others with His teachings.

2004 August, Rick LaRue, “Greyhawk’s Knights of Holy Shielding: Valor Is Our Blood!”, in Dungeon, number 113, page 94:

Heironeous, The Invincible, The Archpaladin, is the champion of rightful combat and chivalrous deeds.

2007 April, Sean K Reynolds, “Heironeous”, in Dragon, volume XXXI, number 11, issue 354, page 19:

Mostly whiteshirts, from initiate Healers to patrolmen to Electors and ArchPaladins in full battle gear.

2010, Tim Akers, The Horns of Ruin, Amherst, N.Y.: Pyr, →ISBN, page 266:

It's best if you can find a friend or some players to help you out with each quests for Archpaladin.

2019 August 1, SyedXD123, the_beast69, “What Class?”, in reddit.com:

History was wrought romanticised tales of grand crusades lead by heroic Archpaladins of old, spreading God's word to the dark and corrupt corners of the kingdom through their might and zeal.

2021, C. R. Butterworth, The Exile, Liberation (Book 1), C. R. Butterworth:

Things like using Archpaladin to mitigate true damage, or recommending Health Vamp on farming classes that don't benefit from it.

2022 February 18, xiaomole, “Combatting Misinformation”, in reddit.com:

(very rare, science fiction, fantasy, video games) A supreme paladin.


VSRG

Spotco and Sputlil invented RoBeats, which is also known as VSRG.

2022 June 9, Benny Sagayarajan, “Funky Friday codes in Roblox: Free Emote and Points (June 2022)”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2022-06-18:

(video games) Initialism of vertical-scrolling rhythm game.


deathmatcher

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(video games) One who plays in a deathmatch.


hardstuck

hardstuck (comparative more hardstuck, superlative most hardstuck)

more hardstuck (comparative)
most hardstuck (superlative)

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

I've been hardstuck at diamond 4 for like 6 months.

You're not hardstuck, don't worry about how many games you've played, just keep going. You'll get there

2018 January 9, @MeteosLoL, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-07-06:

im playing Overwatch for the first time in more than a year and im hardstuck low masters at best, im so bad it's awful

2019 November 12, @Slasher, Twitter, archived from the original on 2021-01-28:

Imagine being single on Valentine's Day AND hardstuck in Valorant

2022 February 4, @starriebun, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-01-01:

if u are hardstuck gold or lower in a video game my best advice is just start drawing or playing an instrument just find a new hobby this gaming shit isn't for you

2022 July 7, @funnysmartguy12, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-07-07:

I don't know who needs to hear this but your teammates aren't the reason you're hardstuck

2022 July 28, @HisWattson, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-07-29:

(video games, slang) Firmly stuck at a particular rank or Elo level; unable to progress in skill.


pisslow

pisslow (comparative more pisslow, superlative most pisslow)

more pisslow (comparative)
most pisslow (superlative)

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

If anyone wants any idea how pisslow my MMR is in Valorant, I just had a teammate say over voice comms "Finally my kid is asleep so I can play more"

2020 April 26, @IWDominate, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-01-01:

"Can I please stop getting hardstuck pisslow teammates!?"

2020 July 20, @NickichLoL, Twitter, archived from the original on 2020-07-23:

ok 6 digit pisslow hivemind repeat after me: the pp changes suck

2021 January 16, @aetrna, Twitter, archived from the original on 2021-01-16:

after losing 10 games in a row on PC league I decided to play wild rift and won 8 games in a row. I feel better about myself now. nothing like beating up a bunch of 12 year old pisslow zoomers while laying on my bed. nice.

2021 March 31, @IKeepItTaco, Twitter, archived from the original on 2021-03-31:

this is the girl who flames you in your pisslow immortal valorant ranked games

2022 January 6, @cloudyerin_, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-07-19:

epic pisslow gaming moments

2022 April 10, @sarah_frags, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-01-01:

(video games, slang, vulgar, chiefly League of Legends) Having a low rank or Elo level; lacking in skill.


two-tap

en-verb

two-tap (third-person singular simple present two-taps, present participle two-tapping, simple past and past participle two-tapped)

two-taps (present singular third-person)
two-tapping (participle present)
two-tapped (participle past)
two-tapped (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-two-tap.wav

Remember that you'll always be at a disadvantage if you aren't outnumbering humans by at least five individuals since you can easily get two-tapped with headshots.

2020 November 1, Gökhan Çakır, “How to play Zombies mode in PUBG”, in Dot Esports, archived from the original on 2022-05-21:

This is an interesting PvP choice because Harmony on a 120 when activated should in theory be able to two-tap enemy guardians.

2022 July 21, Paul Tassi, “The 'Destiny 2' Solstice Weapon God Rolls You Should Be Hunting”, in Forbes, archived from the original on 2022-07-28:

This setup allows the P890 to two-tap at close distances.

2022 November 26, Charles Burgar, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Best P890 Loadout”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2022-11-29:

(video games, slang, transitive) To kill an enemy in two shots.


three-tap

three-tap (third-person singular simple present three-taps, present participle three-tapping, simple past and past participle three-tapped)

three-taps (present singular third-person)
three-tapping (participle present)
three-tapped (participle past)
three-tapped (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-three-tap.wav

The ban phase is a welcome touch to ranked play because, more often than naught, I'm not in the mood to get three-tapped by some Caveira player squatting in a seemingly inconsequential hallway.

2021 February 8, Calvin Edwards, “Rainbow Six: Siege Is Not as Fun as It Used to Be”, in KeenGamer, archived from the original on 2022-09-09:

Since the falloff has been reduced, players still have to take close-range fights against other Guardians to three-tap them.

2022 July 23, Soumyadeep Banerjee, “Bungie has accidentally buffed The Last Word in recent Destiny 2 update”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2023-01-03:

Some of these perks are absurd, mainly High-Caliber Rounds and Vorpal Weapon. With Vorpal, you can two-tap Golden Gun or three-tap every other Super in the game.

2022 September 7, Charles Burgar, “Destiny 2: The 10 Best Scout Rifles For PvP, Ranked”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(video games, slang, transitive) To kill an enemy in three shots.


one-tap

one-tap (third-person singular simple present one-taps, present participle one-tapping, simple past and past participle one-tapped)

one-taps (present singular third-person)
one-tapping (participle present)
one-tapped (participle past)
one-tapped (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-one-tap.wav

A reference to first-person shooter games in which a gun is fired by "tapping" the left click button on a mouse.

This guy is camping so hard that I can barely move off of spawn before getting one-tapped.

This was an issue during Valorant's beta, where players used to complain about getting one-tapped to the head before them being aware.

2020 December 20, Satyaki Das, “Should Valorant remove the delay before a player is accurate during strafing?”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2021-01-24:

This allows players to instantly escape danger after one-tapping an enemy, making the difference in crucial situations.

2021 February 8, Jalen Lopez, “Lothar highlights binding Reyna's Dismiss ability to turn invulnerable after one-tapping in VALORANT”, in Dot Esports, archived from the original on 2021-05-10:

The pistol is about one-tapping the enemy with headshots and taking them out before they have the time to turn around and spot you.

2022 October 25, Abhishek Mallick, “Modern Warfare 2 "Nessie" achievement guide: How to kill all guards unseen”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2022-10-25:

Capable of "one-tapping" opponents and wiping them out before they can even react, this is the perfect setup for aggressive players who aren't afraid of getting into the thick of the action.

2022 November 14, Alex Garton, “Modern Warfare 2 expert claims "one-tap" shotgun dominates close-range”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 2022-11-15:

It only takes two shots to kill someone at all ranges, and you can one-tap enemies with a single headshot up to 30 meters.

2022 November 22, Charles Burgar, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Best LM-S Loadout”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2022-11-22:

(video games, slang, transitive) To kill (an enemy) in one shot.


turbo controller

en-noun

turbo controller (plural turbo controllers)

(video games) A gamepad with an autofire facility.


nruling

(video games) In some roguelike games, a type of fictional demon composed of many tiny sparks, each wielding a whip of flame.


raising sim

Thankfully, it was fan-translated in 2001, and should be familiar enough even for those who've never dabbled in raising sims.

2011 June, “Wonder Project J”, in Retro Gamer, number 91, page 59:

The long-running Princess Maker series is a good example of a raising sim, requiring the character to raise a daughter to become a princess.

2021, Matt Barnes, Dazz Brown, Greg S-C, Region Locked: The Key To Gaming's Buried Treasure, page 208:

Those who play these Raising sims are responsible for characters’ clothing, as well as their battle training.

2021, Selen Çalık Bedir, “Combinatory Play and Infinite Replay: Underdefined Causality in the Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Series and Games”, in Jose Andres Santiago Iglesias, Soler Baena, editors, Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion, page 316:

non-player character
non-player character

(video games) A life simulation game in which the player acts as the custodian of a subordinate non-player character (typically a child, student, pet, etc.) and manages and develops this character's stats with the goal of achieving a specific outcome.


Soulsborne

Blend of souls + bloodborne, after the Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne.

As the director of each of the Soulsborne games, Miyazaki is a strong influence on all aspects of the final product, including visual design, gameplay, and narrative content.

2019, “Introduction”, in Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, editor, Narrative Design and Authorship in Bloodborne: An Analysis of the Horror Videogame, page 4:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was created by FromSoftware, the developers behind the Soulsborne titles.

2020, James Palmer, "Why did UK games sales drop in 2019?", The Boar (University of Warwick), 13 February 2022, page 32

Sure, “Death's Door” does little to hide its love for both the Zelda and Soulsborne franchises, cramming in dense lore to creepy dungeons filled with puzzles and enemies galore, but it manages to take the best part of these series and form something wholly unique.

2021 July 29, M. Deitz, “Fighting against your death in 'Death's Door'”, in The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan, page 9:

(fandom slang, video games) A loose series of dark fantasy action role-playing video games developed by FromSoftware, generally held as including Demon's Souls (2009), the Dark Souls trilogy (2011-2016), Bloodborne (2015), and Elden Ring (2022).


Soulsborne

Soulsborne (countable and uncountable, plural Soulsbornes)

Because FromSoftware's Demon's Souls is the granddaddy of the soulsborne genre, and one of the PlayStation 3's overlooked classics.

2020 October, “Have Your Say: Demon's Soul”, in PlayStation Official Magazine, page 27:

“Blasphemous” is a masterfully crafted game that would entice hardcore fans of Soulsborne and Metroidvania games.

2022, Gabrielle Cabello Torres, "From The International: Video Games From Different Cultures", Mace & Crown (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA), Spring 2022, page 36

The Soulsborne formula has been imitated countless times but mastered by few apart from FromSoftware, the original pioneers.

2022 December 29, Cameron Rasmusson, “Elden Ring recaptures magic of video game discovery”, in Reader, page 17:

(fandom slang, video games, uncountable) A video game subgenre influenced by this series, characterized by high difficulty, trial-and-error progression, esoteric enemy movesets, environmental storytelling, and complex lore.

Do you have room for another Soulsborne in your life?

2018, "Team Ninja's Nioh 2 is back for more", PlayStation Official Magazine (UK), August 2018, page 11 (image caption)

Diagrammatics allows us to properly think about how something like a “soulsborne” can be created: It is a set of mechanics, modes of storytelling, and player expectations that branch out and proliferate from the original object.

2020, Cameron Kunzelman, "How we deal with dark souls: The aesthetic category as a method", in Hybrid Play: Crossing Boundaries in Game Design, Players Identities and Play Spaces (eds. Adriana de Souza e Silva & Ragan Glover-Rijkse), unnumbered page

Lee confirms it offers the challenge of a soulsborne but with a greater level of flexibility in how you approach that challenge.

2020 December, “Godfall”, in PlayStation Official Magazine, UK, page 56:

(fandom slang, video games, countable) An individual game of this genre.


life simulation

life simulation (plural life simulations)

Activision's Autumn titles were up and running, and some Winter games were previewed, including Alter Ego, a "life simulation" game, and Fast Tracks, a slot car racing program.

1985 November, Chris Jenkins, “PCW Show: promises, promises!”, in Commodore Horizons, page 10:

Life simulations and dating games also influenced Yasuhiro Wada, the designer of the gentile farming sim series Harvest Moon, which first appeared in 1996 on the Super NES.

2010, Tristan Donovan, Replay: The History of Video Games, page 157:

While the mechanics changed very little in the DS version, Nintendo's snarky little life-simulation title [Animal Crossing] found its perfect ally.

2010, “Animal Crossing: Wild World”, in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die, page 610:

(video games) A subgenre of simulation game that replicates real-world systems or experiences (such as businesses, communities, ecosystems, or social relationships).


farm sim

A PlayStation update of the SNES and Game Boy cult smash, this is essentially a farm sim in which you have to milk cows, herd sheep, feed chickens and pull up oodles of home-grown veggies.

2000, "Orient Express", Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia), August/September 2000, page 16

The Playstation 2 is quickly becoming a harbor for sequels to nearly every genre that you can come up with—even super-odd, farm sims that only people like ECM and Shidoshi can love.

2001, Haohmaru, "Harvest Moon 3", GameGo! Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 2 (2001), page 21

Jenga is by all means a greater tragedy, but in a way, Jenga would never have happened if literally every other possible thing weren't already a game. And farm sims certainly had a role in that.

2008, Seanbaby, "Nintendo's Party of Pain", Electronic Gaming Monthly, July 2008, page 93


life sim

Although there are other life sims such as Theme Park, Sim City and so on, they've all had a gameplay objective, a purpose for playing.

2003 November, “The Usual Suspects”, in Cube, UK, page 35:

In fact, as far as full-fledged life sims go, The Sims has pretty much been it for most gamers.

2005, Sean Carton, 2005 Gamer's Almanac, page 282:

Kynseed: The most Fable-y of the games on this list, Kynseed is a life sim currently in early access, from ex-Fable devs PixelCount Studios.

2019 November 21, Jack Yarwood, “Leaving Albion: The epic making of Fable”, in Wireframe, page 25:

(video games) Synonym of life simulation.


city-building game

city-building game (plural city-building games)

(video games) A genre of simulation game in which the player builds and manages a city.