tower defense

(video games) A style of real-time strategy video game in which the player attempts to stop enemies from crossing a map by building traps to slow them down and towers or turrets which shoot at them as they pass within range.


polypile

en-verb

polypile (third-person singular simple present polypiles, present participle polypiling, simple past and past participle polypiled)

polypiles (present singular third-person)
polypiling (participle present)
polypiled (participle past)
polypiled (past)

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(video games, roguelikes) To stack (items) so as to polymorph them into different items in a single turn.


fragfest

What better time is there than the holidays to revel in the profound joys of video gaming? Time off from work or school can be put to prime use: blasting a loved one in a "SOCOM II" multiplayer frag-fest, dropping a mad rhyme with "Karaoke Revolution," slashing your way across Middle Earth in "Lord of the Rings".

2003 December 11, Scott Taves, “Games to suit any player await easy-chair heroes in various formats”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2014-06-07:

Unreal is a total fragfest that is all about over-the-top, arcade-style action.

2006 September 10, Seth Schiesel, “Video Games: War, Whimsy, Wrestling and the New Zelda”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-06-07:

Spec Ops: The Line is a cover-based shooter in the mould of Gears Of War, although comparing its gameplay to Epic's testosterone-juiced fragfest is doing the latter something of a disservice.

2012 June 26, Nick Cowen, "Spec Ops: The Line" (game review), The Guardian (UK) (retrieved 7 June 2014)

(video games) Video gameplay, especially for multiple players, involving extreme action, deadly combat, explosions, etc.


smart bomb

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On your side, you've got three lives, with each life having three smart bombs. These wipe out all the enemy on the screen when used, as smart bombs should.

1988, Flying Shark (game review) in Your Sinclair issue 27, page 67

(video games) A weapon that damages or kills all enemies within a large area.


savescummer

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(video games, roguelikes) A player who savescums.


startscum

startscum (third-person singular simple present startscums, present participle startscumming, simple past and past participle startscummed)

startscums (present singular third-person)
startscumming (participle present)
startscummed (participle past)
startscummed (past)

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(intransitive, video games, roguelikes, derogatory) To start and quit the game repeatedly in order to obtain a favourable starting situation (this being generated at random for each game).


savescum

savescum (third-person singular simple present savescums, present participle savescumming, simple past and past participle savescummed)

savescums (present singular third-person)
savescumming (participle present)
savescummed (participle past)
savescummed (past)

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(intransitive, video games, often derogatory) To reload the last saved game whenever the player character dies or an unfavorable outcome has been encountered.


achievement whore

en-noun

achievement whore (plural achievement whores)

(video games, slang) A person who plays video games for the primary purpose of unlocking achievements.


twitch game

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

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

The Internet is a bad bet for online versions of twitch games because the Internet can be about as split-second and consistent as your average presidential candidate.

2003, Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky, Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide, page 157:

The fun of twitch games comes from the mastery of a difficult dexterity challenge.

2009, Brenda Brathwaite, Ian Schreiber, Challenges for Game Designers, page 113:

(informal, video games) A video game requiring fast reactions.


Random Number God

Random Number God (plural Random Number Gods)

1998, Chris Kern, Rules (was Re: Angband Rule Number One!), rec.games.roguelike.angband, Usenet
Rule #1 of Angband is this: NEVER forget that you are a but a pathetic slave to the entity that is the Random Number God. The RNG will laugh in your face and taunt you in many ways. No matter how you may try to evade it or con it, it knows your deepest desires. You cannot hide from the RNG's mind what you are attempting to scum for. It can see your character sheet and find out what resists you are missing. It knows many insidious ways to inflict harm upon your psyche and drive you to emotional turmoil. The RNG is a marionette, and you are the slavering puppet. You will cry in relief when he gives you an artifact and then wail in despair while the RNG laughs at your pitiful failures. You CANNOT escape the horror.

1999, Brandon Pitman, Re: [Z] Death by act of Random Number God, rec.games.roguelike.angband, Usenet

Here's my current character, after a brief bout with a graveyard at 2400', and the tempting given me by the Random Number God to try to clear it, despite the certain death offered by closely encountering it.

2002, Eric Bock, “[Zce] [YACD] Deception and temptation by the Random Number God”, in rec.games.roguelike.angband (Usenet):

2002, John Hansen, Re: Random funny moments., rec.games.roguelike.nethack, Usenet
The Random Number God at work again, I see.

pseudorandom number generator
pseudorandom number generator

(roguelikes, humorous) The pseudorandom number generator used by a roguelike game's engine.


Wii

Marketing coinage: homophone for we, with the two i characters supposed to represent two people, suggesting players gathering together.

(video games) A video game system released worldwide by Nintendo in 2006, noted for its unique motion-based control system.


MOBA

(video games) Acronym of multiplayer online battle arena.


moneyhatting

This practice of "moneyhatting" that Micro$not has brought to the console video game business is just more corruption that harms the whole video game industry with nothing positive coming out of it except buying a little more time for the xflop 3-shitty before it dies.

2007, RMZ, “Re: EGM confirms Micro$hit paid bribe to 2K Games to keep Bioshock off PS3”, in alt.games.video.xbox (Usenet):

I think it's great that the consoles are getting this stuff, but it just serves to make them even less relevant to people with alternatives. That said, while the AAA moneyhatting seems to have waned a fair bit this generation, it's being replaced with a trend of tying up cool looking, ostensibly PC titles with exclusivity contracts […]

2014, hurricanepilot, “Re: PWB, has it come to this?”, in uk.games.video.misc (Usenet):

(slang, derogatory, video games) The use of unfair financial incentives; bribery.


hotlapping

(video games) Driving laps around a circuit alone, without the presence of any competing vehicles.


medkit

(usually science fiction, video games) A small bag or case containing medical supplies


LoL

(video games) Initialism of League of Legends.


cukup

From Malay cukup (“enough”), coined by e-sports athletes in Malaysia and Singapore when competing with each other in e-sports matches.

(video games, Malaysia, Singapore) Abbreviation of choose your kit and level up or choose your kit and upgrade


pass-and-play

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[…] and multiplayer games can be conducted online (with push notifications announcing updates) or in the same physical place using pass-and-play turns.

2011, Glenn Fleishman, Five-Star Apps: The Best iPhone and iPad Apps for Work and Play, Peachpit Press, →ISBN:

With all that said, you should be ready to create the “Pass and Play” version of Tic-Tac-Toe.

2012, Patrick Alessi, Beginning iOS Game Development, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

Days of Wonder emphasizes pass-and-play over mobile/social multiplayer because they want their games to feel like board games no matter what platform they are for.

2012, Scott Rogers, Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design, John Wiley & Sons (2012), unnumbered page 232

(video games) Capable of being played by more than one player by physically passing the device or controller to each player on his or her turn.


arcadey

en-adj

arcadey (comparative more arcadey, superlative most arcadey)

more arcadey (comparative)
most arcadey (superlative)

Hewson maintains its high standards with this rootin', tootin', killin', maimin', shoot 'em up. Not to be missed by arcadey types.

1989, Sean Kelly, Eliminator (video game review) in Your Sinclair 41, May 1989

GameAxis Unwired
Fans of arcadey sports titles (like the ones I mentioned above) will be in heaven, as despite its cutesy trappings, Mario Strikers adheres pretty much to Midway's proven gonzo sports formula.

(video games, informal) Characteristic of an arcade game, generally focused on action rather than strategy or realism.


killstreak

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(video games) An unbroken streak (continuous series) of kills.

(video games) An award or an advantage that a player obtains by achieving an unbroken streak of kills (as sense 1) of a given length.


TASer

From TAS (“tool-assisted speedrun”) + -er.

(video games) A gamer who records speedruns created with the help of software tools.


genocidable

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There had been the argument in the past that removing all the genocidable monsters would increase the generation rate of the more dangerous non-genocidable monsters.

2012 January 6, Janis, “A prelimary review of UnNethack”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):

(video games, roguelikes, of a class of monsters) Capable of being completely eliminated from the game by means of magic.


startscummer

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polymorphitis

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(video games, informal) In some roguelike games, an intrinsic ability that causes the player's character to polymorph without warning.


clickfest

(video games, informal) A game that involves a great deal of clicking (with the mouse or other pointing device).


PWI

Perfect World International
w:Perfect World International

(video games) Initialism of Perfect World International.


gacha

en-noun

gacha (countable and uncountable, plural gachas)

From Japanese ガチャ (gacha), shortened form of ガチャポン (gachapon).

Since a loot table with ten rewards won’t last for long, the very first step in gacha design is to ensure that you have enough content to make gacha a viable monetization strategy.

2018, Ennio De Nucci, Adam Kramarzewski, Practical Game Design, page 394:

Gacha mechanics are a powerful advantage monetization strategy in free-to-play games that have also been integrated into many premium titles on mobile devices, PCs, and consoles.

2020, Christopher A. Paul, Free-to-Play: Mobile Video Games, Bias, and Norms, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 112:

(video games) A mechanism in certain video games, especially mobile games, whereby in-game items or characters are purchased randomly with real or in-game money.

(video games) A game which features this mechanic as its central feature.


FDS

Famicom Disk System
w:Famicom Disk System

(video games) Initialism of Famicom Disk System.


FGC

FGC (countable and uncountable, plural FGCs)

(countable, fandom slang, video games) Initialism of fighting game community.


rubber-band

en-verb

rubber-band (third-person singular simple present rubber-bands, present participle rubber-banding, simple past and past participle rubber-banded)

rubber-bands (present singular third-person)
rubber-banding (participle present)
rubber-banded (participle past)
rubber-banded (past)

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(video games) To keep a computer-controlled character within a limited distance of the player when racing, as if connected by an invisible rubber band.

(Internet video games) To move to a previous position due to network lag, as if being held back by a rubber band.


beast mode

(slang, sports, video games) A high level of performance.


jiggle physics

As devotees of advanced jiggle physics, we cannot condone any fighting game in which the biggest boobs belong to an unemployed plumber.

2008, Complex Magazine and Guide, Volume 7, Issues 1-3, page 178

Do adult video games have no more to contribute to the medium than "jiggle physics" (as Brenda Brathwaite calls it)?

2010, Patchen Barss, The Erotic Engine: How Pornography Has Powered Mass Communication from Gutenberg to Google, Anchor Canada, published 2011, →ISBN, page 235:

I'd like to think the good people of Tecmo devoted an entire lab to testing jiggle physics, but, sadly, the bouncing isn't anywhere close to realistic. Still, there's something about the sway of a woman's breasts that leaves our very souls souls oscillating, scintillating, and reverberating into a world of happy.

2012, Aaron Santos, Ballparking: Practical Math for Impractical Sports Questions, Running Press, →ISBN, page 130:

(video games, humorous) The art of portraying the bouncing or swaying of breasts on a 3D model of a woman.


AGI

Adventure Game Interpreter
w:Adventure Game Interpreter

(video games) Initialism of Adventure Game Interpreter, a game engine developed by Sierra On-Line.


completionism

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(video games) The goal of achieving every objective in a game, as opposed to merely doing enough to win.


recam

recam (third-person singular simple present recams, present participle recamming, simple past and past participle recammed)

recams (present singular third-person)
recamming (participle present)
recammed (participle past)
recammed (past)

Having “wondered if maybe we could alter the camera position in our demos to make them more movie-like to watch”, Bailey used Remaic to create a new recammed version of the speedrun.

2007, Andy Clarke, Grethe Mitchell, Videogames and Art, page 71:

For Marino (2004), the development of recamming tools and the subsequent dissociation of camera and POV in postproduction, marks the 'defining moment' for Machinima.

2008, James Newman, Playing with Videogames, page 146:

Replays captured as demo movies have been circulated as skills demonstrations, as recordings of significant competitive events (i.e., Thresh's defeat of Billox at Quakedelica in 1998, circulated as a recammed highlight reel) […]

2011, Henry Lowood, Michael Nitsche, The Machinima Reader, page 7:

(video games, transitive) To recreate (a recording of gameplay in a three-dimensional playfield) with different camera positioning and movement from the original camera that followed the player's viewpoint.


recam

(video games) A recreated gameplay recording of this kind.


collect-'em-up

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Modelled on earlier shoot-'em-up and beat-'em-up.

Mix together a shoot-’em-up, a collect-’em-up and a maze game, add sundry reaction tests to taste and you’ve got a tasty game indeed.

1988, Firefly (game review) in CRASH magazine (issue 50)

It's a scrolling, platform, arcade collect-'em-up adventure which shows off the SNES well, and not one you'll complete on the first couple of attempts!

1993, Neil West, Nick Roberts, Super NES Games Unauthorized Power Tips Book:

In the beginning there were no genres. There was only a small number of games, most of which looked very different. As more games appeared you could perhaps begin to classify them: spaceship games, collect-'em-ups, and so on.

2012, Clive Fencott, Jo Clay, Mike Lockyer, Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games:

(video games) A video game based around collecting items.


glass cannon

From the fact that they are powerful (similar to a cannon) yet are easily breakable (similar to glass).

Deep elves die easier than most other races - glass cannons to an extreme extent.

2009 May 23, Eugene Barrett, “Re: DCSS:: need advice”, in rec.games.roguelike.misc (Usenet):

A min-maxer might create a "glass cannon" character—one with lots of awesome offenses but next to no defense.

2012, Lizzie Stark, Leaving Mundania: Inside the Transformative World of Live Action Role-Playing Games, Chicago Review Press, →ISBN, page 238:

Now, both sides had built up their fleet quite extensively with very fast, kind of glass cannon-type destroyers and cruisers in the run-up to the war, buuut the French fleet, at the beginning of World War II, was very definitely - below capital ships, was very definitely a fleet of glass cannons, whereas the Italians, although they had their own share of them, had a number of pretty good designs, like the Zara-class heavy cruisers, so, in destroyers and cruisers, I think the Italians definitely have a qualitative advantage, at least for a good portion of their ships[…]

2018 December 9, Drachinifel, 21:35 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 019, archived from the original on 2022-09-10:

(especially roleplaying games, board games, video games) A character or unit with strong offensive power but weak defensive capabilities.

especially roleplaying games; board games; especially roleplaying games; board games


Squeenix

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(informal, humorous, video games) Square Enix, a Japanese video game development company


nerd pole

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That guy is such a noob! Why would he use a nerd pole to get up there? Doesn't he know how to use ladders?

(video games, slang) Any tall, thin structure, usually only a few blocks wide, built in a voxel-based video game, especially one constructed by jumping and placing blocks beneath one's avatar.


nerd pole

nerd pole (third-person singular simple present nerd poles, present participle nerd poling, simple past and past participle nerd poled)

nerd poles (present singular third-person)
nerd poling (participle present)
nerd poled (participle past)
nerd poled (past)

Quick! Don't bother with ladders; just nerd pole up to me!

(video games, slang, intransitive) To build a nerd pole, especially for the purpose of getting to higher ground.


questline

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Now, to continue with this questline, go head back home (or a secure bed somewhere) and sleep for awhile^([sic]) (I slept for 24 hours, just to be sure).

2015, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Strategy Guide, unnumbered page:

The cue appears about two-thirds of the way through the game's main questline.

2019, Michiel Kamp, Mark Sweeney, “Musical Landscapes in Skyrim”, in Steven Reale, William Gibbons, editors, Music in the Role-Playing Game: Heroes & Harmonies, unnumbered page:

Not only does his personal questline make little sense if he is engaged in a romance with a female player, but it actively goes against the wishes of the character on a fundamental level.

2020, Jessica Hylton, “LGBTYQIA Inclusion in Dragon Age: Inquisition: Burning Down Stereotypes and Modding for Representation”, in Bridget Whelan, Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, editors, Women and Video Game Modding: Essays on Gender and the Digital Community, page 85:

(video games) A storyline consisting of a number of linked quests.


combo breaker

(video games) In fighting games, a specific move that prevents the opponent from completing a combo.


ACG

Underwurlde is definitely Ultimate’s best game yet. It has super sound and graphics, as you would expect from ACG […]

1984, Underwurlde (game review) in Crash (issue 12)

Chris and Tim Stamper set up a game company called Ashby Computer Graphics (ACG) and began publishing games for the Sinclair Spectrum, a tiny computer that sold very well in Europe but never caught on in the United States.

2010, Steven Kent, The Ultimate History of Video Games:

Ashby Computers & Graphics
w:Ashby Computers & Graphics

(video games, historical) Initialism of Ashby Computers & Graphics: a British video game developer.


Ninty

Ninty have missed the boat this Xmas in the 20 something bracket, Starfox Adventures is not going to convince people to buy a gamecube.

2002, SteveC, “Xbox PS2 or Gamecube”, in uk.games.video.xbox (Usenet):

With the Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance systems, 'Ninty' had lorded it over the competition […]

2009, India Today, volume 34, numbers 1-8, page 466:

Certainly, hearing that the 'Queues to get just 20 minutes with the shiny new Ninty handheld stretched for hours' reassure us that even games journalists at trade shows with copy deadlines are prepared to wait in line for their few minutes with the new device […]

2012, James Newman, Best Before: Videogames, Supersession and Obsolescence, page 62:

(video games, slang) The video game company Nintendo.


game controller

en-noun

game controller (plural game controllers)

(video games) Any of various hardware devices designed to allow the user to provide input to video games.


control point

(video games) A designated location on the game map which competing players or teams attempt to capture.


YASD

(video games, roguelikes, slang) The player's accidental death, caused by carelessness, in a roguelike video game.


twin-stick

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(video games) Controlled by two joysticks simultaneously, usually one moving the player character and the other firing a weapon directionally.


PCG

procedural content generation
procedural content generation#English

(video games) Abbreviation of procedural content generation.


scorestreak

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From score + streak; compare earlier killstreak.

Those who prioritise scorestreaks are using Nomad’s Rejack ability, which provides a death-defying injection of nanoparticle serum: if an opponent manages to kill you, you can bring yourself back from the dead and continue your current streak.

2015 August 26, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – five things we learned from the beta test”, in The Guardian:

(video games) An unbroken streak (continuous series) of scoring, acquired without one's player character being killed.


dmg

(roleplaying games, video games) Abbreviation of damage.


MMORTS

real-time strategy
real-time strategy#English

(video games) Initialism of massively multiplayer online real-time strategy.


TP

en-verb

TP (third-person singular simple present TPs, present participle TPing, simple past and past participle TPed)

TPs (present singular third-person)
TPing (participle present)
TPed (participle past)
TPed (past)

... was down by the ocean, collecting the gravel you said you needed for your experiments, and Otto and Emma TPed right to me. ... Two Endermen walked past, and one of them spotted Mr. Anarchy and shrieked as it teleported toward him.

2016 June 21, Winter Morgan, Terror on a Treasure Hunt: An Unofficial Minetrapped Adventure, #3, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

'Coffeegirl29' had TPed away from the stone circle to embark upon a similar task. “IM me when you've denoobified yourself,” ... I decided the first trip would be observation only; I put on the Zaara suit and teleported Masculamity over.

(Can we date this quote?), Huckleberry Hax, AFK, All of it, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 364:


Simmer

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(slang, video games) A fan of the video game series The Sims.


AOE

(video games, board games) Initialism of area of effect (of an attack spell, etc.)

(by metonymy, video games, board games) A weapon, item or ability that affects an area or multiple entities instead of one target.


quickscope

(video games, slang) A rapid kill with a sniper rifle after scoping in.

(video games, slang) The act of quickly scoping in with a sniper rifle (to kill an opponent).


quickscope

quickscope (third-person singular simple present quickscopes, present participle quickscoping, simple past and past participle quickscoped)

quickscopes (present singular third-person)
quickscoping (participle present)
quickscoped (participle past)
quickscoped (past)

I told them all to spectate me in first person, as I quick-scoped the five enemies from the top of the building.

2013, Kenton Sheely (quoting “Misterfoxy”), First Person: War Stories from Gamespace, page 20

I'm not a fan of "quick-scoping," the practice of quickly looking through the scope of a sniper rifle, snapping off a shot, and then immediately switching back to a normal view.

2014 October 13, Andy Chalk, “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will cut down on "quick-scoping"”, in PC Gamer:

I was a bit annoyed at first as my previous few games had boasted some pretty high K/D whilst quickscoping and now I was being bombarded by constant noob tubes [gun-mounted grenades] and RPGs.

2015, Alan F. Meades (quoting “Soap”), Understanding Counterplay in Video Games, Routledge, page 155

Bolan quick-scoped the first sentry and the round took him center mass, even as the guards opened up.

2015, Don Pendleton, The Executioner: Perilous Cargo, Harlequin, page 64:

(transitive, intransitive, video games, slang) To shoot (a character) by means of a quickscope.


spawnkill

spawnkill (third-person singular simple present spawnkills, present participle spawnkilling, simple past and past participle spawnkilled)

spawnkills (present singular third-person)
spawnkilling (participle present)
spawnkilled (participle past)
spawnkilled (past)

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He was spawnkilled about 30-40 times in 20 minutes by one player.

2002 August 26, Flashheart [username], “Re: Why should CTF Flag Camping be wrong”, in alt.games.unreal.tournament (Usenet):

It is ridiculously easy to spawn-kill the VC at their outdoor spawn location, from several relatively safe locations inside the Embassy's ground floor, especially the library windows.

2004, Dan Irish, Men of Valor: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima, →ISBN, page 110:

Nothing lowers your morale faster than some jerk spawn killing you for the fifth time and yelling that your mother worked in a Nevada brothel.

2004 October 23, Grl/Grl_Prn [username], “Re: Thank you... I guess”, in alt.games.battlefield1942 (Usenet):

(video games) To kill a player or NPC enemy at a spawn point.


twoweapon

twoweapon (third-person singular simple present twoweapons, present participle twoweaponing, simple past and past participle twoweaponed)

twoweapons (present singular third-person)
twoweaponing (participle present)
twoweaponed (participle past)
twoweaponed (past)

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(transitive, intransitive, video games, roguelikes) To wield two weapons simultaneously.


HGSS

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
w:Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

(video games, fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.


retrogame

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(video games) An older video game or computer game that is played by hobbyists.


SMB

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario Bros.

(video games) Initialism of Super Meat Boy.


NGP

(video games) Initialism of Neo Geo Pocket a handheld video game system produced by SNK


instagib

instagib (third-person singular simple present instagibs, present participle instagibbing, simple past and past participle instagibbed)

instagibs (present singular third-person)
instagibbing (participle present)
instagibbed (participle past)
instagibbed (past)

(video games, transitive) To immediately gib (with no damage beforehand necessary).


T-piece

(video games) The tetromino in the shape of a T, as used in the video game Tetris.


attract screen

(video games) The screen displayed during the attract mode, intended to attract potential players to an arcade game.


noob tube

From the sense that an overpowered weapon might make it easier for "noobs" (newcomers to the game) to succeed against experienced players. Originally stems from the Call of Duty franchise, where the under barrel grenade launcher attachment for an assault rifle became a preferred choice for many newcomer players due to its' tendency to one-hit kill any opponents with ease.

(video games, slang) A very overpowered firearm, especially a grenade launcher.


free-roaming

en-adj

free-roaming (comparative more free-roaming, superlative most free-roaming)

more free-roaming (comparative)
most free-roaming (superlative)

While Metroid introduced multiple endings to a linear game, other more recent designs have presented free-roaming worlds incorporating multiple gameplay paths.

2009, Wendy Despain, Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG, →ISBN, page 49:

Let the player trigger these in any order she chooses; this is vital because the game ceases being static and takes on the illusion of a free-roaming game.

2009, Michael Duggan, Wii Game Creation for Teens, →ISBN, page 294:

Its free-roaming world was a departure for both the programmer and for console gamers, and in retrospect it was an ambitious undertaking that could have all gone horribly wrong.

2013, Matt Fox, The Video Games Guide, →ISBN:

(video games) Allowing the player to move freely through a virtual world or choose the game narrative and objectives at will; an open world.


ARPG

roleplaying game
roleplaying game#English

(video games) Initialism of action roleplaying game.


BBEG

(roleplaying games, video games) Initialism of big bad evil guy.


rocket jump

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(video games) A jump performed by blasting a rocket launcher in close proximity to one's character.


rocket jump

en-verb

rocket jump (third-person singular simple present rocket jumps, present participle rocket jumping, simple past and past participle rocket jumped)

rocket jumps (present singular third-person)
rocket jumping (participle present)
rocket jumped (participle past)
rocket jumped (past)

Be advised that rocket-jumping is very painful. It's inadvisable to attempt it […]

2003, Doug Radcliffe, Halo - Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies and Secrets:

Ideally, we don't want to test for rocket jumping directly, instead letting the evolution discover rockets as the best approach […]

2004, Alex J Champandard, AI Game Development:

This technique now arrives almost subliminally for Quake players, but rocket jumping has long been recognized as one of Quake's key skills.

(video games) To perform a jump by blasting a rocket launcher in close proximity to one's character.


no-CD

Some NO-CDs will replace your Game.exe, which sucks. I can entirely understand how he lost his game.exe, and why he needs it back.

2000, Sean, “CD-Key Generator and Game.exe”, in alt.games.diablo (Usenet):

I have one little problem with no cds, not insurmountable. Sometimes when I click to start up the game I get a message about not being abole to find the right DirectX driver or soemthing ( I forget exactly because I no longer actually read it ) and I have to reboot the computer then it's ok.

2008, kat, “Re: Speedy skilling”, in alt.games.the-sims (Usenet):

I know you said you were talking about real DOS, but I have this game setup to run in DOSbox with no-CDs and it plays great, better than it did in DOS 6.22 in fact. :)

2008, Matt v3.2, “Re: Daemon tools - best virtual drive choice?”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg (Usenet):

(computing, video games, informal) A software crack for a program that usually requires the presence of the original compact disc (to prove that it is a legally-acquired copy), allowing it to run without the disc.


feudal rush

(video games) The strategy of assaulting the enemy with feudal age units very early.


power creep

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(collectible games, video games, roleplaying games) The situation where successive updates or expansions to a game introduce more powerful units or abilities, leaving the older ones underpowered.

collectible games; roleplaying games; collectible games; roleplaying games


double kill

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(video games) The killing of two targets or enemies in a single hit, or with one magazine, or in quick succession.


modpack

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Of course, Minecraft and Pokemon are no stranger to crossovers. The Pixelmon modpack is one of the most popular and beloved mods, turning Minecraft’s mobs into adorable Pokemon that can be captured or battled.

2022 November 16, Josh Tyler, “How to get Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starter skins in Minecraft”, in Dexerto:

The Pokemon series is no stranger to bizarre fan games. Fans around the world have remade versions of classic titles, used Pokemon themes in farming sims, and even created entire Minecraft modpacks that let players become epic trainers.

2023 January 22, Laura Gray, “Bootleg Pokemon mobile game ad shows Ash murdering Team Rocket’s James”, in Dexerto:

(video games) A predefined collection of mods (end user-created packages that modify game behavior) for a video game.


genoless

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(video games, roguelikes) Without genociding any type of monster.


polyless

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(video games, roguelikes) Without any polymorphs (magical transformations).


netcode

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(video games) The program code that handles interactions over a network.


walking simulator

en-noun

walking simulator (plural walking simulators)

In a walking simulator game, the player usually spends a good deal of time walking around, having conversations, seeking clues, and following a predetermined narrative.

2018, Daniel Muriel, Garry Crawford, Video Games as Culture: Considering the Role and Importance of Video Games in Contemporary Society, Routledge, →ISBN:

(video games, sometimes derogatory) An adventure game focused on gradual exploration and discovery through observation, with little in the way of action.


hitscan

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With this code the server now has enough information to perform hitscans: it has the position of the player, the player orientation, and the player look direction (camera rotation).

2013, Alan R. Stagner, Unity Multiplayer Games:

Duel maps usually do not contain super weapons (eg, the Redeemer which fires a small nuclear warhead), but have one or two hitscan weapons (which when fired instantly hit whatever they are pointing at) and one or two projectile weapons (eg, a rocket launcher).

2014, L. Galli, P. L. Lanzi, D. Loiacono, Applying data mining to extract design patterns from Unreal Tournament levels:

(computing, video games) A calculation to find the point at which a given line intersects an object in the game world, commonly used to determine whether a bullet or projectile hits a target.


(video games) Abbreviation of Nintendo 64.


(video games) Initialism of PlayStation 4.


WoW

(video games) Initialism of World of Warcraft.


grindy

en-adj

grindy (comparative more grindy or grindier, superlative most grindy or grindiest)

more grindy (comparative)
grindier (comparative)
most grindy (superlative)
grindiest (superlative)

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HGM’s writers have spent time in the grindiest of grindy Korean and Japanese free-to-plays, but Free Realms is something new and different and better.

2009 June, Lynxara [pseudonym; Alicia Ashby], Vivek Varadarajan, “Free Realms”, in Hardcore Gamer Magazine, volume 5, number 1, [Redmond, Wash.]: DoubleJump Publishing, →ISSN, page 12:

Greed will get players to do interesting things. They will grind their way through the grindiest MMOs to get that stronger sword, that unique hat, gain that next level.

2010, Scott Rogers, “More Wealth Than You Can Imagine!”, in Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, →ISBN, Level 13 (Now You’re Playing with Power), page 365:

[T]he student may have sufficient time to spend hours on even the ‘grindiest’ of games or, elsewhere, the mundanities of working life intervene.

2011, Dave Randall, “All in the Game: Families, Peer Groups and Game Playing in the Home”, in Richard Harper, editor, The Connected Home: The Future of Domestic Life, London: Springer, →ISBN, Part II (Experiencing the Connected Home), page 129:

Beware, as these achievements can feel “grindy” unless there is a worthwhile reward attached.

2012, Scott Rogers, Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design:

Some players seem to think that grindy content has been put in on purpose to pad out play […]

2015, Richard A. Bartle, MMOs from the Inside Out:

(video games, informal) Involving a lot of repetition in order to progress.


health bar

(video games) A visual display, in bar form, of the energy or health of a character in the game.


zap 'em up

This is not your average 'zap 'em up' game. The alien craft all have different characteristics, and judging a spaceship's speed as you home in for the kill is something you'll get the hang of only after much experience.

1986, Luke C, Battle Of The Planets (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 3

Conversation and camaraderie at the foosball table won out over solo, zap-em-up video games in 1994, according to industry experts.

1994, Night Club & Bar, volume 10, page 388:

You can totally be yourself without worrying if your guy is impressed or embarrassed! You don't have to sit through rough war flicks, or shoot 'em up or zap 'em up movies.

2003, Andrea Stephens, Stuff a Girl’s Gotta Know: Little Hints for Big Things in A Teen's Life:

(informal, video games) A shoot 'em up involving energy weapons.


moveset

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Keep in mind that this version is 65% complete, so changes to the movesets and timing are bound to happen until its release in the arcades next April.

2008, GameAxis Unwired, number 62, page 18:

Considering the fact that, by definition, you essentially have three movesets per character, the Mascot is easily the best Dressphere in the game due to not only the number of abilities usable, but also the versatility […]

2015, GamerGuides.com, Final Fantasy X-2 HD - Strategy Guide:

(video games) The set of moves that a character can perform.


cow-clicker

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Coined by Ian Bogost in response to FarmVille winning an award for "Best New Social/Online Game" at the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards. The win caused Bogost, a critic of the freemium model used by Zynga, to be struck with the thought: "Games like FarmVille are cow clickers. You click on a cow, and that's all you do." He subsequently developed Cow Clicker, an intentionally simplistic parody game, which itself became a surprise viral hit.

The plan was to offer a much deeper experience than what Farmville and rest of the cow-clickers ever could.

2015, Juho Kuorikoski, Finnish Video Games: A History and Catalog, page 235:

(video games, derogatory) A video game that requires the player to perform repetitive tasks at certain intervals.

Cow Clicker
FarmVille
Game Developers Choice Awards
Ian Bogost
Zynga


critical hit

This character deals 4 damage per hit. There's always a 3% chance of striking a critical hit that deals 20 damage.

(video games, roleplaying games) A successful attack that deals more damage than a normal blow.

coup critique

an attack that deals more damage than a normal blow


low%

(video games, speedrunning) A category in speedrunning that pertains to the goal of completing the game as quickly as possible while unlocking or completing other game objectives as little as possible.


any%

From any + percent, denoting that any percentage of the game could be completed in order to get to the central goal.

(video games, speedrunning) A category in speedrunning which pertains to the goal of a game's mere completion, i.e. getting to the main concluding goal as quickly as possible, regardless of how much is unlocked or what techniques are used.


IGN

(video games) Initialism of in-game name.


Konami Code

The code was created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto. It was first used in the 1986 NES port of the arcade game Gradius, published by Konami.

(video games) The cheat code "↑↑↓↓←→←→BA", usable in multiple video games.


bodyblock

en-verb

bodyblock (third-person singular simple present bodyblocks, present participle bodyblocking, simple past and past participle bodyblocked)

bodyblocks (present singular third-person)
bodyblocking (participle present)
bodyblocked (participle past)
bodyblocked (past)

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flick-screen

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spellmaker

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(video games) One who creates magic spells.


spellmaking

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(video games) The creation of magic spells.


DfV

(video games, roguelikes, intransitive) Initialism of dig for victory.


relog

relog (third-person singular simple present relogs, present participle relogging, simple past and past participle relogged)

relogs (present singular third-person)
relogging (participle present)
relogged (participle past)
relogged (past)

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The game glitched out and I had to relog before I could continue playing.

(computing, video games, slang, intransitive) To log out and log in again.


rogue-lite

(video games) A genre of video games that possess some, but not all, elements of roguelikes. They usually have permadeath and randomized levels.


timed exclusive

en-noun

timed exclusive (plural timed exclusives)

This will make two JRPGs that have been produced for the Xbox 360, with Eternal Sonata already out and largely believed to be a timed exclusive, though no release dates have been announced for a PS3 version.

2008 July, “Xbox 360 Continues JRPG Dominance”, in GameAxis Unwired, page 8:

Rise of the Tomb Raider will also be a timed exclusive on Xbox One.

2014, Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2015, →ISBN, page 191:

That Dragon, Cancer was funded for multiplatform release, having initially been announced through Kickstarter as a timed exclusive for the Android-based Ouya.

2016, Mike Diver, Indie Games: The Complete Introduction to Indie Gaming, →ISBN:

(video games) A release of a game on one platform, with releases on other platforms to occur only at a later date.


random encounter

random encounter (plural random encounters)

(video games, roleplaying games) A battle that starts at an unpredictable time, against random enemies.


Sensi

(UK, slang, video games) Sensible Software, a British software house active during the 1980s and 1990s.

(UK, slang, video games) Sensible Soccer, a football video game series published by Sensible Software.


repop

en-verb

repop (third-person singular simple present repops, present participle repopping, simple past and past participle repopped)

repops (present singular third-person)
repopping (participle present)
repopped (participle past)
repopped (past)

(transitive, informal, video games) To repopulate.


netgame

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Can somebody help me? I have a PowerMac^([sic]) 6100/60 and a Powerbook^([sic]) 1400 Localtalk^([sic]) networked. I can't get Abuse to work in netplay. Both machines have 16 MB of RAM but when I try to start a netgame, the loading screen comes up then the ocmputer^([sic]) quits... Any ideas?

1997, Kip, “Abuse netplay problems!”, in comp.sys.mac.games.action (Usenet):

(video games) A multiplayer game played over a network.


Doomguy

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KOTOR lets you feel like a Jedi for the first time, instead of the Doomguy with a light saber.

2004, George Jones, Maximum PC 2005 Buyer's Guide, page 247:

In the novelization of the game, Doomguy is called Flynn Taggart.

2016, James Egan, 3000 Facts About Video Games, page 60:

Unable to leave, the only course of action for the Doomguy is to fight through the base.

2019, Dawn Stobbart, Videogames and Horror: From Amnesia to Zombies, Run!, page 47:

(fandom slang, video games) The unnamed protagonist in the Doom series of video games.


Super Mario Bros. 3
w:Super Mario Bros. 3

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario Bros. 3.


(video games) Initialism of Super Mario 64.


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

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


MKW

(video games) Initialism of Mario Kart Wii.


Donkey Kong Country 3
w:Donkey Kong Country 3

(video games) Initialism of Donkey Kong Country 3.


SMW

(video games) Initialism of Super Mario World.


Donkey Kong Country 2
w:Donkey Kong Country 2

(video games) Initialism of Donkey Kong Country 2.


DKC

Donkey Kong Country
w:Donkey Kong Country

(video games) Initialism of Donkey Kong Country.


Ager

(video games, informal) A fan of the Age of Empires series of real-time strategy video games.


derank

derank (third-person singular simple present deranks, present participle deranking, simple past and past participle deranked)

deranks (present singular third-person)
deranking (participle present)
deranked (participle past)
deranked (past)

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A building will derank one level at a time as its hitpoints are whittled away. So, while it may seem that the life bar is at its end, attackers need to take into account if they are merely deranking the building by one or whether they have taken it down to Rank1 and are about to destroy the building.

2003, John Henderson, BradyGames, & Danielle Vanderlip, Shadowbane Official Strategy Guide, →ISBN, page 295:

Derank lobbies were used to damage and undermine the statistical profiles and removing the associated unlocks of players lured into playing them, initially those deemed to have played inapproprately by illegitimately improving their profiles by modding. While this may have been an act of retribution, Zakhaev got most of his enjoyment from the anguished responses of those he had deranked, and the deranking lobby became a barbed example of counterplay - a vindictive prank to humilieate, annoy, and cost victimes time.

2015, Alan F. Meades, Understanding Counterplay in Video Games, →ISBN, page 60:

Some are maybe confused as to why some players would choose to derank themselves on purpose, but it's actually a trick that master players do in order to be paired up with players of a lower skill level during matches.

2017 February 6, Ike Recio, “Blizzard Is Against 'Overwatch' Players Who Derank Themselves On Purpose”, in iTech Post:

(video games) To lower or remove achievements and skill level.


overtuned

en-adj

overtuned (comparative more overtuned, superlative most overtuned)

more overtuned (comparative)
most overtuned (superlative)

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I think honestly some of the abilities we gave Dash may have been slightly overtuned.

2019 July 17, Cass Marshall, quoting Matt Jackson, “Deathgarden: Bloodharvest is evolving again, with a new game mode and more”, in Polygon, archived from the original on 2023-06-01:

The Hearthstone developers wanted to capture that fantasy within the context of a head-to-head CCG, and the results were outstandingly overtuned. In the hours after Ashes of Outland dropped, Demon Hunter was the only class in the game with a positive win rate.

2020 June 4, “’Hearthstone’ updates used to take ages. Times have changed.”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-11-08:

As mentioned, Killjoy will probably feel excessively overtuned at the lowest ranks of competitive play thanks to the lack of environmental awareness seen in beginner players.

2020 August 2, Patricio Kobek, “Why VALORANT's Killjoy Won't Be Overpowered, According To The Devs”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2023-10-08:

In a thread that's gained some traction on the Overwatch subreddit, an inquiry about how players feel a short time after the Doomfist changes went live has revealed that players think this hero is a bit overtuned.

2022 December 8, Carver Fisher, “Overwatch 2 players claim Doomfist was "overbuffed" for Season 2”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 2023-06-04:

Tuned or adjusted so as to be excessive (in terms of some quality), especially:

(video games) Of a character, item, ability, etc.: excessively powerful; overpowered.

For a while, there was a concern that nobody could beat Riven, that Last Wish was simply too overtuned for day-one raiders. But then the first crew beat the boss around power level 550, and it became clear that Bungie had done something amazing.

2018 September 19, Ryan Gilliam, “Only 12 players beat Destiny's new raid in the first 24 hours — and that's awesome”, in Polygon, archived from the original on 2022-12-06:

When Shadowlands launched back in November, the challenges of an initially overtuned Castle Nathria raid, seemingly endless Torghast runs, and the introduction of the Covenant system were enough to keep us all busy.

2021 June 25, Sarah James, “World of Warcraft's upcoming power system risks trivialising the work put into legendary gear”, in PC Gamer, archived from the original on 2022-12-01:

In the short term, there is at least one quick fix coming to rebalance things after the 1.1.0 patch. Piepiora said the team felt that nightmare dungeons in the game are "dramatically overtuned" and that tier 100 nightmare dungeons are "excruciatingly difficult" for most classes, resulting in players pursuing very specific builds.

2023 July 22, Wes Davis, quoting Joe Piepiora, “Blizzard devs know their Diablo IV patch was bad”, in The Verge, archived from the original on 2023-08-16:

(video games) Of a raid or similar challenge: excessively difficult.


longplay

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(video games) A full recording of a video game being played from start to completion.


consolization

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(video games) The conversion of a game to run on a games console.


(video games) Initialism of one-credit (or coin) clear: the feat of playing through an arcade game from start to finish without having to insert further coins or tokens.


softlock

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I defeated the boss, but got hit at the exact same time; now I'm stuck in a softlock and can't exit the level.

(video games) A situation where a game remains apparently playable, but further progress is impossible, typically due to a design flaw or glitch.


softlock

en-verb

softlock (third-person singular simple present softlocks, present participle softlocking, simple past and past participle softlocked)

softlocks (present singular third-person)
softlocking (participle present)
softlocked (participle past)
softlocked (past)

(video games, transitive or intransitive) To be in or cause a softlock; to remain playable but unable to progress.


Minecraft

Compound of mine + craft; coined by Paul Eres in May 2009, a member of the TIGSource Forums.

Chlorine blue, bordered in forest green and looking out onto a Grecian gazebo, the pool was composed of hundreds of ceramic kitchen tiles, like a Minecraft version of C.Z. Guest’s once-upon-a-time world.

2016 September 13, Vanessa Friedman, “New York Fashion Week Comes to Life With Thom Browne and Proenza Schouler”, in The New York Times:

If you know a tween, chances are you have bought them something sparkly in the past couple of years – and not only if they are a girl. From Next’s boys’ sequinned T-shirt that flips between Minecraft designs to Paperchase’s rainbow-encrusted notebook[…], these addictively tactile surfaces are everywhere.

2019 February 25, Dale Berning Sawa, “Why the world has gone wild for reversible sequins”, in The Guardian:

London’s mayoralty insists that its new homes must look like old homes – just new, and more of them. So the city has ended up with endless variations of a Georgian terrace that looks like it’s been rendered in Minecraft.

2022 August 24, India Block, “Like a beige, banal biscuit tin: why London’s new buildings all look the same”, in The Guardian:

(video games) A sandbox video game, released in 2011, in which players explore a three-dimensional world made of blocks and can craft items and build structures.


brick breaker

A brick-breaker kind of game featuring musical symbols (rests and notes), an elephant, and a ball!

2000, NewestShareware.com, “NewestShareware.com Issue #105”, in alt.comp.shareware (Usenet):

Synopsis: New port: games/tecnoballz, a brick breaker (Arkanoid-like game)

2005, Jean-Yves Lefort, “ports/76484: New port: games/tecnoballz, a brick breaker”, in mailing.freebsd.ports-bugs (Usenet):

(video games) A game of a genre that involves moving a paddle horizontally or vertically to deflect a ball, using the deflected ball to destroy an arrangement of bricks on the screen.


FNaF

Five Nights at Freddy's
w:Five Nights at Freddy's

(video games) Acronym of Five Nights at Freddy's (video game series).


X-pack

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(video games, informal) Abbreviation of expansion pack.


endless runner

(video games) A style of platform game in which the player character runs non-stop through a hazardous course, and must be guided to jump, duck, etc. to avoid the hazards.


CoC

(video games) Abbreviation of Clash of Clans.


platformy

en-adj

platformy (comparative more platformy, superlative most platformy)

more platformy (comparative)
most platformy (superlative)

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A colourful, bouncy, groovesome platformy sort of thing that's a tad too hard for its own good.

1992, Jon Pillar, Captain Dynamo (video game review in Your Sinclair issue 79)

[…] a radical new, non-platformy direction […]

2006, Nintendo Power, volumes 208-210, page 143:

(video games, colloquial) Characteristic of platform games.


free roam

If players can wander freely about the video game environment at their own pace with no linear pathway, as in Grand Theft Auto, the game is referred to as a “sandbox” or “free roam” game.

2011, Craig Haen, Engaging Boys in Treatment: Creative Approaches to the Therapy Process, →ISBN:

This achievement can be acquired in multiple places in the world, both free roam mode and in story mode.

2017, Hse Game, Lego Star Wars The Force Unleashed Wii U Unofficial Game Guide, →ISBN:

Deadly Premonition borrows from just about every game out there. It has the strange otherworld from Silent Hill (albeit not as creepy), the interactive cinematic elements from Heavy Rain (albeit not as pretentious), the free roam freedom of Grand Theft Auto (albeit not as big), and is in fact the open-world investigative adventure Alan Wake first promised to be.

2017, The Cheat Mistress, EZ Gamer, →ISBN:

(video games) A game mode where players can explore the game environment at will, rather than following a fixed story line.


free roam

en-verb

free roam (third-person singular simple present free roams, present participle free roaming, simple past and past participle free roamed)

free roams (present singular third-person)
free roaming (participle present)
free roamed (participle past)
free roamed (past)

After completing the initial London Story memory 'The Darkest Hour', you'll be able to free roam in WWI-era London and complete some additional associate tasks.

2015, GamerGuides.com, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Strategy Guide, →ISBN:

(video games) To play in free roam mode.


noclip

noclip (third-person singular simple present noclips, present participle noclipping, simple past and past participle noclipped)

noclips (present singular third-person)
noclipping (participle present)
noclipped (participle past)
noclipped (past)

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From no clip. Perhaps originates from the 1992 game Wolfenstein 3D, where (in the shareware version) using the appropriate cheat code displays a message "No clipping ON".

(video games) To navigate through a game environment with collisions disabled, so as to be able to pass through solid walls, etc.


toys-to-life

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(video games) A video game feature that allows physical figurines to be recognised by the machine (through radio tagging, image recognition, etc.) and incorporated into gameplay.


OOM

(video games) Initialism of out of mana.


AVGN

While it’s unclear if Wingard will ever join Rolfe for an AVGN episode, it’s definitely cool to learn that we could have seen a piece of internet culture take part in mainstream media — but who knows what further opportunities await him down the road?

2021 April 2, Virginia Glaze, “AVGN explains why he turned down role in Godzilla vs Kong”, in Dexerto:

Angry Video Game Nerd
w:Angry Video Game Nerd

(video games) Initialism of Angry Video Game Nerd.


fraggable

en-adj

fraggable (comparative more fraggable, superlative most fraggable)

more fraggable (comparative)
most fraggable (superlative)

We are in a familiar FPS dungeon world with massively armoured avatars toting huge weapons, but the soundtrack is not quite what we might expect:
'Hello there Razor, you're looking sharp.'
'Hi Anarchy, you're more fraggable than ever and I'm not the only one who thinks so.'

2006, Jon Dovey, Helen W. Kennedy, Game Cultures: Computer Games As New Media:

For example, games are highly interactive but a dangerous beast when used for virtual heritage: content is fraggable, destroyed rather than created, and the social position of the participants is continually threatened rather than established.

2007, Yehuda Kalay, Thomas Kvan, Janice Affleck, New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage:

(video games, slang) Able to be fragged (killed).


KSP

Kerbal Space Program
w:Kerbal Space Program

(video games) Initialism of Kerbal Space Program.


theorycrafting

en-noun

theorycrafting (countable and uncountable, plural theorycraftings)

(video games) The act by which something is theorycrafted.


theorycraft

en-verb

theorycraft (third-person singular simple present theorycrafts, present participle theorycrafting, simple past and past participle theorycrafted)

theorycrafts (present singular third-person)
theorycrafting (participle present)
theorycrafted (participle past)
theorycrafted (past)

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(video games) To analyze (especially mathematically) the underlying mechanics of a video game in order to optimize or minimax one's gameplay.


theorycraft

en-noun

theorycraft (countable and uncountable, plural theorycrafts)


aim assist

You have to use the rapid fire mode on your PBC to turn off aim assist.

2001 April 8, Stephen Robertson, “Re: Wahooo, just got IWar Deluxe for $10”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.space-sim (Usenet), message-ID <hM1A6.69732$BA3.565909@monolith.news.easynet.net>:

The lack of a second analog stick makes aiming and strafing somewhat difficult, though the game compensates by including an “aim assist” feature to help wayward shots find their mark.

2007 October, Ryan Burke, “Call of Duty: Roads to Victory, by Activision, 2007, $39.99.”, in Military History, volume 24, number 7, Weider History Group, →ISSN, page 69:

The only way to make nonobvious, effective aim assist is to create a number of interleaved subsystems that help players in different ways.

2013, Tynan Sylvester, Designing Games: a Guide to Engineering Experiences, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 241:

(video games) Automatic adjustment to aim to improve accuracy.


permanent brain

permanent brain (countable and uncountable, plural permanent brains)

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This observation is in line with common human intuition that too strong or too weak opponents are not as valuable as the ones playing on approximately the same level. The weakest feature of KnightCap was playing in the opening phase. One possible remedy to this problem is the idea of “permanent brain” introduced in Crafty - the strongest publicly available freeware Chess program and a direct descendant of a former Computer Chess Champion - Cray Blitz.

2007, Wlodzislaw Duch, Jacek Mandziuk, Challenges for Computational Intelligence, page 417:

The [chess] program was set in normal playing mode, with non-deterministic, permanent brain styles. Technically it was given ample pause times, […]

2007, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research:

artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence

(video games) In turn-based games, the feature of an artificial intelligence opponent that allows it to evaluate and plan its moves even during another player's turn.


GDQ

(video games) Initialism of Games Done Quick.


SGDQ

Summer Games Done Quick
w:Summer Games Done Quick

(video games) Initialism of Summer Games Done Quick.


AGDQ

Awesome Games Done Quick
w:Awesome Games Done Quick

(video games) Initialism of Awesome Games Done Quick.


real-time attack

real-time attack (countable and uncountable, plural real-time attacks)

(video games, speedrunning) A non-tool-assisted speedrun of a game that is timed using a separate timer from that of any in-game timer.

(video games, speedrunning) The timing method itself used to time such speedruns.


gaming console

video game console
video game console#English

(video games) Synonym of video game console


Nintendrone

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


loot box

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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) A consumable virtual item, often in the shape of a box or another container, that gives a player a random selection of in-game items.

caixes de botí

a consumable virtual item that gives a player a random selection of in-game items


Mii

Blend of Wii + me. First introduced on the Wii, which was released in November 2006.

(video games) A customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile applications.


blast processing

(informal, video games, now humorous) The processing capabilities of the Sega Genesis video game console.


midboss

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Atariesque

(video games, rare) Reminiscent or characteristic of Atari games or products, typified by pixellated graphics and blocky consoles.


warpless

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a warpless speedrun

(video games) Without the use of warps to travel between sections of the game world.


blockout

blockout (countable and uncountable, plural blockouts)

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(countable, video games) A draft of a level where plain blocks serve as placeholders for environmental features.


multiplat

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(slang, video games) A game released for more than one platform.


wizmode

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wizard mode

The pinball usage is derived from The Who's 1969 concept album Tommy and its song "Pinball Wizard".

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


team deathmatch

team deathmatch (plural team deathmatches)

(video games) A competitive mode found in multiplayer shooter games in which teams of (usually two) competitors attempt to assassinate each other. If there are more than two teams, the variant term multi-team deathmatch may be used.


dance game

(video games) A video game where a player dances on a pressure-sensitive mat, attempting to follow a pattern of steps shown on screen in time to music.


dress-up game

(video games) A simple form of video game in which the player can dress a character in various different clothing.


pre-fire

en-verb

pre-fire (third-person singular simple present pre-fires, present participle pre-firing, simple past and past participle pre-fired)

pre-fires (present singular third-person)
pre-firing (participle present)
pre-fired (participle past)
pre-fired (past)

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I could hear him just around the corner, so I just started pre-firing until he walked right into the cascade of bullets.

There will be times you go from a full health bar to almost dead in one round of cart combat, but you can always repair at the next town, and there are definitely attacks that you can "pre-fire" to prevent getting bogged down and stay healthy.

2015, Andrew Fretz, “'Wizards and Wagons' Review - Shop Management Gets Mobile”, in TouchArcade, archived from the original on 2018-04-21:

I've seen others where players follow an unseen opponent with their crosshair and pre-fire as they turn the corner for an instant kill.

2016, Rich Stanton, “A negative-sum game: Policing Counter-Strike: GO cheaters with Overwatch”, in Ars Technica, archived from the original on 2018-01-19:

Steel, however, was stuck behind the corner in Squeeky, and he was forced to prefire the Squeeky opening because he knew dephh had to kill him to win the round before time ran out.

2018, Jamie Villanueva, “Steel’s clutch vs coL gives Torqued its first qualifier spot at DreamHack Tours”, in Dot Esports, archived from the original on 2018-04-24:

(video games, intransitive) To shoot at the anticipated location of another player before they are visible or within range.


jump'n'run

The scene of jumping on an invisible bridge is then to be seen as a discourse fragment that builds a discourse strand together with other elements (e.g., in the context of other jump'n'runs) that lead into a shared discourse that itself can be integrated into an elementary discourse or a dispositive (cf. Jäger 2004, 117). In the framework of a discourse analysis, Lara Croft's death jump would not be conceived as a unique moment or narrative.

2014, Jason Thompson, The Game Culture Reader, page 69:

The ideal example to illustrate the technique of Mickey-Mousing would, of course, be Warren Spector's Epic Mickey (2010), a jump'n'run game for the Nintendo Wii console in which the namesake of this scoring concept has to travel through wastelands and cartoon universes and meet inhabitants like Oswald the Rabbit, Mickey's historic predecessor abandoned by Disney Productions decades ago.

2012, Peter Moormann, Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance, page 98:

There are tons of first person shooters, millions of car or racing games, and thousands of platformers. All great ideas will be cloned and remade sooner or later. My friends and I have paid homage to a couple of our favorite Jump 'n' Runs with Pitiri 1977.

2014, Jürgen Brunner, Getting Started with Clickteam Fusion:

The absence of classical input options certainly complicates the playing of typical genre games as represented by, for example, Jump'n'Runs or Shoot'em Ups. Nevertheless, the touch-sensitive surface of iOS devices offers the possibility of emulating the missing joystick or game pad […]

2016, Thomas Lucka, iOS Game Development: Developing Games for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch:

(video games) A platform game that involves jumping over obstacles.


(video games, computer graphics) Halfway between two-dimensional and three-dimensional; typically limited to a two-dimensional plane with only limited access to the third dimension.


season pass

(video games) A digital season ticket that grants a user the access to all current and future DLC for a video game.


Genny

(video games, slang) A Sega Genesis video game console.


360 noscope

I totally owned that noob with a 360 noscope.

(video games, slang) A kill with a sniper rifle performed without scoping in after doing a 360-degree turn, often but not always while jumping down from a height.


360 noscope

360 noscope (third-person singular simple present 360 noscopes, present participle 360 noscoping, simple past and past participle 360 noscoped)

360 noscopes (present singular third-person)
360 noscoping (participle present)
360 noscoped (participle past)
360 noscoped (past)

I 360 noscoped on some noob.

(video games, slang) To perform a 360 noscope.


battle royale

en-noun

battle royale (plural battles royale or battle royales)

battles royale (plural)
battle royales (plural)

/ˌbætl̩ ɹɔɪˈæl/

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The video game usage derives from the 2000 film Battle Royale, which has a similar premise to the video game genre.

(video games) A video game genre centered around survival, exploration and scavenging, with last-man-standing gameplay.


stealth game

(video games) A type of video game in which the player primarily uses stealth to avoid or overcome antagonists.


Civ

Ци́ва

the Civilization games, or one of the games in this series

If you have played Civ before then, you already know what I am talking about. If you haven't, then what are you waiting for?

1997, Rick Barba, Michael Knight, Rod Harten, CD-ROM Classics: Cheats and Hints to Your Favorite Games, volume 2:

I'd worked almost exclusively on the Wizardry series, so I knew everything about it like the back of my hand. So when I played Civ, I became fascinated with how it did that.

2008, Tracy Fullerton, Game Design Workshop:

(video games, slang) Civilization, a turn-based strategy video game from 1991 (and various sequels) in which the player attempts to build and maintain an empire throughout history.

(video games, slang) a civilization, any of various playable empires controlled by a player in the Civilization games.


collectathon

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Rare would go on to produce several 3D platformers in this mould: Donkey Kong 64 (1999) was an absolute collectathon notable for an appalling opening rap and the ability to play as five very different characters […]

2015, Rich Stanton, A Brief History Of Video Games: From Atari to Virtual Reality, page 202:

As if this wasn't already becoming one of the most tedious collectathons ever, the game only bothers to track the total number of Zygarde Cells and Cores you've collected, which you can check by using the Zygarde Cube item from your bag.

2016, Gamer Guides, Pokémon Sun & Moon - Strategy Guide:

(video games, informal) Synonym of collect-'em-up


death barrier

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(video games) A (usually invisible) plane that causes the player character to die if touched or passed through.


PSN

PlayStation Network
w:PlayStation Network

(video games) Initialism of PlayStation Network.


XBLA

(video games) Initialism of Xbox Live Arcade.


artillery game

(video games) A style of turn-based video game where players control tanks or warriors scattered over varied terrain.


respawner

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(video games) An object in the game world that respawns things.


pixel hunting

Graphic adventure puzzle video games in the 1980s and 1990s could require the player to find objects or switches that were only a few pixels in size, in some cases hidden in the scenery.

(video games) Looking for a small, onscreen, hard-to-find object in a graphic adventure puzzle video game.

pixeljagen

to look for a small, onscreen, hard-to-find object in a graphic adventure puzzle video game


pixel hunt

pixel hunt (countable and uncountable, plural pixel hunts)

Like most adventure games, Phantasmagoria is a bit of a pixel hunt, so move your cursor around the screen to see what can be manipulated or examined in each room.

1996, Multimedia World, Multimedia World, Volume 3, Issues 2-9, PC Communications, page 89:

(..) and adjust the block size on the screen, so the visually impaired can play with big blocks, and those who like to play pixel hunt can do so with single-pixel square blocks.

2003, Alexandre Santos Lobao, Ellen Hatton, .NET Game Programming with DirectX 9.0, Apress, →ISBN, page 67:

Finding the solution to a puzzle involved figuring out how to move an object, or trying to decide in what sequence objects should be configured, or the frustrating “pixel hunt” (searching for the one spot on the screen that was a hot spot).

2012, Christy Marx, Writing for Animation, Comics, and Games, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 142:

Though far less frustrating than many text adventures, point-and-click adventure games often featured at least a few puzzles with highly illogical solutions and frequently forced players to engage in a “pixel hunt,” which refers to the process of moving and clicking the mouse all over a screen in hopes of finding a missed item or other important “hotspot.”

2012, Josiah Lebowitz, Chris Klug, Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: Proven Writing Techniques for Role Playing Games, Online Games, First Person Shooters, and more, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 19:

This is similar to a blunder designers of adventure games can make. We called this a pixel''' hunt and strove mightily to avoid falling into that trap.

2014, Lee Sheldon, Character Development and Storytelling for Games, Second Edition, Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 260:

(video games) a search for a small, onscreen, hard-to-find object in a graphic adventure puzzle video game


pixel hunt

en-verb

pixel hunt (third-person singular simple present pixel hunts, present participle pixel hunting, simple past and past participle pixel hunted)

pixel hunts (present singular third-person)
pixel hunting (participle present)
pixel hunted (participle past)
pixel hunted (past)

Unfortunately, once you actually go about solving the cases, the game falls into the trap that have been the bane of click n' point adventure games for years; illogical puzzles and pixel hunting.

2006 December, GameAxis Unwired, GameAxis Unwired, SPH Magazines, →ISSN, page 53:

We totally relate to gamers who hesitate to devote a few hours to pixel hunting to solve puzzles.

2009, PC Gamer, PC Gamer, volume 16, GP Publications, page 22:

(video games) to look for a small, onscreen, hard-to-find object in a graphic adventure puzzle video game


tube shooter

(video games) A shoot 'em up game in which the player advances through a tube or tunnel while moving around its circumference.


lifebar

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anticheat

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When we transition over to EA anticheat you won't notice anything different when logging in and playing, but this transition will enable our teams to be better equipped to find and remove players that don't play fair.

2023 September 29, “EA Anticheat and Battlefield 2042”, in Battlefield 2042:

(video games) A piece of software that detects and prevents cheating.


pro-gamer

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(video games) A professional player of video games; a competitive video game player; an ethlete.


vanity item

(video games) An item in a game that is purely cosmetic, not affecting the player's abilities in any way.


GCN

(initialism, video games) Nintendo GameCube, a sixth-generation home console


deagle

deagle (third-person singular simple present deagles, present participle deagling, simple past and past participle deagled)

deagles (present singular third-person)
deagling (participle present)
deagled (participle past)
deagled (past)

Someone from the FortniteBR subreddit recently posted a short clip of his gameplay where his character deagled another player in the head.

2018 April 16, Erwin Cruz, “'Fortnite:' Epic looking on hit reg changes; Meteor showers spotted”, in Blasting News:

Don’t say stupid things because you got deagled in a scrim.

2019 February 15, Alan Bernal, quoting Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, “NICKMERCS hits out at Fortnite PC players for bashing console players”, in Dexerto:

(transitive, slang, video games) To shoot with a Desert Eagle.


analog stick

(video games) A small potentiometer-based joystick mounted on a game controller.


health point

Each player begins with 30 health points, and the first player to reduce their opponent's health to zero wins the match.

2014 June 5, John Bedford, “Hearthstone - beginner's guide, classes, Hero Powers, card types, game modes”, in Eurogamer:

Evolution takes a cue from rudimentary RPG mechanics, granting more damaging attacks, more health points, and a stipend of skill points to enhance each of the beast's four unique abilities.

2015 February 14, Steven Strom, “Evolve Review: Middle of the food chain”, in Ars Technica:


(video games) Initialism of one-life clear: the feat of playing through a video game from start to finish without ever losing a life.


action point

(video games) A point that the player can "spend" on performing various in-game actions, such as spell-casting, which require various numbers of points.


horde mode

en-noun

horde mode (countable and uncountable, plural horde modes)

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(video games) A style of cooperative multiplayer gameplay where players work together to defend a target or fight through waves of enemies.


drop-in/drop-out

(video games) A style of competitive or cooperative multiplayer game where players can join or leave a game at any time without incurring a penalty for themselves or other players.


score attack

(video games) A gameplay mode in which the player is challenged to obtain the highest score they can.


rhythm game

(video games) A game that challenges the player to press buttons etc. to match a timed sequence indicated on the screen, usually in order to make the game character perform music or dance moves.


laner

Though teams from China have hoisted the Summoner’s Cup, which goes to the Worlds champion, it’s always been South Korean mid laners who have starred on those teams. Erzberger said Knight wants to be the first Chinese mid laner to hoist that trophy — and maybe become a national treasure himself.

2023 October 11, Daniel Brown, “League of Legends Worlds: Can ‘Golden Left Hand’ top ‘Faker’ to earn a grand slam?”, in The New York Times:

(video games) In MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games, a player who focuses on enemy characters traversing a particular "lane" or path on the map.


Switch

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(video games) Ellipsis of Nintendo Switch.


battle pass

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(video games) A form of in-game monetization that provides additional content for a game through a tiered system, rewarding the player with in-game items as they complete specific challenges.


masocore

(video games) A genre of games, with various playstyles, where survival and winning are intentionally made extremely difficult.


superboss

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Dragons stand head and shoulders above every other regular enemy type, dwarfed only by our game's final boss (whom we'll discuss at length later in the chapter) and its superboss.

2016, Darrin Perez, Beginning RPG Maker MV, page 285:

(video games) A very powerful boss character.


survival game

(video games) An action-oriented game set in a hostile open-world environment, where players generally begin with minimal equipment and must locate or craft further resources in order to survive, sometimes in competition with other players.


PVE

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


PBAOE

(video games, board games) Initialism of point blank area of effect (when the affected region is centred on the same character who is casting the spell etc.)


pervasive game

(gaming, video games) Any game that blends the gameplay experience with the real world.


ggez

GGEZ is toxic and should be bannable but saying that on this subreddit will get you downvoted and called a pussy.

[2022 April 29, “Is saying GGEZ considered toxic?”, in Reddit, r/leagueoflegends, archived from the original on 2023-11-17:

(video games) Abbreviation of good game, easy (used to taunt the loser).


ggwp

We had an amazing game with @AnonymoEsports thank you so much guys ggwp! 👑

2023 November 17, @Z10esports, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-11-17:

(video games) Initialism of good game, well played.


cut-in

(video games, by extension) A visual sequence focusing on a character's face or body while they perform a special move.


combat log

en-verb

combat log (third-person singular simple present combat logs, present participle combat logging, simple past and past participle combat logged)

combat logs (present singular third-person)
combat logging (participle present)
combat logged (participle past)
combat logged (past)

compound

log<id:disconnect><pos:short for <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">log out</i>>

(intransitive, video games) To quit a video game during combat to avoid dying.


PvP log

en-verb

PvP log (third-person singular simple present PvP logs, present participle PvP logging, simple past and past participle PvP logged)

PvP logs (present singular third-person)
PvP logging (participle present)
PvP logged (participle past)
PvP logged (past)

compound

log<pos:short for <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">log out</i>>

(intransitive, slang, video games) Synonym of combat log


newsgame

(video games, neologism) A video game designed on journalistic principles and serving a documentary or explanatory purpose.


overleveled

en-adj

overleveled (comparative more overleveled, superlative most overleveled)

more overleveled (comparative)
most overleveled (superlative)

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I prefer grinding exp until I'm overleveled for a boss, it's less frustrating in the long run.

(video games) In role-playing and similar games, having a higher experience level than appropriate for a given battle or task.


underleveled

underleveled (comparative more underleveled, superlative most underleveled)

more underleveled (comparative)
most underleveled (superlative)

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I prefer facing a boss a bit underleveled because of the extra challenge.

(video games) In role-playing and similar games, having a lower experience level than appropriate for a given battle or task.


battle station

In gaming and DevOps, you have to share your battle station […] You also have to share all of your tools and work on the same problems at the same time with people either in the same room or all over the world.

2016 October 19, Maggie Gourlay, “5 Ways Testing Games Trained Me for Testing DevOps Applications”, in VictorOps, retrieved 2021-01-12:

The Acer Predator XB271HU is the other highly-sought-after 1440p gaming monitor by enthusiasts for its unique quality and performance. […] The Predator scheme is widely preferred due to its appearance, since the black and red matches a lot of gaming-grade peripherals making it easy to streamline the look of your battle station.

2017 January 6, Paolo Reva, “Best 144Hz Monitors 2016 / 2017 - Buyer's Guide”, in MonitorNerds, retrieved 2021-01-12:

Upgrade your battle station & join the ASTRO Family at PAX South! Shop in our booth and save 20% on all of our products! We’ll have headsets, bags, apparel, accessories and more!

2017 January 20, ASTRO Siege, “PAX South 2017 – ASTRO Gaming Blog”, in ASTRO Gaming Blog, retrieved 2021-01-12:

Pre-installed with a high-end GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, the device can easily transform any Thunderbolt 3-enabled laptop into a powerful gaming battle station.

2017 June 21, Winston Chim, “GIGABYTE Releases AORUS GTX 1070 Gaming Box”, in FunkyKit, retrieved 2021-01-12:

(video games, colloquial) The setup that one uses to play video games on a computer.


cute-'em-up

It's a parody of Gradius (geddit?) and as such, is a fully-fledged “cute 'em up.” The hectic sideways-scrolling action is every bit as intense as its namesake, but instead of battling spaceships and futuristic hardware you have sunny levels filled with cartoon penguins, giant clowns, flying pigs and all manner of bizarre things.

Fantasy Zone was not a game meant to be taken as seriously as other shooters, and together with Konami's Twin Bee, it is credited by many for pioneering the cute shoot-'em-up, or “cute-'em-up sub-genre of shooters” (Kalata, “Spotlight”).

2018, Ken Horowitz, The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games, page 102:

(video games, slang) A shoot 'em up game with a cute, cartoonish aesthetic.


RROD

Alternative form: RRoD

For quotations using this term, see Citations:RRoD.

red ring of death
red ring of death#English

(video games) Initialism of red ring of death.


YLOD

yellow light of death
yellow light of death#English

(video games) Initialism of yellow light of death.


quarter-eater

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From quarter (“25-cent coin”); the machine would be repeatedly "fed" with these coins to continue a game.

(US, informal, video games) A coin-operated arcade game.


last man standing

(video games) A multiplayer deathmatch gameplay mode in which the last surviving player is the winner.


new game plus

First used in the game Chrono Trigger (1995).

Players want to experience the different weapon systems, so they will try the “New Game Plus” after they clear the story.

2016, Rosa Bottino, Johan Jeuring, Remco C. Veltkamp, Games and Learning Alliance: 5th International Conference:

(video games) The option to play again through a previously completed game, carrying over characters, attributes, or equipment from the previous play session.


open world

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Role-play games […] they use a closed visual world of walls or grids or open worlds across computer systems

2004, Paul Grover, “Computer Games in Your Hands”, in Visual Texts (The Heinemann English Project), Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic.: Heinemann Harcourt Education, →ISBN, page 15:

Open world games (sometimes referred to as "sandbox games") are one of the most popular genres of video games. They typically feature non-linear gameplay, the ability to roam the game world freely any way the player chooses, unscripted interaction with non-player characters (NPCs), and a living, breathing city, countryside, or fantasy environment to explore.

2007, David Hutchinson, “Kid-friendly Grand Theft Auto”, in Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom, Westport, Conn.: Teachers Ideas Press, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 110:

Liberty City, the virtual space of Grand Theft Auto III, can be interpreted as the spatial universe that qualitatively changes and combines the limited character attributes of the inhabiting non-player characters. Because they all seem to live and act in such a huge open world, they appear to be more complex themselves.

2008, Michael Nitsche, “Combining Interaction and Narrative”, in Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Worlds, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, →ISBN, part I (Structure), page 54:

The Saints Row games are open worlds, and many consider the Grand Theft Auto series to also be open worlds.

2014, Carolyn Handler Miller, “Video Games”, in Digital Storytelling: A Creator’s Guide to Interactive Entertainment, 3rd edition, Burlington, Mass.; Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Focal Press, →ISBN, part 4 (Media and Models: Under the Hood), page 283:

The second category of storytelling that coexists in GTA [Grand Theft Auto]’s open world takes the form of player-driven stories.

2017, Chris Solarski, “Transitions in Open-world Games”, in Interactive Stories and Video Game Art: A Storytelling Framework for Game Design (An A K Peters Book), Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, →ISBN, section II (The Dramatic Curve and Transitions), page 170:

What Guy doesn’t know, but the audience surely will (it's all over the trailers), is that he's not a real person at all but rather an NPC—or non-player character—in a popular and extremely violent open-world video game.

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, archived from the original on 2023-04-19:

(video games, also attributive) A gameworld that the player may traverse freely, rather than being restricted to certain predefined areas and quests.


one-trick

en-verb

one-trick (third-person singular simple present one-tricks, present participle one-tricking, simple past and past participle one-tricked)

one-tricks (present singular third-person)
one-tricking (participle present)
one-tricked (participle past)
one-tricked (past)

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(video games, transitive, intransitive, derogatory) To consistently play a video game using only one of the available characters or skill sets.


one-trick

(video games, derogatory) A player who consistently plays a video game using only one of the available characters or skill sets.


en-noun

1v1 (countable and uncountable, plural 1v1s)

I got back into StarCraft in 2007 and got really, really into competitive 1v1, and followed the Korean pro gamer scene and all that.

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

If you’re getting into 1v1s but can never manage to eliminate your foe first, then you need to work on your aim and reflexes.

2019, Tyler Blevins, Will Partin, Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming, New York, N.Y.: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, →ISBN, page 77:

From the sound of it, there was only one of them. If they had all come at me together, I would’ve been able to sweep them all at once with explosions. They’d probably taken that into account already. So they’re going to go for 1v1s, huh?

2023, Tsuyoshi Fujitaka, translated by Kevin Chen, These Legs Don’t Lie! Harumi’s Legacy as the Strongest Mimic, volume 1, J-Novel Club, →ISBN:

player versus player
player versus player

(video games) A style of player versus player gaming in which one player is pitted against one other player.


en-verb

1v1 (third-person singular simple present 1v1s, present participle 1v1ing, simple past and past participle 1v1ed)

In any other universe, they’d probably be 1v1ing Batman since you’re sure they’re the Joker incarnate.

Moreover, if you ever have a class on Upper Campus, you can get off at the second stop which is High St, saving you the trouble of 1v1ing Basser Steps.

2016 February, Bizzness One, UNSW Business Society, page 16:

“1V1 ME BRO”

Is she pissed that I barely did anything in our last battle but took all the credit and gloated in the end anyway?! Does she want to 1v1 me?!

2022, Kota Nozomi, translated by Tristan K. Hill, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 2, J-Novel Club, →ISBN:

JLINGZ was spurred on by it, Oscar ‘Yuki’ Jiang (江铭亮) felt the boost as he 1v1ed eventual winner Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen, and the home advantage had a palpable effect.

2023 February 16, Ben Sledge, “ALGS New Boys Northeption Are Here To Stay”, in TheGamer, archived from the original on 2023-02-16:

(video games, sports) To compete as one player pitted against one other player.


playersexual

en-adj

playersexual (comparative more playersexual, superlative most playersexual)

more playersexual (comparative)
most playersexual (superlative)

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All of the marriageable characters in farming simulator Stardew Valley are "playersexual", meaning they will marry the player regardless of gender.

2016 December 29, Gita Jackson, “2016 Was A Great Year For 'Shipping Our Favourite Characters”, in Kotaku Australia:

The fact that 65 characters can be interested in a same-sex relationship within Skyrim but only with the player is indicative of the fact that these characters are not bisexual, pansexual, or some other form of plurisexual—they are playersexual.

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

DA2 provides a notable contrast with both Origins and Inquisition in that all non-DLC romanceable characters are “playersexual”; […]

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, of an NPC) Attracted to the player character, especially without regard to gender, race, etc.


Robloxian

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ROBLOXian

based on the game's earlier title until 2017

(video games) A player of video games on the platform Roblox.


Robloxian

en-adjective

Robloxian (comparative more Robloxian, superlative most Robloxian)

more Robloxian (comparative)
most Robloxian (superlative)

Members who have played Roblox for one year or longer earn the Veteran Badge. Roblox considers these players to be loyal members who have stuck with the community and helped make it the game it is today. According to Roblox, “These medalists are the true steel, the core of Robloxian history…and its future.”

2017, Christina Majaski, The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Robloxing: Everything You Need to Know to Build Awesome Games!, New York, N.Y.: Sky Pony Press, →ISBN, page 40, column 1:

(video games) Of or pertaining to Roblox.


on rails

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So, first of all, let's clear it out of the way: it is not possible to deorbit any of the moons in the game. They are all on rails, and nothing you can do will adjust their orbit in any way whatsoever.

2012 November 10, Scott Manley, 0:18 from the start, in What does it Take To Deorbit A Moon In Kerbal Space Program, archived from the original on 2022-09-26:

(video games, of a character or object) Constrained to travel along a preset fixed path.


Xbone

Abbreviation of Xbox One for quicker use on Twitter.

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(video games, slang) Abbreviation of Xbox One.


Xbone

Blend of Xbox + bone, variously from the idea that Microsoft was "boning" their customers with their planned digital rights management and game licensing policies for the Xbox One, or from the idea that Microsoft was "throwing a bone to" gamers by changing their controversial digital rights management and game licensing policies for the Xbox One. May also have been coined from Microsoft's press conference during E3 2013, during which Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Studios at the time, partially obscures the Xbox One wordmark placed behind him.

(slang, video games, derogatory) Synonym of Xbox One


programmed random occurrence

en-noun

programmed random occurrence (plural programmed random occurrences)

A mistaken expansion of the abbreviation proc, which actually originated from procedure (in the computer programming sense).

(video games) A random event, typically activated by clicking on an object


K/D

D (countable and uncountable, plural Ds)

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

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


K/D ratio

D ratio (countable and uncountable, plural D ratios)

Doom offered a good, two minute release, but my K/D ratio was terrible. I needed something new, with a bit more space in game to get my bearings before getting shot.

2018 March 5, Curtis Silver, “I'm Terrible At 'Fortnite' But Can't Stop Joining The Battle Royale Of Punishment”, in Forbes:

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


kill-to-death ratio

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

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While “dying” in a video game is not much of a consequence itself, most game types in FPS involve respawning, allowing players repeatedly to throw themselves back into the battle. Even a highly skilled player with thousands of hours in online multiplayer matches will have a kill-to-death ratio hovering around 2.00 and will have witnessed several thousand deaths of his avatar.

2019, John Paul Wallis, Jay Mechling, “Playing Video Games”, in PTSD and Folk Therapy: Everyday Practices of American Masculinity in the Combat Zone, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 93:

(video games) In multiplayer fighting and shooting video games, the number of kills a player scores divided by their number of deaths.


noob cannon

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In addition to my first grenade kill ever (well, I mean in the game), I got accused of cheating. […] I think what prompted it was a round where I went absolutely fuckin' Ghengis with the noob cannon. I was brought down in a hail of small-caliber gunfire, but only after splattering 5 separate crania with 00 buck.

2000 December 29, Brian Trosko, “CS Cheating”, in alt.games.half-life (Usenet):

first-person shooter
first-person shooter

(slang, derogatory, video games) In first-person shooter games, a weapon that is popular with beginner players, usually due to its ease of use.


kill-death ratio

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

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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.


FemShep

Playing as FemShep hints that the game world's claims to gender equality may be overstated.

2017, Lynda Clark, “Commander Shepard”, in Jaime Banks, Robert Mejia, Aubrie Adams, editors, 100 Greatest Video Game Characters, page 44:

Interestingly, this seems the reason why FemShep is considered to be one of the most popular heroines in gaming history (Cobbett 2012: online), or even one of gaming's first true feminist and feminine protagonists (Hillier 2011).

2018, Silvia Pettinni, “Gender in Game Localization: The Case of Mass Effect 3's FemShep”, in Irene Ranzato, Serenella Zanotti, editors, Linguistic and Cultural Representation in Audiovisual Translation, unnumbered page:

A reveal trailer for Mass Effect Legendary Edition went live several hours ago, and fans have been watching it over and over. As has Jennifer Hale, the voice actor who played the female version of Commander Shepard across all three games, or "FemShep" as the character was dubbed.
Though her performance made FemShep more popular with hardcore fans, the marketing for the original games tended to focus on the default "BroShep", voiced by Mark Meer. Until now. This trailer shows a montage of scenes from across the series, and while BroShep is there—that's him macking on Miranda—there's more screen-time devoted to FemShep.

2021 February 2, Jody Macgregor, “FemShep finally gets her due in Mass Effect Legendary Edition trailer, Jennifer Hale extremely stoked”, in PC Gamer, archived from the original on 2021-02-03:

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