Told You So Review's Guide to Gamer Language

Told You So Review's Guide to Gamer Language

Some of my viewers may not entirely understand some of the gaming terms I use, and if you are among that crowd, this dictionary of the language of gamers will be very helpful. It includes terms even I haven't used in my reviews, because gamers gotta know how to speak gamer. Example sentences are included, and examples for genres are the names of a game from the genre that I have reviewed.

A

Anti power move | The opposite of a power move (see "Power move")
Ex.: "You failed the level again! What an anti power move!"



B



Backseat gamer | Somebody that tries to tell their friend how to play a game while they are spectating. This is typically unnecessary and annoying

Ex.: "I know how to play the game, stop being a backseat gamer!"

Brawler | A typically 2.5D game that involves advancing from room to room while pummeling foes, thus earning the genre the nickname of "beat 'em up"
Ex.: Castle Crashers

C

Collectathon | A term that typically refers to nonlinear 3D platformers in which there are numerous collectable items that are necessary for progression
Ex.: Super Mario Oydssey 

COM / CPU | Abbreviations for "computer", as in a computer-controlled character
Ex.: The player was about to face a COM opponent.

Cut-scene | A cinematic sequence in which the story progresses and you usually have no control
Ex.: The final cut-scene was very lengthy.

D

DLC | Short for "downloadable content", which is, as the name implies, extra content you can purchase and download
Ex.: A new DLC map pack was released for the game.

E

Easter egg | A special hidden secret
Ex.: The Easter egg was very well-hidden.

eSports | Short for "electronic sports". That doesn't mean sports video games, it means professional gaming!
Ex.: The gamer made thousands of dollars through eSports.

Expansion pack | DLC that adds a significant amount of content to an online game, typically an MMORPG  (See MMO and RPG)
Ex.: The expansion pack increased the player level cap and added a new raid.



F

F2P / FTP | Short for "free2play" / "free-to-play", a game which is, well, free to play
Ex.: Random Heroes

FPS | Short for "first-person shooter", a shooting game in which you view the game from the eyes of the player character
Ex.: The Halo series

Freenium | An F2P game featuring DLC / IAP that can be purchased with real money (see "F2P / FTP", "DLC", and "IAP")
Ex.: Clash of Clans

G

God mode | When a player is massively overpowered and capable of creating lots of chaos
Ex.: "I've got a massive win-streak! I'm in God mode right now!

Grinding | Frequent repetition of a task in order to gain loot and / or experience points, typically in an RPG
Ex.: Destiny (this game contains a good deal of grinding)

I

IAP | Short for in-app-purchase. Essentially DLC for apps, but usually in the form of in-game currency instead of content (see "DLC")
Ex.: The game sold a virtual currency as an IAP.

J

JRPG | Short for "Japanese role-playing game" (see RPG)
Ex.: The Mario & Luigi series 

K

Killer app | Short for "killer application", a system's / company's most popular game

Ex.: The Super Mario series is Nintendo's killer app

L

Linear | Used to describe an objective in a game in which there is a strict path that the player follows

M

Minigame | A small and short game within a game
Ex.: The Mario Party series (these games aren't minigames, but minigame-based games)


MLG | Short for Major League Gaming. Major League Gamers compete in es|Sports tournaments for money (see "eSports")
Ex.: The gamer had won several MLG tournaments.

MMO | Short for "massively multiplayer online game", which is a game in which you interact with other users around the world. MMO is the root of subgenres such as MMORPGs (see "RPG")
Examples: No example

MOBA | Short for "multiplayer online battle arena", which are games that typically feature numerous distinct characters and are played from a top-down perspective in a PvP arena (see "PvP")
Ex.: No example

N

Noob | Sometimes written as "n00b". A noob is a newbie to a game and has a weak knowledge of it and little experience
Ex.: The player was inexperienced and considered a noob by others

NPC | Short for "non-player-character". An NPC can also be an NPC residence
Ex.: The player found a group of NPCs.

O

OP | Short for "overpowered"
Ex.: "That weapon is OP!"

P

Platformer | A game that usually involves jumping from place to place. 2D platformers are played from a side-view perspective, and 3D platformers are open-world and allow  more exploration. Platformers usually contain collectibles such as coins and power-ups
Ex.: The Super Mario series

Power move | An impressive feat
Ex.: "You just beat the final boss! What a power move!"

PvP | Short for "player versus player"
Ex.: The PvP arena was elaborate.

Pwn | To brutally defeat an opponent
Ex.: "I'm gonna pwn this guy!"



R

Rage quit | To quit out of rage and frustration
Ex.: The player had failed so many times that he rage quit.

RTS | Short for "real-time strategy", a game in you must execute a strategy with no break to plan it out-- it all moves in real time
Ex.: Warmongers

RPG | Short for "role playing game", a that is usually set in fantasy world and usually contain turn-based or real-time battles feature and a cast of numerous characters
Ex.: The Paper Mario series

S

Sandbox | A game allow you to explore an open world able to do whatever you please
Ex.: Minecraft

T

TBS | Short for "turn-based-strategy,", a game in which you engage in strategic turn-based battles
Ex.: No example

TPS | Short for "third-person shooter", a shooting game in which you view the player character from a third-person perspective. This is typically an over-the-shoulder view
Ex.: Kid Icarus: Uprising

I hope this guide was helpful! Now you'll know what to say when you go god mode pwn those n00bs in a PvP match in your favorite MOBA!