Whether you’re playing an online game or you’re watching a stream on Twitch, you’ll hear a lot of gaming slang. People who’ve been playing games for years use this slang as a second language and it’s impossible to escape it when on the web. If you love video games and you plan to stick around in the gaming world, learning this slang can come in handy. But what are the most important terms and acronyms to keep in mind? Here are some of them every gamer will find useful.
General terms and acronyms
Some gaming terms and acronyms are so popular that you’ll stumble upon them even if you’re just a casual gamer. Being aware of them can not only make your interaction with other players easier but it may even affect your score. Let’s start with terms you may find when looking up games online. If you want to play a game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, what you’re searching for is an FPS. FPS stands for “First Person Shooter” and the genre’s main trait is gun-based combat. If you prefer releases like World of Warcraft (Wow), what you’re looking for is an MMORPG or “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.” In these games you assume the role of a character and interact with other people’s characters and non-player characters (NPCs.) MMORPGs are all about taking quests and defeating bosses. And no, these aren’t your bosses at work. These characters are the ultimate bad guys and are usually very difficult to beat. To become stronger than them, you have to farm. Farming in the gaming world usually refers to killing monsters in order to get your level up.
The most important acronyms
Acronyms are more popular in the world of gaming than you can imagine. However, when you think about it, it all makes sense. Who has enough time to type the whole phrase while in a middle of a battle, right? This is exactly why acronyms such as BRB come from. BRB stands from “Be Right Back” and it’s something you type to your teammates when taking a short break. If you plan to take a longer break, you tell your teammates that you’ll be AFK or “Away From Keyboard.” Some games even allow players to see which characters didn’t move for a while using this acronym. When playing a MOBA or “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena” game such as League of Legends (LoL), you’ll see other acronyms being used as well. For example, players usually type GLFH before a game starts. GLHF stands for “Good Luck, Have Fun” and it’s used to establish a feeling of sportsmanship. Similarly, at the end of the game, you’ll see players type GG, indicating that they had a “Good Game”. NPCs players fight are most often referred to as MOBs which stands for “Monsters or Beasts”.
Online casino terms and acronyms
Online casino games have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years and they’re here to stay. More and more people are spinning slots and playing online poker every day. Naturally, they developed some of their own slang, just like MMORPG and MOBA players did. If you plan to play online casino games, becoming familiar with this slang is a good idea. Let’s start with the most obvious one. Almost all online casinos offer bonuses to their players. Bonuses usually refer to additional money or credit you get when playing online casino games. A similar term you might come across is “bonus bet.” Bonus bets give you another chance to play the game, whether it’s a slot game or roulette. Most of these games employ RNGs to determine your score. RNGs are Random Number Generators and they make online casino games all about luck. Once you start taking more risk, other players will call you a high roller and they’ll keep a close eye on your score.
Toxic conversations
No matter what kind of online games you play, you’ve already or you’re about to experience toxic conversations. This usually includes rambles with your teammates who aren’t satisfied with your contribution to the game. These players are often referred to as “toxic” and they come around more often than you would imagine. Some players simply don’t have patience for new players and they often call them noobs. The worst part of it is that even some veteran players get the noob etiquette when they’re having a bad day. If they’re angry but don’t even have time to call you a noob, they might just type Grr. Grr denotes sheer anger and it usually means there will be more complaints coming from that player later on. Some people like to start rambles because of the opponent or teammate’s play style. For example, if you prefer using snipers in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) or Fortnite, people might call you a camper. Another thing you’ll see is players calling those who complain “salty” which is a gaming world equivalent for upset.
Conclusion
All terms and acronyms covered in this post are just some of those you’ll stumble upon when gaming with other people. Memorize the most important ones and your gaming journey can begin. Once you get hooked, you’ll start using them more and more. After all, why let typing and talking with other players stop you from achieving a high score.
