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Adventure :

It is a subgenre of a game that is heavily story driven in which exploration and puzzle solving will be a main factor. For this reason, it is also generally a single player, offline kind of game.

AFK (Away from keyboard) :

Abbreviation used to signal that you or someone will not be present in front of their computer for a certain amount of time.

AOE (Area Of Effect) :

Pretty self-explanatory, refers to the radius of various effects and spells in any given game. 

ARPG (Action Role Playing Game)

It is a subcategory of RPG in which the action is generally more present and at a faster pace than a normal RPG. Ex : Dark Souls III, Diablo

Ban :

Action of banning an element in-game such as : maps, cards, decks, characters, etc.. This usually happens in competitive settings or when the developers of a game consider that something shouldn’t be played due to an unexpected issue about one of these elements, making it unbalanced.

Benchwarming : 

Refers to a person that is not selected to play, someone who is considered a substitute. Common term used in many sports.

BM (Bad Mannered) :

Any in-game moves that can be considered as bad sportsmanship. It can also refer to a player being rude in chat or voice chat. Ex : Making sure a turn in a game takes a lot longer than it should, tea bagging the corpse of an opponent (by crouching then getting up with your character), quitting a game early leaving your teammates alone, etc.

Bo (3-5-7-etc.) :

Bo stands for ‘’best of’’ and is followed by an impair number. Usually seen in competitive settings, implying that the winner(s) needs to win a majority of games to win the match. So in a Bo3 they would have to win 2 games out of 3, in a Bo5 they would have to win 3 games out of 5 and so on.

Body blocking :

This one is more self-explanatory. It refers to the action of using your character’s or unit’s body to block another player’s one. This is possible and differs from game to game depending on the in-game physics, also known as unit collision. It is widely used as a strategic advantage in many games.

BR (Battle Royale) : 

It is a type of game in which you usually start with very few equipment inside a very large landscape with one or two teammates. As the game progresses, you are to find better equipment to defeat other squads in an ever smaller zone. Eventually, the zone, out of which you slowly die, gets small enough to force a fight between the last contenders. Fight from which there can only be a single winning squad. Ex : Fortnite, Apex Legends, PubG

Buff : 

Across all games, this word refers to any effects that have the purpose of enhancing the in-game capabilities of a character. For example, many support characters have the ability to buff their allies. Support characters can also apply a debuff on enemy characters, which make them weaker. A buff can also be permanent if it is applied by the game developers to underpowered characters (as opposed to a Nerf), giving an opportunity for different and more viable strategies.

Card games : 

Type of game in which you need to theorycraft and build your own deck of a determined amount of cards to defeat your opponent by bringing his amount of lifepoint to 0. You do so by playing a synergy of different kinds of cards like minions, spells, sorceries, quests, secrets, heroes, etc. that each have a unique effect.

Carry :

Refers to a specific role of a character/player inside many games, which role is to cause the most damage in order to kill/destroy the enemy.

Cheese/cheesy :

Refers to an in-game tactic or strategy that relies almost solely on the element of surprise to succeed and would be otherwise discarded as a viable play.

Clutch :

Term also used in other sports referring to the act of performing well under pressure, being very effective or even getting out triumphant in a play against all odds. 

DnD (Dungeons and Dragons)

DnD or D&D is well known in the gamer world. It is an RPG tabletop game that inspired many game creators. Some games are even based on DnD rules like the Baldur’s Gate and Divinity series. 

GG (Good Game) : 

In most games, people can type to everyone or at least their own team and  gg is a polite way to say you enjoyed the game at the end of it, win or lose. Often typed with WP (well played) Could be considered BM if said at the beginning of the game, as if it was already won because the opponent is not as good.

GL (Good Luck) : 

Classic polite response usually typed at the beginning of the game. Often used with HF (have fun).

Greedy :

Taking an unnecessary risk in order to gain more value at the end of any given play. Often includes putting your teammates at risk, and in some cases can even put the whole outcome of the game at risk.

HF (Have Fun) : Classic polite response usually typed at the beginning of a game. Often used with GL (good luck).

Horror : 

Much like for movies, it is the type of game that emphasizes the horror ambiance. Be ready for jumpscares and very tense situations. Most of the time, horror themed games are also survival games.  

HOTS : Abbreviation of the game called Heroes of The Storm

Idle game : 

Type of game that does not require your attention nor your presence to progress, you basically follow a few steps and login from time to time to make a few adjustments to optimize your points and collect different rewards.

JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game)

While JRPG are still RPGs to their core, many have japanese ‘’characteristics’’ to them. A good example of JRPG games would be the entire Final Fantasy series.

Juke :

Aside from being my love’s Gamertag, a juke or juking is the action of evading a negative effect or an attack from your opponent. It is an essential part of a game to master in any competitive game.

LAN (Local Area Network) : 

A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building.

LAG  :

In online gaming, lag refers to a noticeable delay between the inputs of players and the reaction of the server which supports the game. The impact of lag can vary from one type of game to another, the faster the pace of game, the greater the impact. Closely related to Ping.

Meta :

Implying a deeper knowledge of a game, the meta represents an amalgam of key knowledge in a game around which strategies are made. In general, the meta revolves around the best cards or characters offering the current best synergies or simply the most powerful characters. This knowledge is very important to be able to create counter-strategies. The meta is continuously evolving keeping the game interesting and is mainly changed by the discovery of those counter-strategies or by balance updates created by the game developers.

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) : 

It is a subgenre of strategy game in which two teams, of usually 5 players, play against each other by controlling a single heroic unit in a predefined landscape. To win the game, both teams need to gather experience points and resources by defeating enemy minions, heroes and neutral minions in order to make your hero strong enough to push and destroy the opponent’s main base . Those heroes each possess a different skillset which the player needs to master to be able to perform. Important to note that there is no story or character progression after a game.  Ex : Dota 2, League of Legends, Heroes of The Storm

MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) : 

Type of game that can be played at the same time with hundreds of thousands of other players on the same server. The special characteristic that makes it unique, is the persistent world in which events are happening in a never ending cycle even when you aren’t logged  in. Ex : Guild Wars, Runescape 

MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) : 

Mix of the characteristics of an MMO and an RPG. Ex : World of Warcraft

Mulligan :

Formally known for it’s informal use in golf for a second chance to swing after a blunder, in gaming this term is used mainly in card games, but instead of another swing, you get to decide if you keep your starting hand or roll for another one. The specific ways a mulligan is done may vary from a card game to another. 

Nerf :

A nerf is a balance change that is decided by the game developers as a goal to diminish the power level of any given characters or cards. This can give some space for strategies that would otherwise be ineffective. A nerf is as opposed to a buff.

Noob (Newb) : 

Most likely used as an insult, this term means that the player is new and/or bad at a given game. It can also be used to tease a friend that isn’t necessarily bad. Ex : A player that started to play a new game who keeps dying over and over on the training level.

NPC (Non-Player Character) : 

Refers to all characters that are not played by a human. This term actually stems from the boardgames world. Ex : a bot, an Ai.

Ping : 

Closely related to LAG, it refers to the amount of time required by the server to react to the inputs of the player. It is usually shown in milliseconds, the lower the number, the better it is for the player, allowing a fluid gameplay.

Platforming : 

Type of game that is known to most people because of this famous plumber Mario Bros! It is indeed the kind of game where you have to jump, roll, dodge attacks, kill monsters and collect coins. Falling to death is often a real threat in those games! Ex : Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, Zelda 

PVE (Player vs Environment) :

PvE refers to all aspects of a game that concern players playing against everything that isn’t related to another real player, as opposed to PvP. A mix of both is also possible

PVP (Player vs Player) :

PvP refers to all aspects of a game that concern players playing against other players, as opposed to PvE. A mix of both is also possible.

Ranking system (the usual gaming world one) :

The ranking system across many competitive games is quite consistent. Each game may have some form of variant, but usually follows this pattern, ranked from the lowest to the highest league of play : Bronze – Silver – Gold – Platinum – Diamond – Master – Grand Master. Behind this ranking system, there is a number attributed to each player, called MMR (Match Making Rating) that goes up or down depending on many factors. The main ones being if you win or lose a game and if your opponent  was considered stronger or weaker than you. This number is then used by the matchmaker and tries to find opponents of similar MMR. This number also determines in which league you are.

RPG (Role Playing Game) : 

Type of game characterized by character development. As you level-up and get stronger, you can decide how your character is going to evolve in your playthrough. Also usually involves a strong storyline in which you will have a series of decisions to make that can influence the outcomes of the entire game.  Ex : You can decide if your character will be more intelligent, physically stronger or faster. You can decide to be good, evil or anything in between. Ex : Baldur’s Gate, Divinity Original Sin

RTS (Real-Time Strategy):

 It is a subgenre of strategy games in which you usually need to gather resources in order to build a base and an army composed of different types of units to ultimately destroy your opponent’s. It is recognized by most as the hardest type of game to master. Ex : Warcraft III, Starcraft II

Salty : 

This is a common word amongst gamers that refers to the general feeling of being annoyed, irritated or even angry at the game or another player. 

Sandbox games :

Refers to games that leave the player with a lot of space for creativity to achieve different tasks, usually in an open world. There might not even be a specific goal to the game, hence the non-linear storytelling or even the absence of it. In fact, these games focus on innovative gameplay. Some good examples are : Minecraft, Just Cause, Grand Theft Auto.  

Scrim :

A scrim is a serious practice prior to a competitive event. Teams can ask each other to make a custom match in which they can test their strategies. Usually these teams participate in similar events or are at a similar level of play to assure a certain level of quality of the practice.

Scrub : 

This term is a relative of noob, meaning that a player is new or bad at any given game, but is usually a more negatively charged word.

Smurf (not the small blue ones) : 

A smurf is a secondary account that is used to play the very same game. It can be used for many reasons like : practicing some new strategies and/or characters, to be able to play with friends that you are unable to play with because of the skill gap or simply to play without the stress of affecting your ranking points. It is important to note that smurfs aren’t loved by all gamers since, by design, they can negatively affect the algorithms that are made to match players against other players of similar skills. 

Squishy : 

Characteristic of any character in any game that has low tolerance to damage, that is easy to kill. 

Support : 

Refers to a specific role of a character/player which role is often to heal, enhance and protect his allies. They can also have some skills that can weaken enemies.  

Survival :

It is a subgenre of action games in which you generally have to use your resources carefully in order to survive and complete your quests because they could prove scarce. There is often a crafting system which lets you use the resources you gather to generate some of the items you need to survive. They are generally happening in an intense/hostile open world.

Tank : 

Refers to a specific role of a character/player inside many games. Much like the term suggests, the character filling this role must be very tough and hard to kill. This type of character usually has skills to be more resistant to damage and others to impair opponents.

Third person shooter (has no known abbreviation) : 

Unlike an FPS, you have an ‘’over the shoulder’’ field of view over your character. This means in addition to controlling your character, you also need to control the camera to better see the world around you. Some games even feature the possibility to switch between the two. Ex : Gears of War, Fortnite, Resident Evil 4

WP (Well Played) : 

Classic polite answer at the end of a game, won or lost, that often comes with gg.

Yeet :

To vigorously discard something or someone, usually by pushing or throwing. Also seen on tabletops games like Dungeons and Dragons where one can yeet the dice over the table.