This makes it relatively difficult to know the meaning since they aren’t used in most casual conversations.
However, if you play a PC or console game then you have definitely heard at least one of these before.
Gamers have created a whole new level of communication and it continues to evolve over time.
In this article, we cover some of the slang you may find gamers using over voice channels or chat and what they mean.
Ace
An ace is a player from one team who singlehandedly defeated all of the opposing team.
This is commonly used in games like Rainbow 6 Siege and Valorant.
AFK
This stands for ‘Away From Keyboard’, used in the same way that BRB (Be Right Back) is.
This term has spread from PC gaming and is also used for console games (even though there are no keyboards).
Aggro
Aggro is a shortened form of aggressive and is used to describe neutral mobs who have turned hostile.
This is commonly seen in Minecraft with mobs like zombie pigmen and wolfs.
Aimbot
Aimbots are cheats that can be added to a game that automatically makes you aim at an enemy. These are used in shooters and are frowned upon.
AOE
This stands for ‘Area Of Effect’ and is used to describe how far a move or attack can reach.
Avatar
An avatar is the character you play as in certain games. They are usually very customizable.
Backward Compatible
Games that are backward compatible are usually older games that are able to be played on newer consoles.
For example playing an XBOX 360 game on an XBOX One, or a PS4 game on the PS5.
These games are usually added to a library on the newer console or are able to be played directly from the old disk.
Boss
This is the main enemy at the end of a level. They are harder than other enemies and usually require you to use skill and strategy to defeat them.
Bosses are commonly part of the plot. They give you a large reward after defeating.
Bots
These are players that are controlled by an AI. You can work with or against them.
Buff
A buff is when a player or weapon gets strength added to them. These can be temporary in-game or permanently added to them.
If a buff is permanently added by developers then it is usually in order to balance game mechanics.
Bullet Sponge
A bullet sponge is an enemy in the game that takes a lot of hits to kill.
Camper
Camping is a ‘tactical’ movement where a player sits in one spot to take down enemies. This is a negative term in the online gaming scene.
Carry
A carry is usually one player who carries the team to victory due to their high skills.
Checkpoint
A checkpoint is a part of the game that it autosaves. You will usually return to this spot if you die.
Cheesing
Cheesing is when you defeat an enemy through no skill, usually by exploiting a certain move or spot on the map.
Clutch
This is used commonly in the phrase ‘coming in clutch’, this is when a player defeats the odds to secure a victory.
The player is usually outnumbered and seen as an underdog.
Cooldown
Some moves have cooldowns which is the waiting period before you are able to use the move again.
The stronger the move the longer the cooldown usually is.
Cracked
This term is used to describe someone who is exceptionally skilled at a game.
Crafting
This is the process in some games where you create items from different materials.
Cross-Platform
Cross-platform games are online multiplayers where you can play with people from different consoles or PCs in the same match.
DDOS
It stands for ‘Distributed Denial Of Sevice’ and is a type of cyber attack.
It is when a server is flooded with traffic from multiple sources so that players can’t access the game.
Deathmatch
A deathmatch is usually the final match of a game where the players face each other and the winner takes it all.
DLC
DLC stands for ‘DownLoadable Content’ and are additional parts of the game that are separate from the main aspects.
DLC can be in the form of an extra plot, cosmetics, or weapons.
Some DLC is available for purchase whereas others are free. It depends on the content of the DLC and the developers of the game.
DPS
Stands for ‘Damage Per Second’ and is used to measure how powerful a move or weapon is.
Drops
These are the items that enemies leave behind when defeated. Drops can be a variety of items such as weapons, XP, currency, or crafting materials.
Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are part of games that are harder to find and are put there by developers for gamers to find.
They usually have little impact on gameplay and are fun to find. Sometimes they are references to other game properties.
E-Sports
E-sports are a form of entertainment and are typically professional gaming tournaments. They are usually different games like shooters or MMORPGs.
Common e-sport tournaments are Overwatch, League Of Legends, and Apex Legends.
FPS
FPS stands for ‘First Person Shooter’. It is when you see gameplay from the perspective of the character, usually being only able to see your weapon and arms.
They are a type of immersive gameplay.
Get Rekt
This is a shortened form of ‘get wrecked’ and is usually said after defeating an opponent.
GG
Simply stands for ‘Good Game’ and is said after the end of a game even if you lost.
GG EZ
This means ‘Good Game Easy’ and is said if you won a match with little challenge.
Git Gud
It is a purposeful misspelling of ‘get good’ and is said to inexperienced players in a mocking manner.
Glitch
Glitches are unintentional parts of the game that make parts look odd or break them.
Some people use glitches to their advantage to progress in games faster.
GOAT
GOAT stands for ‘Greatest Of All Time’ and is used as a complement to good players.
GOTY
GOTY stands for ‘Game Of The Year’ and can be used in a genuine or sarcastic tone.
Griefing
Griefing is an action done by trolls to ruin other players’ online experiences. It can be stealing from them or ruining their creations.
It is commonly done on Minecraft servers.
Grind
Grinding is a tedious action in games where you perform the same actions over and over again in order to get more XP or items.
Hacking
Hacking is essentially cheating in a game and bending the code to a person’s will.
HP
It is the player’s health points.
HUD
It is the ‘Head-Up Display’ and is information around the screen. It commonly shows the player’s health, ammo, and map.
I-Frames
These are invincibility frames and are a period after you are hit where you can’t get hit again.
Indie
Indie games are made by smaller companies. They can be quite niche or explode in popularity.
K/D
This is short for a kill/death ratio and is the stats of how much you have killed versus how often you have died. Ideally, you want a high kill and low death.
Some players use it as a measurement of their skill.
Killstreak
This is the number of consecutive kills you have without dying.
Lag
This is the delay between pressing a button and the character performing the corresponding action.
This could be built in-game or be internet issues if playing on an online server.
LFG
Stands for ‘Looking For Group’ and is used online for people who are looking for a consistent group or clan to play games with.
Loadout
A loadout is what items or weapons you are using during a match.
Lobby
A lobby is where players hang out before a match. This is usually while a game is loading or looking for the appropriate amount of players.
A lot of lobbies allow players to talk and interact with each other.
Loot
Loot is similar to drops but is considered to be more valuable items.
Loot Boxes
Loot boxes are commonly purchased and have randomized items in them. They are criticized as being a form of gambling and a way to pay to win.
Main
This is the character that you primarily play as.
Mashing
This is when you button mash with no real strategy. It is usually found in fighting games and is seen as a negative thing.
Matchmaking
This is the process that assigns players to a match. Some games decide the matches based on the players’ level or experience in order to make them evenly balanced.
Meta
Knowing a game’s meta is knowing the ins and outs of it to find the best tactics to achieve victory.
Min-Maxing
Min-maxing is when you minimize undesired traits and maximize the desired ones. This is used to complete games as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Miniboss
Minibosses are weaker than the main boss but stronger than the normal enemy.
MLG
This stands for ‘Major League Gaming’ and can also be used to describe a skilled player.
MMORPG
MMORPG stands for ‘Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game’ and are huge online worlds where people play together.
They are commonly themed with one of the most popular being World Of Warcraft which has a fantasy setting.
Mob
These are computer-controlled enemies.
MOBA
MOBA stands for ‘Multiplayer Online Battle Area’ and is considered a subgenre of RTS (see later in the article) and has many players in one match.
Similar to MMORPGs, they are commonly themed. League Of Legends is a popular MOBA with a fantasy/mythology setting.
Mod
This is short for modification and is added to the game by players to make it more fun or to fix aspects of it.
Nerf
Nerf is the opposite of buff and is when a character or item has strength taken away from it. This is usually for balancing purposes.
No Scope
This is a term used when a player kills someone with a sniper rifle without zooming in on the scope.
Noob
Also spelled ‘n00b’, is a derogatory term to describe an inexperienced player.
NPC
Stands for ‘Non-Player Character’ and is a character in the game with set dialogue. They act as background characters or can provide you with quests.
OP
This stands for ‘Over Powered’ and can be used to describe a character or item.
Patch
This is a downloadable update to a game that will fix certain aspects of it post-release.
Ping
This is the measure of how long it takes for information from the server to reach the character action. A high ping may mean a player experiences lag.
PVE
This stands for ‘Player Versus Environment’ and is when the player is against computer-controlled enemies. This can be done solo or as an online team.
PVP
PVP stands for ‘Player Versus Player’ and is when players are against each other for victory.
Pwnd
This is a purposeful misspelling of ‘owned’ and is used when you easily defeat someone or you have been easily defeated.
QTE
Stands for ‘Quick Time Events’ which are aspects of a game where you are asked to hit a specific button at a certain time.
Rage Quit
This is the act of angrily leaving a game.
Raid
Raids are large multiplayer events where players participate in a common goal.
Respawn
This is when a player comes back after dying.
Review Bombing
This is when people leave mass negative reviews on a game to harm its sales. This is done in protest no matter the quality of the game.
Rezz
This is when a player is resurrected or revived.
RNG
This stands for ‘Random Number Generator’ and is when an outcome is selected randomly.
RPG
Stands for ‘Role-Playing Game’ and is when there is no linear plot and the player controls the character’s dialogue and actions.
These types of games usually have multiple endings.
RTS
This stands for ‘Real Time Strategy’ and is a genre of game where you have to manage resources and base building.
Popular RTS games are StarCraft, Age Of Empires, and Supreme Commander.
Rubberbanding
This is when you move in a game but latency causes you to be pulled back to where you previously were. This is due to the poor internet connection.
Sandbox
These are open-world games.
Scrub
Is used as an insult to imply a player is bad.
Scuffed
This word is used to describe a bad game or bad aspect of a game.
Skins
These are for character customization and are usually collectible.
Smurf
This is when a skilled player creates a second account in order to play with less experienced players.
Spamming
This is when a player hits the same move repetitively.
Spawn
This is where players arrive in the game. There could be one spawn point or many.
Spawn Camper
This strategy is considered to be poor sportsmanship and is when a player waits by spawn to kill materializing characters.
Tank
Tank is a player who takes all the attacks but doesn’t go down. This is due to high HP or defense.
Throwing
This is when a player intentionally loses a game.
Toxic
Toxic is used to describe rude players.
TP
Is short for ‘TelePort’.
TPS
Stands for ‘Third Person Shooter’ and is when you can see the character you are playing as.
Triple A
Triple A games are from big companies with a high production budget and a lot of promotion.
A Triple A game doesn’t necessarily denote quality and is usually under high scrutiny due to its budget.
Popular Triple A franchises include Call Of Duty, Pokemon, and Resident Evil.
Tryhard
This is someone who takes the game too seriously.
WASD
These are the keys commonly used for movement on PC gaming.
XP
Sometimes called ‘EXP’, these are found through killing enemies and are needed for leveling up.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully you now know what some gamer slang means so that you can play your game with ease without googling a new word every few minutes.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
