If you’ve been gaming for a while, or even if you haven’t, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a whole lot of lingo that gets tossed around in the gaming world. If you’re not familiar with the words and what they mean, it can feel like you’re surrounded by people speaking a foreign language.
We’d like to help you decipher a few of the most common phrases. Here are ten more gaming phrases that might be helpful in your next conversation about gaming.
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Intro to Gaming Terms
Many of the indecipherable phrases we come across in the video game world are acronyms or technical jargon. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of these terms, so no one person can ever be expected to be familiar with all of them.
Not knowing the exact definition of the many different gaming terms is not a bad thing, but it’s not hard to learn some of the most common terms to help you understand “gamer talk.”
What is ADS in Gaming?
The most common use of ADS is “aim down sights,” and it’s used in the context of first-person shooter games. Sometimes called hard-scoping, ADS is the act of aiming your weapon at an enemy or other object within the game to get a better look at it. It also tends to be a more accurate way to aim.
In some cases, although it’s not as common a usage of the term, ADS can refer to enemies in the game that are easiest to kill.
What is DPS in Gaming?
DPS when applied to multiplayer online games is an acronym that stands for damage per second. The term is useful for describing how powerful different items or weapons can be within a game.
It can also be used to describe the amount of damage certain players can do versus other players in the game.
What is an Iceberg in Gaming?
“Iceberg theory” originated in literature, but it applies to games as well because many games are ultimately a storytelling medium. The theory states that less can be more when it comes to storytelling, and that writers (or in this case, game developers) should only show the “tip of the iceberg” and leave the rest below the surface for the reader (or gamer) to discover for themselves.
Rather than spelling everything out through dialogue or other more obvious ways, players can discover a more complex experience as they find hidden levels or quests or simply explore the more subtle details of the game’s setting or characters.
What is Indie Gaming?
Indie (independent) game developers are folks who are not working for one of the large-scale mega development companies. Indie games are usually created by a small team of people.
This is a direct contrast to huge projects fueled by AAA publishers and multinational studios pumping millions into game development.
A wide variety of indie games exist, but one thing they tend to have in common is that they have a relatively small budget. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t become hugely successful and profitable, as is the case with indie-developed Minecraft, Stardew Valley and many others.
What is Bloom in Gaming?
Bloom is a term used to describe a particular lighting effect in a game. Specifically, it’s the look of bright light glaring on a lens, and it’s used heavily in some games.
Games that use this effect include Shadow of the Colossus, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Fallout 3.
What is MMR in Gaming?
MMR in gaming refers to Matchmaking Rating. In online gaming, this rating is used to match you with other players of similar skill level.
Your MMR goes up when you win and drops when you lose a match. For those who are interested in MMR, it contains a variety of facets that you can focus on to tweak your numbers to get the opponents you want in a game.
What are Mods in Gaming?
Mods (modifications) in video games are changes to different aspects of certain games that are created by the community that plays them. These changes can be as small as minor bug fixes to complete overhauls or expansions with new content.
Mods are available as downloadable content (DLCs), but unlike official DLCs, mods are not created by the game developers.
A great example of what a strong mod community can do is evidenced by Bethesda and Skyrim’s mods. Users have created complete overhauls of the game, and have built some unique experiences within Skyrim’s framework, such as The Forgotten City or Enderal.
What is Tabletop Gaming?
Tabletop gaming is the term for any physical game that can be played at a table. In other words, it’s the old school version of gaming.
This term includes any game that can be played and typically is played at a table, so card games, board games, and RPGs such as MTG or D&D would fall into this category.
What is VC in Gaming?
VC can be a confusing acronym because it can mean one of two different things, so context is key when trying to define this term. We’ll give both definitions here.
VC stands for virtual currency, and it applies to any form of cryptocurrency that players can earn for completing objectives within a game. This is typical in crypto gaming, where players can easily buy in-game items or trade with other players using VC.
The other meaning of the term VC refers to voice chat, which allows players to communicate as a team during gameplay.
We hope you enjoyed reading about some of these commonly used gaming terms. Did you already know some or most of them? Did you learn any new ones? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments!
