Gaming terms, acronyms, phrases – Complete and up-to-date gaming terminology

What does gg no re mean? And come to think of it, what does 1v1 mean? If these are the kinds of outbursts you’re seeing regularly scroll across your teen’s screen, then fear not. EHLION is here to help demystify the gamer slang and gaming terms you might come across on your forays into the video-gaming wilderness.

Maybe you’re just getting started in the world of gaming, or looking to take a tentative footstep in a whole new professional direction. We’ve put together to an up-to-date glossary of video game terms and gamer sayings to get you fluent in gamer speak in no time…

Now, FGSQTC* and get reading!

*For gosh’s sake quit the crap

Glossary of must-know terms

Gaming slang	Translation
AFK (Away From Keyboard)	Used to inform other players that you might be slow to respond, as you’re taking a break from the screen.
Aggro	A single-player game term in which you annoy an NPC (Non-Player Character) and they start attacking you.
AoE (Area of Effect)	Spells, abilities or special talents that work within the radius of a circle rather than on a specific enemy.
Camping	When a player hangs around a location – for example sticking to a particular alleyway and waiting for enemies to come to them.
FFA (Free For All)	This is commonly heard in multi-player and FPS games (see below). A Free For All can mean lots of loot (goodies, coins, treasures or bounties) available in a specific area, or it can also mean that every player needs to fend for themselves in a group situation.
FPS (First Person Shooter)	Action games that feature a first-person perspective, such as Call of Duty.
G2G (Got To Go)	Or ‘gotta go’. A quick way of letting other players know you’re signing off.
Gank	When multiple players gang up on a single player and attack.
Xcdse34r3GG (Good Game)	Commonly heard after a session.
gg no re (Good Game, No Rematch)	A phrase that’s used somewhat ironically after one player has completely destroyed another.
GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)	A bragging phrase that means exactly what it says!
Kiting	Attacking from a distance or using ranged attacks while moving around.
LARP (Live Action Role Play)	This is where gamers come out from behind their screens and get playing in the real world, physically making moves in fictionalized real-world settings.
LFG (Looking For Group)	Generally used in multi-player settings. A player will embark on a mission to gather more players around them before setting off on a particularly challenging quest or raid.
Meat Shield	Used to denote a player with incredible strength or power who will absorb much of the damage inflicted by the enemy by going ahead.
n00b	Sometimes spelled ‘noob’. Short for ‘newbie’: a person who is new to gaming, or to a particular game.
Nerf	This takes its name from nerf toy guns, and means to downgrade a weapon, to make it less dangerous.
NPC (Non-Player Character)	Characters that inhabit the game world and are not controlled by a player, but are built into the game code.
OHKO (One Hit Knock Out)	When a player destroys an enemy in a single attack.
OP (Over Powered)	Characters, enemies or objects that have disproportionate power compared to others.
Peel	Peeling is where a player’s teammate will distract or attack the enemy in order to ensure the player survives by keeping foe off their back.
PK (Player Kill)	Killing a player-controlled character.
PUG (Pick Up Group)	A team or group where players who don’t know each other will rally together to complete the same raid, quest or mission.
Pwn	When a player has been completely dominated, outplayed or overpowered by another, they have been ‘pwned’.
QQ	This is a text-based emoji used to show a player is sobbing: the two Qs look like weeping eyes!
RNG (Random Number Generator)	Expresses general randomness, when a player gets lucky or unlucky through the weapons they are given, for example.
RPG (Role Playing Game)	Games in which players are called on to inhabit their characters and their worlds. The Elderscroll series is a good example of this. Gamers generally prefer either FPS games or RPG games with little crossover. MMORPG is a related term (Massive Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game) and describes games in which this aspect is taken to the next level, with huge numbers of players all converging in a given game and world to play online.
Scrub	A scrub is a step down from a n00b! Someone who performs extremely badly in a game, whether or not they are new to it.
Scuffed	When a game is full of glitches and bugs, it’s scuffed.
Skin	A skin is an aesthetic change made to a character, weapon or item. A skin won’t affect gameplay, but merely serves to alter appearance.
Smurf	When a long-standing/experienced player creates a whole new character so they can play low-level opponents.
Tank	Just as powerful as a meat shield, but the term ‘tank’ is used to describe a high-powered player in any setting – not just when they’re being used for cover or protection.
XP (Experience Points)	Points collected as a player and their character progresses through a game, and generally associated with RPGs in particular.

Specific terms

Game-specific terms for Fortnite and Minecraft

Now that you have a sense of the player slang and gaming acronyms most commonly used in the gaming world, it’s time to get specific. Let’s take a look at some of the gamer talk you can expect to see thrown around in two of the hottest games around right now: Fortnite and Minecraft.

Fortnite

• Bots: Similar to the more general gaming term ‘n00b’ or ‘smurf’, in the context of Fortnite this means players who are inexperienced or poor players.
• Bubble: The storm/force field inside the game (“head to the Bubble”).
• Bush Campers: When players crouch down under the bushes for camouflage.
• Crack: Used as a verb. Because breaking an enemy’s shield results in a sound like cracking glass, when a player is ‘cracked’, it means their shield has been destroyed.
• Heals: You might hear a player ask another if they ‘have some heals’, meaning health-boosting remedies, whether chug splashes, bandages, or any other restorative items.
• LMG: Light Machine Gun.
• Nades: Short for ‘grenades’.
• Res: Reviving another player. “I’ll res you”.
• Shield pop: When an enemy’s shield has been ‘cracked’, a player has accomplished a shield pop.
• Tac: Short for ‘tactical shotgun’, or ‘tactical machine gun’.

Minecraft

• Biome: A Minecraft region or area.
• Butter/Budder: Minecraft ‘gold’ – because the bars of gold look just like sticks of butter!
• CTM: ‘Complete the Monument’, a treasure hunt-style game play mode.
• Griefer: A player who destroys other players’ progress or builds; a player who generally makes a nuisance of themselves.
• MC: Short for Minecraft itself.
• Mob: A Minecraft creature (such as a pig or chicken).
• Mod: Short for ‘modifications’, meaning software or patches that can be installed to upgrade the gaming experience.
• Skelly: Short for Minecraft’s skeletons.
• Stack: The full list of items a player keeps in their inventory.
• Vanilla: Vanilla is used to describe game play with zero mods.

Platform-specific terms for Twitch

When it comes to online gaming, gamers develop their own lingo and jargon to communicate with other players around the world. Twitch is currently the go-to gamers’ content-streaming platform and community, and draws on its own secret language that can seem impenetrable to the untrained eye.

• Achievement: This works like trophies – Twitchers accumulate achievements as they contribute and interact across the platform.
• Bit: This is the contributor ‘currency’ used across Twitch. Users collect bits that they can then use to ‘cheer’ (see below) for other streamers.
• Cheer: When a Twitcher awards cheers to a streamer, the streamer then collects bits as a reward for their content.
• Cheer badge: An icon used to show how many bits a user has cheered in a given channel, viewable by hovering over the user’s username.
• Dono: Short for ‘donations’. Streamers can accept donations in exchange for their hard work.
• Emotes: Emotes work like emojis, but are unique to Twitch – some of the most popular ones include Kappa (used to show a Twitcher is kidding) and DansGame (to express disgust).
• F: This can be typed out to express that a channel or stream has been disconnected.
• Hype: Expressions of support or enthusiasm from the Twitch community, whether in the forms of donos or cheers.
• LUL: The Twitch-specific equivalent of ‘LOL’ (Laugh Out Loud).
• Overlay: A skin that streamers can apply to their channel for aesthetic purposes.
• Turbo: Twitch Turbo is a membership upgrade that removes ads and gives users the option of customizing their emotes and colors.
• Whisper: Private messages that can be exchanged between users on Twitch.

Downloadable glossary

EHLION’s downloadable cheat sheet for need-to-know gaming slang, jargon and terminology gets you started on the road to learning to talk like a pro gamer.

Term	Specific	Translation
Achievement	Twitch	This works like trophies – Twitchers accumulate achievements as they contribute and interact across the platform.
AFK (Away From Keyboard)		Used to inform other players that you might be slow to respond, as you’re taking a break from the screen.
Aggro		A single-player game term in which you annoy an NPC (see below) and they start attacking you.
AoE (Area of Effect)		Spells, abilities or special talents that work within the radius of a circle rather than on a specific enemy.
Biome	Minecraft	A region or area.
Bit	Twitch	This is the contributor ‘currency’ used across Twitch. Users collect bits that they can then use to ‘cheer’ (see below) for other streamers.
Bots	Fortnite	Similar to the more general gaming term ‘n00b’ or ‘smurf’, in the context of Fortnite this means players who are inexperienced or poor players.
Bubble	Fortnite	The storm/force field inside the game (“head to the Bubble”).
Bush Campers	Fortnite	When players crouch down under the bushes for camouflage.
Butter/Budder	Minecraft	Gold – because the bars of gold look just like sticks of butter!
Camping		When a player hangs around a location – for example sticking to a particular alleyway and waiting for enemies to come to them.
Cheer badge	Twitch	An icon used to show how many bits a user has cheered in a given channel, viewable by hovering over the user’s username.
Cheer	Twitch	When a Twitcher awards cheers to a streamer, the streamer then collects bits as a reward for their content.
Crack	Fortnite	Used as a verb. Because breaking an enemy’s shield results in a sound like cracking glass, when a player is ‘cracked’, it means their shield has been destroyed.
CTM (Complete The Monument)	Minecraft	A treasure hunt-style game play mode.
Dono	Twitch	Short for ‘donations’. Streamers can accept donations in exchange for their hard work.
Emotes	Twitch	Emotes work like emojis, but are unique to Twitch – some of the most popular ones include Kappa (used to show a Twitcher is kidding) and DansGame (to express disgust).
F	Twitch	This can be typed out to express that a channel or stream has been disconnected.
FFA (Free For All)		This is commonly heard in multi-player and FPS games (see below). A Free For All can mean lots of loot available in a specific area, or it can also mean that every player needs to fend for themselves in a group situation.
FPS (First Person Shooter)		Action games that feature a first-person perspective, such as Call of Duty.
G2G (Got To Go)		Or ‘gotta go’. A quick way of letting other players know you’re signing off.
Gank		When multiple players gang up on a single player and attack.
GG (Good Game)		Commonly heard after a session.
gg no re (Good Game, No Rematch)		A phrase that’s used somewhat ironically after one player has completely destroyed another.
GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)		A bragging phrase that does what it says on the tin!
Griefer	Minecraft	A player who destroys other players’ progress or builds; a player who generally makes a nuisance of themselves.
Heals	Fortnite	You might hear a player ask another if they ‘have some heals’, meaning health-boosting remedies, whether chug splashes, bandages, or any other restorative items.
Hype	Twitch	Expressions of support or enthusiasm from the Twitch community, whether in the forms of donos or cheers.
Kiting		Attacking from a distance or using ranged attacks while moving around.
LARP (Live Action Role Play)		This is where gamers come out from behind their screens and get playing in the real world, physically making moves in fictionalized real-world settings.
LFG (Looking For Group)		Generally used in multi-player settings. A player will embark on a mission to gather more players around them before setting off on a particularly challenging quest or raid.
LMG (Light Machine Gun)	Fortnite	Weaponry.
LUL	Twitch	The Twitch-specific equivalent of ‘LOL’ (Laugh Out Loud).
MC (Minecraft)	Minecraft
Meat Shield		Used to denote a player with incredible strength or power who will absorb much of the damage inflicted by the enemy by going ahead.
Mob	Minecraft	A creature (such as a pig or chicken).
Mod	Minecraft	Short for ‘modifications’, meaning software or patches that can be installed to upgrade the gaming experience.
n00b		Sometimes spelled ‘noob’. Short for ‘newbie’: a person who is new to gaming, or to a particular game.
Nades	Fortnite	Short for ‘grenades’.
Nerf		This takes its name from nerf toy guns, and means to downgrade a weapon, to make it less dangerous.
NPC (Non-Player Character)		Characters that inhabit the game world and are not controlled by a player, but are built into the game code.
OHKO (One Hit Knock Out)		When a player destroys an enemy in a single attack.
OP (Over Powered)		Characters, enemies or objects that have disproportionate power compared to others.
Overlay	Twitch	A skin that streamers can apply to their channel for aesthetic purposes.
Peel		Peeling is where a player’s teammate will distract or attack the enemy in order to ensure the player survives by keeping foe off their back.
PK (Player Kill)		Killing a player-controlled character.
PUG (Pick Up Group)		A team or group where players who don’t know each other will rally together to complete the same raid, quest or mission.
Pwn		When a player has been completely dominated, outplayed or overpowered by another, they have been ‘pwned’.
QQ		This is a text-based emoji used to show a player is sobbing: the two Qs look like weeping eyes!
Res	Fortnite	Reviving another player. “I’ll res you”.
RNG (Random Number Generator)		Expresses general randomness, when a player gets lucky or unlucky through the weapons they are given, for example.
RPG (Role Playing Game)		Games in which players are called on to inhabit their characters and their worlds. The Elderscroll series is a good example of this. Gamers generally prefer either FPS games or RPG games with little crossover. MMORPG is a related term (Massive Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game) and describes games in which this aspect is taken to the next level, with huge numbers of players all converging in a given game and world to play online.
Scrub		A scrub is a step down from a n00b! Someone who performs extremely badly in a game, whether or not they are new to it.
Scuffed		When a game is full of glitches and bugs, it’s scuffed.
Shield pop	Fortnite	When an enemy’s shield has been ‘cracked’, a player has accomplished a shield pop.
Skelly	Minecraft	Short for skeletons.
Skin		A skin is an aesthetic change made to a character, weapon or item. A skin won’t affect gameplay, but merely serves to alter appearance.
Smurf		When a long-standing/experienced player creates a whole new character so they can play low-level opponents.
Stack	Minecraft	The full list of items a player keeps in their inventory.
Tac	Fortnite	Short for ‘tactical shotgun’, or ‘tactical machine gun’.
Tank		Just as powerful as a meat shield, but the term ‘tank’ is used to describe a high-powered player in any setting – not just when they’re being used for cover or protection.
Turbo	Twitch	Turbo is a membership upgrade that removes ads and gives users the option of customizing their emotes and colors.
Vanilla	Minecraft	Vanilla is used to describe game play with zero mods.
Whisper	Twitch	Private messages that can be exchanged between users.
XP (Experience Points)		Points collected as a player and their character progresses through a game, and generally associated with RPGs in particular.

Final thoughts: get down with gaming lingo for extra credibility

The language used in the gaming world ebbs and changes as new games, patches and upgrades are released, and as play evolves. Glossaries, dictionaries, and game-specific reference lists abound online, and forums in particular are a great place to stay up to date.

EHLION’s experience in providing professional translation services and working with partners and clients in iGaming and IT and software make us perfectly placed to handle your needs.

Get in touch for a free initial consultation on how we can support you through gaming localisation or software localisation services, or contact our team for a bespoke quote today.