If you are new to gaming you might get confused about game terms that we gamers usually used. Understanding gaming terms are very important especially when playing online games.
Game terms can often be like a foreign language for those new to gaming, it can be difficult when speaking into the mic when playing or sending a message to someone inside the game if you don’t have an idea about these terms.
As a gaming veteran with decades of experience in gaming, let me share with you some important terms that we often use in games.
DPS
DPS is an acronym for “damage per second”, it is based on how much damage can an in-game character deals in a single encounter. The higher the DPS the more damage a character can deal to opponents.
In some other games, DPS only uses some characters that have the skill to inflict periodic damage to their target.
RPG
RPG is short for role-playing game, it is a game genre where players can take the role of the main characters or any available characters in the game.
An RPG game is usually a game that is based on a storyline, it was usually a single-player game without real-time PVP action.
MMO
MMO is a game term for massively multiplayer online, it is any kind of game genre with a massive number of players that are in the virtual world of the game.
With the massive number of players, MMOs are also a kind of game with a lot of PVP modes where you can challenge other players in a duel.
MMORPG
MMORPG is a combination of role-playing games and massively multiplayer online games. In an MMORPG you can expect that the game style is almost the same as in RPG games.
The only differences are MMORPG has a bigger environment where you can meet a lot of players in one place at the same time. In MMORPG you can interact with some other players like teaming up or engaging in a real-time PVP action.
FPS
FPS means frame per second, in gaming frame per second refers to the number of frames or images a computer or any kind of gaming device can produce per second.
The higher the FPS the more smoother your gaming experience will be.
FPS
Aside from frame per second, the game term FPS has another meaning, other FPS are referring to first-person shooters. It is a kind of sub-genre of a shooter game. Some shooter games like COD, PUBG, and LifeAfter have a second-person point of view while a game like Bullet Angel, Counter Strike, and Apex Legends is a first-person point of view.
A first-person point of view is like what your eyes can see in real life, you can only see everything in front of you and you can’t see yourself without using a mirror.
AFK
AFK means away from the keyboard, AFK was original use in PC games when players left their keyboard and resulting in their character not being responsive.
For now, AFK is used for every player that is temporarily unavailable due to poor internet or any kind of errors that lead to disconnection.
NPC
NPC is a game term that is referring non-playable characters, inside the game they are those characters that are roaming around or stay in one area, those characters that are usually giving guests, or characters inside the main storyline or quest, sell items, or any game characters that are not controlled by real players.
MOD
Mod means modded, these game terms are usually used to a modified version of the game. It is modified by a third-party developer to change its cosmetic design.
Some mod games have an unlimited supply of items, currency, or any kind of consumables in the game.
PVP
PVP is a game term meaning player vs player, it refers to gameplay or game modes where players can challenge or fight other players in a certain part of maps or in the arena. PVP is usually can be found in games like MMORPG, strategy games, and shooter games.
PVE
When there is a PVP there is also a PvE. A PvE means players versus environment, gameplay where players can fight other creatures in the game that aren’t controlled by players.
PVE is usually found in some games like RPGs, offline games, or gacha games, those kind of games that follows the storyline in the game.
MOB
MOB or MOBS are game terms meaning mobile object, they are all non-playable characters in the game including NPC. But now when you hear MOBS from gamers, we are referring to monsters or any creatures in the game that need to be defeated.
AOE
AoE is a gaming term meaning “Area of Effects”. This term is being used in some games that have characters whose skill can inflict area damage in the surrounding. For example in the MOBA game, when this term is being used it means that the character can inflict damage to any enemy who enters the area where it was being cast.
MOBA
MOBA means Multiplayer battle Arena. It is a game genre popularized by DOTA, a game that involves two teams that will compete for victory. A MOBA mostly has three lanes that are needed to defend, whoever team finishes the main objective will be declared as a winner.
HP
HP means health points but in some games, it means hit points. An HP is basically the Life or the amount of damage a character can sustain before being defeated or killed.
When a player takes damage for any reason their HP will decrease and when it reaches zero their characters will be defeated or killed. HP is used in almost every game genre that you can encounter, so it’s a must that you know this gaming term.
MP
While HP means hit points an MP means Mana points. The game term mana points are used in some games that required mana to use or cast a skill. It was usually represented the same as the HP bar but different in color.
Not all games include mana points in their gameplay, you can usually find mana in games like RPG, MMORPG, and MOBA games.
IMBA
IMBA means imbalanced, this game term is used for in-game characters that are broken or overpowered. Imbalance characters usually from after the game update, revamp, or rework certain characters that make them very powerful in the game.
This game term is usually used in MMORPG, RPG, and strategy games but it might also appear in some other game genre.
Skin
Skin is a game term that refers to any cosmetic enhancement in the game characters. Skins are also called outfits in some other games, in most cases, players only acquired skins by buying or spending real money in the game.
Skins are also a strategy by game developers to earn money in their games
Smurf
Smurf is a game term used when players intentionally create a secondary account. In most cases, they create a Smurf account to take advantage of or make fun of Newbee in the game. They create a Smurf account and pretend that they are a newbie for the game system to match them with some real newbie and dominate them on the battlefield.
Some players also create a Smurf account to help their main account progress faster, like in some MMORPGs where items and resources can be shared with other characters in the same account so they create a Smurf to gather more resources and spend it on their main account.
Bottom Line
Now that you are familiar with some important game terms I guess that are now more prepared on playing video games. Familiarizing these important terms can help you better understand the game or what your teammates are referring to.
Also, keep in mind that every game has its own game terms and sometimes the game terms that players are using may also vary based on different regions or places.
But the terms that I featured on this list are well-tested and the most important ones are commonly used by the game itself or the players. All of the terms that I feature are based on decades of my experience playing video games.
If you wanna share your game experience or expertise on certain games, feel free to join the forum section of this website. It’s free, see you there.
