If you beginner streamer, you have to learn about many things about games. It isn’t just about how to start playing, or how to prepare equipment, but also about gaming terms and slang. Especially about the culture of communication in the chat. However, do not be afraid, with our help you can easily learn a short course...
Although users of other streaming platforms also use slang, it is the gaming terms have practically become general standards. We have compiled a list of some of the most commonly used terms by streamers. If you want to be part of the gaming community, you should familiarize yourself with their slang.
A short list of gaming slang and terms in alphabetical order:
AFK (Away From Keyboard) - players temporarily not active in the game.
Aggro (short for aggression) - how enemy non-playable characters target players.
AOE (Area of Effect) - abilities or attacks that impact a specific area.
ARPG (Action Role Playing Game) - a gaming genre that emphasizes real-time combat.
Backwards Compatibility - this pertains to being able to play games from an older console to a newer one.
BRB (Be Right Back) - used when a player needs to leave for a moment, but will return shortly.
Buff/Debuff - Buffs are temporary enhancements to a character’s abilities, while debuffs are reductions.
Bullet Sponge/Damage Sponge – a derogatory term when an enemy soaks in the impact of bullets or damage.
Camping – refers to gamers remaining in the same spot in a game to surprise attack other characters.
Cheesing - refers to exploiting loopholes or opportunities in which the challenge in a game is greatly reduced in difficulty.
COD (Call of Duty) - warfare game, popular first-person shooter.
Comms/Calls (short for communication) - refers to talking verbally through a headset.
Cooldown - after using a skill, the cooldown is the waiting time before it can be used again.
Crafting - this is the process of combining materials to create a new, more powerful item.
DLC – stands for Downloadable Content.
DPM - stands for Damage Per Minute.
DPS - stands for Damage Per Second.
Easter Eggs – a hidden feature or message in a video game.
Escort Mission - these are missions that involve taking a non-playable character from one area to another.
EXP/XP (Experience Points) - a measurement of skill and a gaming term for leveling up.
FPS (First Person Shooter) - a video game that focuses typically on shooting guns from a first-person perspective
GG (Good Game)- a sign of respect after a game, acknowledging a well-played match, regardless of the outcome.
GG EZ (Good Game, Easy) - a demeaning phrase, implying that the game was effortlessly won.
GG WP (Good Game, Well Played) - a term shared among players who work well together in a game.
Griefing – purposely trolling or harassing other players, most often through comms or text chat.
Grinding – doing repetitive tasks to gain XP and progress in a game.
Haptic Feedback - a feature of the PlayStation 5 controllers, is when an action in the game translates to accurate sensations and vibrations from the controller.
Hitbox - this refers to the specific area on a character or object that can be affected by attacks.
HUD (Heads Up Display) - a status bar where information is visually shared with a player, deriving from the heads-up display in modern aircraft.
Idle Game - a type of game where player progression happens without the player's input, and often even while the game is closed.
Kill Screen – a video game level that is impossible to win.
Killstreak – the number of consecutive kills performed before a player dies.
Lag - a delay in response time between your actions and what you see on the screen.
Lobby – a virtual waiting room where players can talk before or after a game begins.
Loot - the rewards gained from gameplay activities.
Mana/Stamina - the resources used to perform actions. effectively.
MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena) - is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield.
MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) - video games where hundreds or thousands of player characters simultaneously interact in the game world.
MMORPG – stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.
Noob – a player who is new and inexperienced in gaming.
NPC (Non Playable Character) - these are all and any characters in a game that cannot be controlled by a player.
OP (Overpowered) - describes a character, item, or strategy that is too strong and unbalanced compared to others in the game.
Rage Quit - used frequently during online match-up games is when an opponent abruptly quits their game due to being beaten.
Respawn - this term is used when a player dies in a game and returns to life at a predetermined location.
Platformer - these games focus on jumping and climbing between platforms and over obstacles.
PvE (Player vs Environment) - stands for the game itself controls its players' opponents.
PvP (Player vs Player) - is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players.
QQ - an emoji that looks like a pair of teary eyes. Used as a taunt which means "cry more".
QTE (Quick Time Event) - is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen instruction/prompt.
RNG (Random Number Generator) - the randomness involved in loot drops or event occurrences.
Roguelike – a genre of games that involve procedurally generated levels, turn-based combat, and character death.
RTS (Real Time Strategy) - strategy games where players manage resources and units in real-time.
Sandbox - these games typically offer a wide-open world where players can shape their experience through exploration, construction, and manipulation of the game environment.
Soulslike - a subgenre of ARPG usually characterized as very difficult to master and defeat.
Speed-run - is an attempt to complete a game in record time.
Tank (also meat shield) - a character with abilities or equipment to have high health and damage mitigation that draws aggro from opponents and receives enemy attacks.
Telefrag - afrag or kill which occurs when a player uses a teleporter to get to a location occupied by another character.
Tryhard (also playing sweaty) - a type of gamer who tries very hard and is extremely serious at all times while gaming.
VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) - is Valve Corporation's cheat detection software.
Vaporware - video games announced and in active development for some time, but never released or officially cancelled.
WOW (World of Warcraft) - popular MMORPG fantasy game.
Zerging/Zerg Rush - tactic in strategy games in which the player uses many inexpensive, disposable units rather than skill or strategy.
In conclusion
For some beginner streamers, gaming slang can be confusing. And like every community, all chats have their own used terms. With our little dictionary, you can easily engage with other streamers and viewers and grow your channel. Hopefully, now you won’t have any problems when your viewers type unknown words in your chat.
P.S. Earlier we wrote our post about some of the most commonly used terms by Twitch streamers...
