New to gaming? Here are 10 terms to help you fit in

Gaming is growing rapidly in South Africa. Leagues like Telkom VS Gaming are growing exponentially, serving over 100,000 registered players in the country. To non-gamers this may seem like a foreign concept, but to those who have embraced this world, gaming has become a way of life.

However, non-gamers can easily pick up the language to help them understand the gaming scene, whether they are a parent, uncle or aunt with children or teenagers who love games, or someone who wants to get closer to it all.

Here is a list of the most common terms, along with their definitions so you can familiarize yourself.

Beginner

If you’re new to the gaming scene, get ready to be called a ‘Noob’. This means “newbie” – someone who is an inexperienced player and new to the gaming world.

Bots

In games, a bot refers to a computer-controlled character. These are all non-player characters (NPCs) in a game, including those you take on as a player and those on your side. Most massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and other competitive online games have bots banned because they can be used to gain points and experience when a player is not physically on the computer.

Grinding

Grinding is when someone spends time doing repetitive tasks in a game, to unlock a certain game element, get perks like weapons, or to build up the experience needed to get better at the game. Grinding often involves killing the same set of opponents over and over again to gain points.

Add

Every player hates these, these are the extra enemies that appear during your encounters with a boss (a boss is a significant computerized opponent that is generally stronger than other opponents). They force you to multitask as you have to simultaneously take them out while still dealing damage to the actual boss.

Camping

This is when a player finds a position within a map/level to wait for other players, NPCs (bots) or in-game items to appear. This strategy is known as “camping”. In most cases, players or “campers” find positions that give them a strategic upper hand over their opponents.

Easter eggs

Most movie and series fans are familiar with this term, similarly it refers to hidden messages, images and features in a game. This can come in the form of funny messages, a nod to an earlier edition of a series, references to movies/celebrities/memes and many more. Easter eggs are hidden by developers for players to find.

Hacking / Hacker

Hacking or hacker means cheating or cheating – if a player is called a hacker, it means that other players/opponents are accusing them of cheating in some way. On those days where you completely dominate your opponents, be prepared for someone to call you a “hacker”, don’t let it kill your winning streak, keep at it, it just means you’re getting better.

FPS

The acronym mainly has two meanings…

1) FPS is short for “First-Player Shooter”, which refers to a shooting game. In this type of game, you see the world through the eyes of the character you control rather than behind them.

2) FPS can also be used to describe “Frames Per Second” and talks about the number of frames per second your computer is capable of pushing out. The higher the frames, the faster the computer.

Rage quit

This is when a player gets so angry during a game that they abruptly leave, stop playing, and leave. This often happens when players are frustrated due to poor performance or losses.

Stomp

Trampling or being trampled means that things are going badly. In this case, the losing player/team is simply at a point of no return and cannot regain control of the game.

Now you should be ready to pick up a controller with these terms that will make it easier for you to understand gaming language. With enough practice, you will start to understand the gaming scene and get ready to play or enter gaming leagues like VS Gaming Masters and Championships.

* Visit www.vsgaming.co.za to register to play and get ready for a world of gaming.