Kriss Bliss, who was ignorant to all things gamer until falling in love with one, discusses what happens when the geek-challenged shacks up with the ultimate gamer.
Kriss Bliss here with another installment of The Gamer Girlfriend. This one pays homage to the infinite wonders of gamer slang. The nuances of language and communication are hallmarks of any great culture, and over the years the gaming community has popularized its own set of typist-friendly abbreviations and slang phrases.
If, like myself, you’re a gaming outsider in a close relationship with a gaming disciple, statements like “Dude, this mob takes forever to spawn” or “Hey babe, how’s your XP doing?” might initially stump you. If curiosity (or alienation) so moves you, here’s a list of basic gamer terminology to help improve communication between you and your honey.
The Basics:
AFK: Away From Keyboard. This becomes increasingly important as your playtime tolerance increases. “AFK a sec.”
BIO: A glorified piss break or time spent away from the computer to tend to bodily functions. One reason you might need an AFK. “BIO” Simple and to the point, no explanation necessary.
BRB: Be Right Back…with a beer, some cheese puffs and a backup caffeinated beverage.
Newb (newbie): A new player such as yourself. Kind of like being an awkward freshman.
Noob: Also a new player, but lame. "What a noob."
NP: No Problem. As a newb, you may see this after screwing up and apologizing profusely for getting your group killed. A less likely response if you’re in fact a noob.
OTW: On The Way. “Bloodfist's OTW from Lavastorm.”
Slightly Beyond Basics:
Camp: To remain in one strategic place and repeatedly kill people or mobs. Excruciating for attention deficit prone folks.
Mobs: NPC monsters or opponents. “Mob inc” which essentially translates into “monsters incoming.”
NPC: Non-Player Characters. AI (artificial intelligence) controlled people wandering in the background or story characters you can talk to. “Let’s turn in our quest to that NPC.”
Expansion Pack: Additional money making game content created by the developer. Kind of like a Photoshop upgrade. Uber exciting for your gamer honey.
Frag: Kill. Not to be confused with “frack” a la Battlestar Galactica. As a newb/noob, you will undoubtedly be fragged. “I just fragged that noob!”
Gank: To be ganked is to have your character killed by unfairly overwhelming odds. The ego hates being ganked.
Grats!: Congratulations, usually expressed when you achieve a higher level or acquire a kick-ass piece of gear. “Grats, man.”
JK: Just Kidding. Great for passive aggressive types. “You’re a skank noob! JK J”
LFG/LFP: Looking for group/party/person. “Lvl 43 Shadowknight LFG.” Please, please pick me…
Ninja Looter: The pariah who steals loot from a slain monster, chest, etc., which s/he didn't earn and/or doesn’t need.
Owned: An electronic beat down. Also known as “pwned,” a great option for people with shitty typing skills.
RL: Real life. Scary stuff.
Spawn: The act of a character popping into existence in the game world. Kind of like lice spawning on one’s head.
STFU: Shut The F@ck Up. Often followed by the word “noob.” Not very polite.
Teabagging: The lovely tradition of crouching over a recently slain player’s toon, as to dangle one’s private parts in the face of the deceased.
Toon: Short for cartoon, a character in an online game. Your gamer honey will have several toons.
XP: Experience Points. Most commonly used in role-playing games (RPGs) where characters gather a certain level of XP to progress to the next level. At times, your gamer honey will seem excited about your XP level, even if you don’t quite understand why.
WOOT!: Gee, that went well. Overused, sapped of any significant meaning.
WTF?: In gaming, WTF? expresses confused alarm, as in “What the f@ck just happened?” As a newb/noob, you may hear this a lot. “WTF!?!? Stupid noob.”
Image via STFU Noob