Gamers use a lot of acronyms, abbreviations, and terms. Check out this list of common abbreviations, acronyms, and video game terms used to communicate in and about games if you’re new to gaming or just don’t know them all.
I’ve been playing video games my whole life, but I’m not even familiar with all of the terminology. So, I did some research and came up with a list of the most commonly used acronyms, abbreviations, and video game terms. I’ll be adding new ones as I come across them.
Terms and Abbreviations
| AFK: Away from keyboard |
| AoE: Area of affect |
| Boss: A main bad guy or final bad guy |
| Bots: Non-human opponents in multiplayer games |
| BR: Battle royale |
| BRB: Be right back |
| Buff: Beneficial effect to character |
| Cooldown: A certain amount of time you have to wait to use an ability again |
| Crafting: Making objects with gathered materials |
| DLC: Downloadable contenct |
| DOT: Damage over time |
| DPS: Damage per second |
| EXP/XP: Experience points |
| F2P: Free to play |
| FoV: Field of view |
| FPS: First person shooter |
| GG: Good game |
| Glitch: An issue in the game |
| Grinding: Repetitive actions for a specific outcome |
| HP: Health points |
| HUD: Heads-up display |
| Killstreak: The amount of kills a player has before they die |
| Lag: A delay between your command and the action happening in game |
| Loot: Items you can pick up usually after defeating an enemy |
| MMO: Massive multiplayer online game |
| MOBA: Multiplayer online battle area |
| Mod: Modification |
| MP: Mana or magic points |
| Nerf: Negative affect to character |
| Noob: New Gamer |
| NPC: Non-player character |
| OP: Over powered |
| PvE: Player versus environment |
| PvP: Player versus player |
| QTE: Quick-time event |
| Respawn: When a player comes back to life |
| RPG: Role-playing game |
| RTS: Real-tile strategy |
| SIM: Simulation game |
| Skin: Cosmetic change of the looks of your character |
| TBS: Turn based strategy |
| TPS: Third person shooter |
Game Ratings
| Rating | Definition |
|---|---|
| EC | Early Childhood |
| E | Everyone |
| E10+ | Everyone (10+) |
| T | Teen |
| M | Mature |
| RP | Rating Pending |
| AO | Adults Only |
Check out my comic book words glossary as well.
Let me know in the comments if I am missing any acronyms, abbreviations, or video game terms because I’ll add them.