Gaming Slang - Get Fluent in Gamer Talk

Online gaming is simply the playing of a video game over the internet, usually with friends. Online games can be played on any number of devices from dedicated video games consoles, to PCs, laptops and mobile phones. 

With so much in the world of gaming to come to terms with, it can be a minefield of ludicrous lingo and funny slang words that can feel impossible to compete with.

And so how do you know your clutch from your rage quit? That’s where Slang Hub comes in!

Our specialist team of gamers have put together a breakdown of the 50 most common gaming terms that you’ll need to know before you dive in and start dropping phrases like a pro:

1. AFK: Away From Keyboard, for when you’re weren’t playing for a temporary amount of time.
   “Sorry I was AFK, I had to answer the doorbell”

2. GG: Good Game. A nice way to say “well played” at the end of a match.
   “GG, everyone!”

3. Noob/Newb: A beginner player, often inexperienced or clueless.
   “That noob just walked right into my trap!”

4. Pwned: When someone completely dominates or defeats another player.
   “Wow, that player just got pwned!”

5. Rage Quit: Leaving a game out of frustration, usually by turning the console off.
   “He rage quit after going 3-0 down in 20 minutes.”

6. Clutch: Performing something amazing under pressure, like a last-minute victory.
   “That was such a clutch play!”

7. Camp: Staying in one spot, usually to ambush opponents.
   “Stop camping and move around!”

8. DPS: Damage Per Second, how much damage a character or weapon can deal.
   “We need more DPS to take down this boss.”

9. Nerf: Reducing the power or effectiveness of something in a game.
   “They really nerfed that weapon in the latest update.”

10. Buff: Opposite of nerf—making something more powerful.
    “My character got a huge buff this patch!”

11. Grind: Repetitively playing to gain experience, loot, or rewards.
    “I’ve been grinding all day to level up.”

12. XP: Experience points, what you need to level up in most games.
    “I just earned enough XP to hit level 10!”

13. Respawn: When a player comes back to life after being killed, common in FPS games.
    “Wait for me, I’m just respawning”

14. Lag: A delay between your actions and the game’s response.
    “Sorry guys, my game is lagging badly”

15. OP: Overpowered, when something in the game is too strong.
    “That sword is so OP, it needs a nerf!”

16. Spawn Kill: Defeating an opponent right after they respawn.
    “Spawn killing is such a cheap tactic.”

17. Loot: In-game rewards or items you can collect.
    “I just found some epic loot in that chest!”

18. Gank: Sneaking up on and ambushing another player.
    “Watch out, they’re trying to gank you from behind!”

19. Meta: The current dominant strategies or best characters/items in a game.
    “That character is the meta right now.”

20. Toxic: Negative or rude behavior in the gaming community.
    “That chat was so toxic, I had to mute it.”

21. Smurf: A high-level player using a new or low-level account to dominate beginners.
    “I think that noob is actually a smurf!”

22. Griefer: A player who intentionally tries to ruin the game for others.
    “That griefer keeps blowing up our base!”

23. Farm: Repeatedly killing enemies or gathering resources to gain rewards.
    “I need to farm some materials for crafting.”

24. Hitbox: The invisible area around a character or object that detects hits.
    “That hitbox was way off—I shouldn’t have been hit!”

25. Alt: A secondary character or account.
    “This is just my alt account; I’m practicing.”

26. Cheese: Using a cheap or overly easy strategy to win.
    “I cheesed that boss fight with a glitch.”

27. Tilted: Becoming frustrated or angry.
    “I’m so tilted right now, I can’t even focus.”

28. AOE: Area of Effect, an ability or attack that affects a large area.
    “Watch out for that AOE attack, it hits everyone around!”

29. Carry: When one player leads the team to victory, often doing most of the work.
    “He totally carried the team that game.”

30. Tank: A character who can take a lot of damage and protect teammates.
    “We need a good tank to soak up the damage.”

31. Frag: To kill or eliminate an opponent, especially in shooters.
    “I fragged two enemies in one shot!”

32. Feeding: Dying repeatedly and giving the enemy team an advantage.
    “Stop feeding them kills!”

33. Rez: To resurrect or revive a teammate.
    “I’ll rez you after this fight, hang in there!”

34. Flame: Insulting or trash-talking someone in chat.
    “No need to flame me, it was just one mistake!”

35. Ping: A signal to highlight something in the game or how fast your connection is.
    “Can you ping that enemy location again?”

36. Bot: A non-player character (NPC) controlled by the game, or an extremely bad player acting like one.
    “That player is playing like a total bot.”

37. Scrub: A player who’s not good at the game and complains about losing.
    “Quit being a scrub and practice more!”

38. Juke: To fake out or trick an opponent into thinking you’re going one way but going another.
    “I totally juked that guy and escaped!”

39. Aggro: Drawing the attention or attacks of enemies.
    “I’ll take the aggro while you heal up.”

40. Bait: Luring an enemy into a trap.
    “I’m going to bait them into this room.”

41. Main: The character you primarily play in a game.
    “Lucio is my main in Overwatch.”

42. One-shot: Defeating an enemy with a single hit.
    “I just one-shot that boss with my ultimate!”

43. Throw: Intentionally losing or playing poorly to ruin the game.
    “Why are you throwing the match? We could still win!”

44. QTE: Quick Time Event, when the game asks you to press a button at the correct moment to succeed.
    “I missed the QTE and failed the mission!”

45. Peek: Quickly looking around a corner to spot enemies without getting hit.
    “I’ll peek and see if anyone’s there.”

46. Kiting: Keeping an enemy at a distance while dealing damage, so they can’t hit you back.
    “I’m just kiting the boss around while you attack.”

47. PvP: Player versus Player, where players compete against each other.
    “I’m not much for PvP; I prefer story mode.”

48. PvE: Player versus Environment, where players face AI enemies or challenges.
    “This game has a great PvE campaign.”

49. Stacking: Using the same effect or ability multiple times for increased power.
    “Let’s keep stacking our buffs for more damage.”

50. F2P: Free to Play. 
    “This game is so amazing, I can’t believe it’s F2P”

And with that, you’re now ready to take the world of gaming by storm! GG, you’ve got this!