The gaming industry, and gaming, for one, has come a considerably long way since our childhood. It was pretty simple to play Super Mario Bros on the TV back in the day. The only gaming term we learned from the game was “1-Up”. It meant that we just scored an extra life in the game.
These days, many children, and even adults, play video games that are connected to the Internet. It lets them join other players from across the globe on the same platform. If these games also have the notorious voice-chat feature, it is done. The game will now offer an entirely immersive experience to the gamers, with its own slang, acronyms, and many more things.
Therefore, if your kid is also highly involved in gaming, it can also feel like they are speaking a whole new language when you walk by them. Yes, it is way different than the regular teen slang you see. To help you understand what these terms mean, we have come up with some of the most popular gaming slang words that children use today, and here they are.
Some of the most popular gaming terms and acronyms
AFK: AFK is the acronym for ‘away from the keyboard.’ Players say it when they have to step away from the keyboard for some time, for any reason. A similar term that players can use in this situation is ‘BRB,’ which stands for ‘Be right back.’
Avatar: Avatar is what the character of a particular player looks like in a game. In many games, players can customize these avatars with many features, props, clothes, and various other things. For those who are familiar with using Snapchat, Avatar is more like a Bitmoji for players in a game.
Boss: Boss has a pretty relatable and easy-to-understand meaning. Many of us already know what a Boss means. Boss or the Final Boss is the bad guy or character that a particular player has to beat to finish the game. The Boss is usually the most challenging opponent. If you look at it from a movie perspective, The Boss is the main antagonist. Players generally face the Boss in a battle in the final level of a game. A boss is bigger, badder, and harder to beat than other villains in a game.
Camping: It is when a character stays hidden in one spot, waiting for an enemy to pass by so the player can ambush the enemy. When a player is camping out in one place, the player gains an unfair advantage by attacking characters secretly, or even better, from a hidden vantage point, without even being seen.
Crafting: Crafting is when a player creates a virtual item in the game for themself. It can be anything, for instance, if a player makes a house for the character to live in or anything of that sort.
DLC: DLC is the short-form for ‘downloadable content.’ Downloadable content is the content that gamers can purchase for a video game. Downloadable content can range from something as simple as cosmetic upgrades to something complex like a whole new level in a game or literally a mini-game in a game.
Easter-egg: It can be anything that is hard to find, but it means something to the players or to the game. It can be an image, a message, a secret weapon, or even a secret location in the game. For example, there can be a poster in the home of the character which depicts the developer’s favorite horror movie or TV show.
Esports: Many people might know the meaning of this term. It is the term for professional and competitive gaming where players face each other for substantial cash prizes.
FPS: FPS is the acronym for ‘first-person-shooter.’ It can be an adventure or an action or simply a shooting game where the player sees through the eyes of their in-game character and interacts with the world the way we see through our own eyes. We cannot see our faces unless we are in front of a mirror in real life. The concept in FPS games is similar.
GG: GG is the short-form for the term ‘good game.’ Players often use this term in the chatbox after a game ends. It usually means that they played a good game, which is obvious to infer from its full form.
Killstreak: It is the total number of times a player can consecutively kill other players before being killed. For example, if a player killed ten players in the game before being shot by another player, his killstreak is 10.
Noob: Noob is slang derived from, and is more of a modified version of the word ‘Newbie.’ It refers to a gamer who doesn’t have that much experience, thus, doesn’t play well enough.
Mod: It is a short-form for the word ‘modification.’ Mod refers to when a player upgrades his character, changes a part of a game for developing a new feature, or even when a game modifies itself for creating a new feature.
Are your children safe on the Internet?
It is one of the biggest concerns of modern-day parents whose children are active social media and game users. If it is one of your concerns as well, using a parental control tool like Avosmart can be of great help.
It will provide you with daily insights into your children’s online activities, from their browsing history to their chats. You can also block websites, games or channels that can contain potentially harmful content for your children. Furthermore, you can get your child’s physical whereabouts whenever you need, thanks to Avosmart.