For questions that ask what a gaming-specific term means.
63
votes
3answers
3k views
Where does the concept of “Mana” as a resource come from?
In today's field of gaming, the humble mana bar has become nearly as widespread as the health bar. Everywhere from MMOs to flash games, to traditional turn-based RPGs, Mana exists as a finite ...
61
votes
3answers
1k views
Why are bosses called 'bosses'?
There were bosses in games ever since 1975, and I don't think I really have to define 'boss' here. But how did the word get stuck? And when was the first time when the challenging enemy was referred ...
57
votes
9answers
15k views
What exactly is a “cheese” in Starcraft 2?
I seem to see commentators mention "cheese" with regards to Starcraft 2, but I'm not quite sure what they mean.
If a particular build/tactic is called a "cheese", does that mean it is a considered to ...
55
votes
4answers
6k views
What is kiting?
What does the term 'kiting' mean when used for games? I've seen the term thrown around here and there in reference to a few different games. Are there specific types of games that it applies to?
49
votes
5answers
15k views
What does 8-bit / 16-bit actually refer to?
When talking about retro games, terms like "8-bit music" or "16-bit graphics" often come up. I myself often use these terms, but I'm not exactly sure what they refer to. What do they mean?
44
votes
3answers
5k views
What is a “pixel shader”?
I have noticed that some games quote the requirement for "pixel shader 3.0 or better".
What is a pixel shader and is it some software requirements or hardware requirements?
43
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the purpose of MMO “maintenance”?
In massively multiplayer games, the servers are routinely restarted, for example EVE Online performs "maintenance" daily, and World of Warcraft performs it weekly.
What goes on during it, and why ...
42
votes
6answers
8k views
What is ping, and why is it important?
I've seen the term used in many online games. What does it mean? Also, is higher or lower ping better?
30
votes
3answers
815 views
What does it mean to “savescum”?
I play a roguelike now and then and the term "savescum" comes up fairly often. What does it mean, and where did the term come from?
30
votes
3answers
51k views
What is the Destiny Cloud Fist build?
What is the Destiny Cloud Fist build? I've heard SC2 players talking about it.
29
votes
2answers
911 views
Does the UP in 1-UP stand for anything?
I'm curious. Is it literally going "1 up" or does it stand for something else?
28
votes
5answers
1k views
What defines a game's “replay value”?
I've heard the term "replay value" thrown around a lot in many game reviews and some publications.
As implied from the question, what does it mean? What actually defines it? Is it how long it takes ...
27
votes
2answers
9k views
What do those abbreviations mean in League of Legends?
I'm quite new to League of Legends (LoL) but try to improve through reading guides. All too often I stumble upon abbreviations I am not sure what they mean.
Some of those are:
AD
AP
ArPen
AS
bot
...
25
votes
4answers
1k views
What does the term “rail shooter” mean?
What does it mean when a game is referred to as a "rail shooter"? When looking at some articles about the upcoming game Rage, I saw that it had been referred to as "not a rail shooter" for console but ...
25
votes
3answers
2k views
What does it mean to have map control?
I hear people talking a lot about having map control (mostly tzenes). What specifically does a good player consider map control? Is it simply having decent visibility of most of the map so that you ...
25
votes
2answers
3k views
What does a “timing push” mean
I've heard this term used many-a-time in StarCraft 2 (and 1) replays on the web. At first, I always assumed it meant the player was sending out an attack force at a specific time in the game that's ...
24
votes
1answer
897 views
What's the meaning of the term “gib”?
Especially while talking about FPS, the term "gib" is quite common. While I get it's related to a sudden and gruesome death, I'd like to know its actual meaning and where it comes from.
23
votes
2answers
1k views
What do those abbreviations mean in Diablo 2?
After Diablo 3 gets delayed further and further I recently started playing Diablo II online again after aaages. Thanks reddit ;p
Since I never was deep into multiplayer in D2 I have now some problems ...
23
votes
3answers
699 views
What does Metroidvania mean?
I've been hearing the term Metroidvania thrown around in recent years to describe games such as Cave Story and Megaman ZX, but have never quite understood what it actually means.
What does ...
21
votes
2answers
1k views
What is bunny hopping?
I hear the term bunny hopping thrown around a lot. What is it? Can it actually help me in some games?
20
votes
6answers
1k views
What does it mean for a game to be linear?
I hear stuff like this all the time:
"X game is so much more linear than Y."
"Is X a linear game?"
"It was a good game, but X was just way too linear."
What does it mean for a game to be linear? ...
19
votes
8answers
1k views
What is “ganking”?
In reading about "griefing" and "smurfing", the term "ganking" came up...is there a good definition for it?
19
votes
3answers
2k views
In CS, what does it mean when someone gets accused of being an `interp`
I've been playing for a while, but I've never managed to get an answer other than "NOOOOOOB" to the question "What does interp" mean. Does anyone know what interp is? Is it a hack? and if so, why ...
19
votes
1answer
1k views
What genre of video game does Diablo belong to?
I've recently played Diablo 1 and 2 and I'm totally hooked. Now I've been wondering what genre this game belongs to, so it would help me find similar games.
18
votes
3answers
4k views
What is a hit box?
What exactly is a hit box? Is there any way that knowing about hit boxes could help in a game?
18
votes
4answers
979 views
What does “frags” mean?
While playing League of Legends, I read the word "frags" in chat. It was during the heat of battle so I couldn't ask my teammates, and I couldn't find anything on the League of Legends wiki.
What ...
18
votes
1answer
2k views
What does it mean to Maynard an SCV?
What does it mean to Maynard an SCV in StarCraft or StarCraft 2. It comes up a lot in the casts.
17
votes
3answers
4k views
What does “Aggro” mean?
I have heard "aggro" said in commentaries in a few different contexts and I have no idea what it really means. I can figure out what the commentator means, but I don't understand that word.
17
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the difference between a “carry” and a “fighter”?
I have been rather confused about this for a while, mainly when someone says they will play their Champion as a carry when the Champion is not classified as one. So, I suppose I am also wondering the ...
16
votes
3answers
1k views
What does the term “carebear” mean in Eve Online?
I've recently re-activated my account. I've seen this term used in the online chat and wondered what it means.
16
votes
5answers
1k views
How can a game be 2.5D?
I've noticed some games be described as 2.5D. How can a game be 2.5D? Dimensions are discrete entities, aren't they?
16
votes
2answers
536 views
What is Griefing?
I previously asked what is Smurfing and got an explanation that it was a subset of griefing. So now this begs the question....
What is griefing? Is Griefing really the major classification of ...
16
votes
1answer
757 views
What does it mean when a game is a 4X game?
I've seen the term 4X game used to describe games, primarily strategy games.
What does this term mean?
16
votes
1answer
3k views
What is the source for calling your characters “Toons”
I've seen that in games where a player has an "arsenal" of several characters and each time he plays with one of them, like MMORPGs and the Diablo series, people refer to their characters as "toons". ...
15
votes
4answers
9k views
What is an Enrage timer?
I've seen it mentioned that some of the Diablo 3 bosses have an enrage timer?
What exactly does that mean?
Are there any bonuses for killing one that is enraged?
15
votes
2answers
3k views
What does 'SCV' mean?
It's most likely an acronym, but what does it mean exactly? (In German it's WBF, bonus points for that one).
14
votes
3answers
2k views
What does “console port” mean in relation to games?
I read some reviews about Crysis 2 and some people complain that it's not a great PC game because it's a console port. I'm trying to figure out (without success) what console port means. Of course I ...
14
votes
4answers
8k views
What does SS stand for when an opponent is missing?
When someone from the opposing team is missing I have noticed people writing "SS bot/mid/top" to indicate to the rest of the team that they don't have visual on one or more of the people in there ...
14
votes
1answer
3k views
What is corpse hopping?
I've seen the term "corpse hopping" used regarding some behavior on the higher difficulties of Diablo III. What does that mean, and how is that done?
13
votes
5answers
6k views
13
votes
3answers
4k views
What do the unit tiers mean in StarCraft 2?
I see people referring to a StarCraft 2 unit's tier (1, 1.5, 2). What does this mean, and how can I tell what tier a unit is?
13
votes
1answer
613 views
What kind of weapon is a “hitscan” weapon?
I've seen shooters refer to their weapons as "hitscan weapons". What does this mean?
12
votes
6answers
5k views
What does backdoor mean in strategy games like DotA or LoL?
What does backdoor technically mean in strategy games like DotA or League of Legends? Is it an accepted tactic or there are some rules that forbid it?
12
votes
2answers
971 views
Why is it offensive to call someone a 3 Minute Mage?
I was reading game terminology It says
3-Minute Mage
Refers to a Mage (often an Arcane and Fire spec) who possesses one or all of the following: Arcane Power, Presence of Mind, and Talisman
...
12
votes
2answers
10k views
What does “PvP” mean in multiplayer servers?
What does the term "PvP" mean?
I've seen it used for minecraft, as in: "Anyone know a good PvP server?", but I don't know what it means.
12
votes
1answer
429 views
12
votes
5answers
591 views
Elements of a basic RTS?
What are the basic elements of a RTS?
I.E.: What are the features without which it is not an RTS?
I have played games like Age of Empires and Warcraft, but I'm still not sure which are the defining ...
12
votes
1answer
440 views
What is the origin of the term “game trainer”? [closed]
What has training got to do with an application that cheats a game?
If you want a more detailed version of this question, look at the previous version here.
11
votes
4answers
877 views
In Team Fortress 2, what is “telefragging”, and how is it done?
On my server stats page, there's a kill category that is called "telefrag". I don't have any. What is this, and how is it done?
11
votes
2answers
446 views
How do I know when it's time to push?
I'm fairly new to League of Legends and I learned of the concept of zoning recently, and it makes a lot of sense, but no source that I visited tells me when I know it is time to push. The most ...
