The gamer world is filled with confusing idiosyncracies and lingo. You feeling shut out of your gamer’s world, not able to talk with him or her? Here’s a quick guide on the gaming industry to help bring you closer to the gamer you know.
Check out our 101 on gaming-world terms so you can avoid being that “Noob” who gets “pwned” by a “ghost” at a “LAN party.”
Wii
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Pronounced “we,” the Wii is Nintendo’s newest gaming platform. The sleek console features an unconventional controller that uses motion-sensing technology so players get more of a realistic feeling while playing a game.
Noob/Newbie
Newbie is used to describe a person who is not good at a game because he or she is new. Noob is used to describe a person who is simply terrible at a game.
ESRB rating
The Entertainment Software Rating Board rates each game for its content. It’s that big black-and-white letter that drapes the box cover, from EC for small-child-friendly to AO for adults only.
PlayStation 3
The third installment in Sony’s popular PlayStation series, this platform now features a Blu-Ray DVD player, Bluetooth technology and an internal hard drive.
Xbox 360
Microsoft’s most recent gaming platform. Released in 2005, the console has online capabilities, allowing gamers to play against others around the world.
Owned/Pwned
If a player has “owned” another, that opponent has been dominated. “Pwned” is pronounced the same as “owned” but is an intentional typo in online communication.
Ghost
When a player “dies,” he watches other players on the team, then calls up a friend to give him an advantage by dropping extra information.
LAN
Local area network, or a private network, used for computers to communicate. A “LAN party” is where gamers congregate in the same area with multiple platforms or computers–and throw a party. Can be in one room or in many widespread locations.
Dialogue buttons
Throw out these terms and phrases and your gamer may never stop talking.
– “How many Espers have you encountered and who’s the hardest to defeat, Shemhazai, Hashmal or Famfrit?”
Translation: Have you been playing “Final Fantasy” for too long?
– “Should GTA be an AO with the ESRB system?”
Translation: Should “Grand Theft Auto” be an adult-only game in the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s system?
– “On my way to work today, I stopped off at Baubbleshire and ran into a couple of Bixies who started to chase me.”
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Translation: Well, nothing really, other than some crazy lingo from “Everquest II.”
– Tell them you’re thinking about hosting a party … a LAN party, and see them get way excited.