Essential English Vocabulary for Video Games
Did you know that the video game industry is bigger than the film and music industries combined? Many people around the world love playing games!
But in addition to providing entertainment, video games can also be a great way to improve your English, especially since they are interactive, unlike films and other types of entertainment.
However, games have a lot of special words and slang that may be difficult for some players to understand. But we’re here to help. This article will explain some of the most common vocabulary you will find in the world of video games.
OP
OP is short for “Overpowered,” and it refers to a character, item or technique that is too strong and has a negative effect on the rest of the game.
That magic item is OP; it’s too easy to win if you have it.
This term is similar to the next word on the list.
Nerf
Many modern video games are not truly complete when they are released to the public. Game makers may choose to add new things or change older things.
For example, a character might be too strong needs to be weakened in order to keep the game fair. In this case, we say the character has been “nerfed.”
The game developers decided to nerf one character because he was OP compared to the others.
This term comes from the name of an American toy brand named Nerf.
Nerf makes toy weapons that shoot foam and other soft materials that do not cause pain when they strike players. Therefore, “nerf” became a verb meaning "to become softer or weaker."
Buff
What happens when a character or item is too weak compared to others? In this case, they need a “buff,” or an increase in strength.
Completing this challenge will give your character many useful buffs.
Actually, aside from video games, this word is also used as an adjective to describe someone who is very strong and muscular.
I want to get buff, so I started weightlifting at my local gym.
NPC
NPC is short for “Non-Player Character.” NPCs are people or creatures in game worlds who are controlled by the game's AI. You may be able to interact with NPCs, but you cannot control them yourself.
Talking to NPCs in the town will help you learn useful information for completing the game.
The 2021 action and comedy film Free Guy is about a man who discovers that he is an NPC in a huge, multiplayer video game.
MTX
Many modern games may be very cheap or even free to play. However, these games often make most of their money from players who purchase items and upgrades within the game.
These purchases are called “microtransactions,” which is often shortened to MTX. In this case, the X represents an exchange or trade.
How much money have you spent on microtransactions in that mobile game?
Rage quit
"Rage" is another word for extreme anger.
In competitive online games, some players get very angry when they lose, then immediately disconnect or leave the game. Doing this often ends a match suddenly for the other players, and it is considered very rude.
I got too emotional and rage quit when I lost the match.
It can be used to refer to people as well.
Rage quitters will lose points on their online profile.
Tier
“Tier” is another word for a level or rank. Although it is not limited to discussions about games, it is frequently used by game players to talk about how strong or weak a character, item, etc. is.
I like to challenge myself by trying to win with low-tier characters.
This game has a top-tier soundtrack. I love it.
Grind
One meaning of this word is “to sharpen, smooth or produce something by rubbing or crushing.” This is related to the idea of grinding in video games, which is to keep repeating a particular task in order to gain points and become stronger.
It is often used in a negative sense since repeating the same action is usually not very exciting or fun.
Is there a way to make my character stronger without grinding?
I spent all afternoon grinding in order to level up my abilities.
Wrap-up
As time goes by, video games continue to become bigger and more influential in our pop culture. In 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, based on the classic Nintendo game series, was second place on the list of the most financially successful movies of the year.
With so many genres, if you are interested in games, you can easily find something that you will like, either fast combat or slow puzzles and mysteries. We hope this list of terms can be helpful for you in your search!
