Essential English Vocabulary for Video Games [Updated]

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Unlike other types of entertainment like movies and books, video games are interactive. For language learners, that means they're great tools for improving your English skills.

But before you play, remember that there is a lot of gamer slang that might be confusing at first. We're here to help! This article will explain some common casual English vocabulary people use when playing and talking about video games.

Common English Video Game Vocabulary

Co-op

Friends playing a video game while sitting on a sofa

"Co-op" is short for "cooperation," and it's used to talk about games that allow more than one person play at the same time.

This game has both single-player and co-op modes, so you can play alone or with friends.

"Couch co-op" means playing together with someone in the same physical place, instead of playing with others online.

I don't like playing with strangers on the internet; I prefer couch co-op with my buddies.

Campaign

Campaigns often refer to a series of activities politicians use to try to win elections. But in games, a "campaign" is the main portion of a game that usually includes a story for players to experience.

How long is the main campaign?

It took me about 20 hours to finish it.

DLC

"DLC" is short for "downloadable content," which players can download after buying the main game. DLC might include things like new items, characters or stages.

The game's developers said players can look forward to DLC before the end of the year.

MTX

Many modern games are very cheap or even free to play. These games make money from players who purchase items and upgrades within the game itself.

These purchases are called “microtransactions” ("micro" meaning "small" and "transaction" meaning "trade" or "deal").

Many modern games encourage players to spend lots of money on microtransactions.

"Microtransaction" is often shortened to "MTX" in written English. In this case, the X represents an exchange.

Rage quit

An angry man yelling at his computer monitor while playing a video game

"Rage" is another word for extreme anger.

In competitive online games, some players get very angry and immediately end the match when they lose — sometimes before the match is even finished!

Rage quitting is considered very rude and disrespectful to other players.

I got too emotional and rage quit when I lost the match.

Players who do this are called "rage quitters."

Rage quitters will lose points on their online profile.

Tier

“Tier” is another word for "level" or "rank" and is often used by gamers 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.

It can also be used to talk about things other than games.

That movie has a top-tier soundtrack. I listen to it almost every day.

OP

OP is short for “overpowered,” and it refers to a character, item or technique that is too strong and makes a game unbalanced.

That magic item is OP; it’s too easy to win if you have it.

Nerf

When a character or item's power is reduced in order to keep a game fair and balanced, we say it's been "nerfed."

The game's developers decided to nerf one character because he was OP compared to the others.

This term comes from Nerf, an American toy brand. Nerf makes toy weapons that shoot foam and other soft materials that don't cause pain. Now, game players use “nerf” as a verb meaning "to become softer or weaker."

Buff

A strong man preparing to lift heavy weights in a gym

What happens when a character or item is too weak compared to others? In that case, they'll need a “buff,” or an increase in strength.

Completing this challenge will give your character some useful buffs.

Aside from video games, this word can be used as an adjective to describe someone very strong and muscular.

I want to get buff, so I started weightlifting at my local gym.

Related article: 16 Words for Describing Different Body Types

NPC

NPC is short for “non-player character.”

NPCs are people or creatures in game worlds controlled by the game's AI. You may be able to interact with NPCs, but you cannot control them yourself.

Talk to NPCs in the town to get helpful information for your next mission.

Grind

One meaning of this word is “to sharpen or produce something by rubbing or crushing.” In video games, "grinding" is repeating a task in order to gain items and become stronger.

Grinding has a negative nuance since most players don't enjoy repeating the same tasks over and over.

Is there a way to make my character stronger without grinding?

I spent all afternoon grinding in order to level up my abilities.

Spam

To many English speakers, Spam is a kind of canned meat, but it means something different to gamers.

"Spamming" an item or technique means using it repeatedly, usually because it's very effective.

Spamming this magic spell is a good way to beat the boss of level 2.

Brick

In the gaming world, "brick" doesn't refer to the materials used to build buildings!

Instead, it's a verb referring to a gaming device losing its functionality, usually because important features have been restricted.

If Nintendo suspects that you're doing something illegal, they may brick your device and make it unable to play games online.

Why a brick? Because bricks are heavy objects that don't do anything — just like a game device that can't play games!

Wrap-up

As video games become more popular in global culture, you may begin to hear gamer slang more often in daily conversations and online.

If you want to give your English skills a big buff, book a private lesson on Engoo and practice using these terms in a real conversation! Engoo tutors are available 24 hours a day, and each lesson is just 25 minutes. Give it a try!