Essential English Vocabulary for Video Games

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Did you know that the video game industry is bigger than the film and music industries combined? Millions of people around the world love playing games!

Unlike other forms of entertainment, however, video games are interactive, which makes them a great tool for improving your English.

But before you play, remember that games have a lot of special terms that may be difficult for some learners to understand. But we’re here to help! This article will briefly explain some of the most common English vocabulary and slang people use when talking about video games.

A young woman playing a video game on a computer

OP

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

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

Nerf

Many modern video games aren't truly complete when they're released to the public. Game makers may choose to add new things or change older things.

For example, a character who is too strong might need to be weakened in order to keep the game fair. In this situation, we'd 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 Nerf, an American toy brand. Nerf makes toy weapons that shoot foam and other soft materials that don't cause pain when they hit players. 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 characters or items are too weak compared to others? Well, 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 who is 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 who are 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 useful information for your next mission.

The 2021 action-comedy film Free Guy is about a man who discovers that he's an NPC in a huge, multiplayer video game.

MTX

Many modern games are very cheap or even free to play. However, games like these still make money from players who purchase items and upgrades within the game.

These purchases are called “microtransactions,” which is often shortened to MTX in written English. In this case, the X represents an exchange or trade.

How much money have you spent on microtransactions in that mobile game??

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! Doing this is considered very rude and disrespectful to the 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 a level or rank. Although it's not limited to discussions about games, "tier" is often 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 lower-tier characters.

This game has a top-tier soundtrack; I listen to it all the time.

Grind

One meaning of this word is “to sharpen, smooth or produce something by rubbing or crushing.” In video games, it refers to repeating a particular task in order to gain points or become stronger.

Grinding is mostly used in a negative sense since doing the same thing over and over is usually not very fun or exciting.

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 on, video games continue to become bigger and more influential in pop culture. For example, movies based on game series like Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft have become major Hollywood hits in recent years.

And as the influence of games grows, you may begin to hear gamer slang more and more in daily conversations and online, so study up to make sure you're ready for it! In fact, why not book a lesson with an Engoo tutor who loves games and give your English skills a big buff?