Gaming Terms A to Z: From Pwned to Kiting

The Evolution of Gaming Language

Twenty years ago, video games were seen as a niche hobby dominated by hardcore enthusiasts. However, with the rise of gaming culture, terms like 'killstreaks' and 'cheat code' have become part of common parlance.

Gaming Terms A to Z

A

Any% A method of beating a game by any means possible, including using glitches or other techniques to skip boss battles, cutscenes, and even entire levels.

B

Boosting Paying for someone else to do the hard work for you by, for example, levelling up your character, especially in online games.

Buff An enhancement made to a character, item or ability that increases its power or effectiveness.

C

Camping A tactic, usually deployed in games involving shooting and combat, of staying in the same spot for long periods because of its strategic advantage.

Cheesing Using tactics that are not technically cheating, but are treading a fine line. Cheesing is effectively taking the easy way out and avoiding the intended challenge set by developers.

D

DLC 'Downloadable content', an extra part of a game that players can pay to download, often including new levels, outfits, items or weapons.

E

Easter eggs One of the oldest video game terms, an Easter egg is a message, reference or feature hidden in a game.