For the Non-Gamers.

For those of you who aren't an avid gamer, are new to gaming, or have been gaming for awhile but don't quite have the nerd language down yet then this post may be helpful. I will almost always link back to this post in my future posts just so all of you are caught up in the action and know what's going on, although I probably should have done this sooner. I may also continue to add to this list as I maintain the blog and find more words to define.


A
AOE - This stands for Area of Effect. These are spells or attacks which affect more than one target within a predetermined radius set by the game's mechanics.

Alpha - General software term; This is the first phase of testing software. The structure and most of the content has been developed but not all the intended features may be present. Alpha tests are typically run in-house or by specialist testing agencies.


ARTS or Action RTS - This is an Action Real Time Strategy game. In this game type all of your moves take real time to complete and some have waiting periods in real time. Games like DotA 2 are ARTS'.

B
Beta - General software term; This is the second phase of testing software (not exclusively games) and last development phase prior to release. Most features have been implemented but some of these may be removed during the beta phase if they turn out to be too problematic to fix.There are two types of this, Open and Closed. Open Betas are open to the general public anyone who signs up for the Open Beta or just downloads the game is guaranteed access to the game. Closed Betas however require an invitation, most of which will be sent via email after completing a survey of why you should be selected to play the game, other times you can simply be invited by a friend and you will recieve a code that you have to activate.

Bots - Faults in the programming which cause unintended effects both good and bad. Some examples are crashes, unintentionally high character advancement, stretching of a players body or clothing, etc.

Bug(s) - AI players in an online game. Bots are used as computer opponents for practice, fun or when human opponents are unavailable.

C
Camp - To remain in one place and repeatedly kill people or mobs.

Crash - When your game console or computer stops responding, this also can happen to game clients and servers sometimes causes people to lose hours of progress. Very frustrating.

D
DPS - Damage Per Second, amount of damage a skill, ability or attack does per second.

DOT - Damage Over Time, a prolonged effect that causes ongoing health degeneration.
E
Eat - the act of consuming a food item or potion to regain health.

Exp - Experience or Experience points. Generally gained from killing monsters, players, or completing quests. Required to level up.

Expansion or Expansion Pack -  Additional content for a game normally created by the same developers.

F
FPS (1) -  First Person Shooter. A game genre in where you view the world in a first person perspective.
 
FPS (2) - Frames Per Second or Frame Rate. A measure in which images are produced on a screen.

Fed - A term usually used in RTS' for when a player obtains a substantial amount of gold and can buy great gear and becomes an unstoppable killing machine.


G
Gank - Derived from the word Gang-Kill, where a gang of players would trap another group of players, usually of a lesser number, and rush them from multiple sides resulting in a quick kill.
 
GG - An acronym for Good Game.

GL - An acronym for Good Luck.

Gold - A form of currency. Often referred to as Coins, GP - Gold Points or Game Points depending on the game.
 
Grind - To preform repetitive tasks in order to reach a certain level.

Glitch -  incorrectly displayed graphics, collision detection errors, game crashes or freezes, sound skipping, or other inconsistencies. This is also used as an excuse for dieing/losing. For example players could complain they lost because of a 'lag glitch' another would be 'game froze' or 'stuck' when the game is operating normally and the player is not familiar with the mechanics.

H
HP or Hitpoints - Also referred to as LP or Life points. This is the amount of damage a player can take before dying.

I

J

K
Kite or Kiting - To take advantage of having more range to attack your opponent than they have, allowing you to attack from a distance they can't harm you at.

L
Lag - Time delay between sending a command to the game and your character actually performing the action. A slow computer or very low FPS can contribute to lag.

Lure - To lead an unexpecting player into a pre-planned trap.


M
 MMORPG - Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game.

Mob - A NPC, monster, or opponent.  

N
NPC - Non-Playable Character.

Nerf -  Generally used when there is an update to certain characters, weapons, or armor making them less powerful. Doing the damage that somewhat resembles a Nerf gun.

O
OP - Over Powered, something that is fairly strong and does quite a bit of damage.

P
Pk or Pking - Player Killing, this term is usually used when killing other players isn't the main focus of the game.

Q

R
RPG -  Role-Playing Game, a game genre where you assume the role of a specific character.

RTS -  Real Time Strategy. A game where the actions take real time to execute.

S

T
 Tank - A player or monster who can take a substantial amount of damage without dying.
 
U

V

W

X

XP - See Exp, above.
 
Y

Z  
  








Sources;
 "Gaming Terminology." programingtours.net web. 8 February 2013. <http://www.progamingtours.net/index.php?/Gaming-101/GamingTerminology.html>. 

 "Gaming Terminology." theaveragegame.com web. 8 February 2013. <http://www.theaveragegamer.com/terminology/>.

 "Game Terms." wowwiki.com web. 8 February 2013. <http://www.wowwiki.com/Category:Game_terms>.