Beta (Test)

Beta (Test)

• The term Beta Test is not restricted to the video game industry and is often used loosely across different computer products.

• Beta Testing refers to the release of a largely finished product, most likely a game in this case, before the official release date in order to insure product quality.

•  While Beta Testing can occur within a "Closed Beta" (i.e. by invite only) or an "Open Beta" (open to the general public), the purpose of releasing a product (game) to Beta Test is to provide it real world testing outside of a lab or development team to insure that the product is ready and doesn't have any bugs or issues that need to be fixed before release.

• Beta Testing is often used in the video game industry as a means of providing a demonstration of the game to hype sales while also allowing the development team to put the finishing touches on the title.

• Beta Testing is preceded by a "Alpha Testing" which generally involves a much rougher version of the product and is less often exposed to the public.

Backwards Compatible

Backwards Compatible

• Adjective: The 60gb PlayStation 3 is fully Backwards Compatible.

•  Backwards Compatibility refers to the ability of an item, most often a Video Game System, to play games or programs that were not designed for it but, instead, were designed for an earlier model or system.

• An Example of this would be something like the Nintendo 3DS Handheld system which is able to play all of the games designed for the Nintendo 3DS AS WELL AS all of the games that were made for the Nintendo DS, a system that had been out for multiple years before the 3DS was created.

•  A secondary Example from something outside of the Video Game industry could be movies. Think about Blu-Rays and DVD's. While both look similar (they are CD's), Blu-Ray had not even been conceived of. Now, with Blu-Ray out, the technology is notably different. However, there are multiple Blu-Ray players that play both Blu-Ray and DVD format. Therefore, that Blu-Ray player is Backwards Compatible.

Mod

Mod

•  Shortened word; meaning "Modified" or "Modification"

• Usable as a Verb, Adjective and Noun
• Verb: I have modded this game
• Adjective: This is a modded controller
• Noun: Check out this new Mod 

•  Modding refers to the act of taking something, whether this be a video game, a controller, a system, or any other item and altering it from its original purpose or design. 

• Examples of Modding include things like changing the way that a game or system works, taking the original code or program and altering it to change the function of the game or even create or remove content.

•  A good cross reference for Modding outside of Video Games would be something like Street Racing. While a vehicle is not sold out of the factory with illegal items that might make it faster on the street, racers will often modify their vehicle with these new parts in order to make their vehicles do what they want.

•  While generally frowned upon as a whole by the industry, modding has both positive and negative possibilities. For Example:

• Players in the game "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim" are able to access and modify the code for their game in order to create new weapons, items, and even people to play with in the expansive world of the game. The creators, embracing this, allow these amateur developers to share this content in order to improve the game experience for everyone. Similar examples can be seen in the game Minecraft.

• Players in many First Person Shooters such as Call of Duty, Halo, and more will modify their games or systems in order to allow them to cheat against other players. Things that will let them be invincible, super strong, fast, and more create an unfair and unpleasant gaming experience for other gamers. These gamers are often found and punished by blocking their accounts, banning their systems so they are never able to play again, etc.

No Scoped

No-Scoped

- A term used mainly in First Person Shooter games. The action of “No-Scoping” an enemy requires a player who has a sniper rifle, to fire the weapon without properly aiming with the use of a scope, and to hit their opponent and eliminate them. 

- The origins of this term are not entirely known, but it is assumed that this phrase was coined by the YouTube video creator, “zzirGrizz”, and popularizing it in a video filled with no scope kills in multiple Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game matches.

- This technique is considered somewhat hard to do due to the fact that in many first person shooters, sniper rifles are intended to be used at long range while aiming. The direction in which the bullet will fly when un-aimed is hard to tell due to the games design of not having a targeting reticle in the center of the screen, as well as having bullet trajectory being randomized when firing a weapon un-aimed.

(Our Thanks to Guest Author MKD for this Definition)

Scrub

Scrub, Skrub, or Scrubber

- Similar to the word “Noob”, this word is used to identify someone who has complaints about game mechanics, player styles, or tactics which they deem unfair or cheap. 

 

 - This term has its origins from the 90’s, in the arcade fighting game, Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior. “Scrubs” were players who instead used complex joystick motions and button press combinations to activate special moves, would hit all the buttons and wiggle the joystick in such a way that would look similar to a scrubbing motion, such as scrubbing a car windshield clean.

- The term lost its popularity for nearly 20 years, until a League of Legends forum user “Urban Ranger”, asked why he was constantly being called a scrub during gameplay. 

(Our Thanks to Guest Author MKD for this Definition)

Rekt, or "Wrecked"

Rekt  or #rekt:

 - Short hand for “wrecked”. This term is usually used when a victor has defeated their opponent. The usage of this word is meant to discourage the defeated player and to insult their skill, or to brush off the defeated player’s complaint to how the victor won.

- The spelling of this word originated on urbandictionary.com when the user “PossiblyCouldOKIWill” submitted this definition for the word:

                “Text for “wrecked”, as sooo drunk you’ve forgotten your name but can just about type a text to your mate whose missed called you”

- Rekt later grew to be a gaming term when Balrogboogie of the World of Warcraft forums created a thread called “Get Rekt Ally Scrublords”. From here, the word spread from not just World of Warcraft, but to Twitter, the RPG Mount and Blade, as well as the internet forum 4chan.org 

(Our Thanks to Guest Author MKD for this Definition)

Tank

Tank:

• A term that is often associated with MMORPGs, however it is not restricted to this.
• This term refers to an individual or character that acts almost as a human shield. Their purpose in the game's fight is to soak up damage and keep the enemies' attention on themselves so as to protect their friends from getting hurt.
• Will occasionally be used to describe someone with a large amount of health.

Pwned

Pwned: *Pronounced as either "Owned" or "Pohned"

• This term refers to the absolute victory over or defeat of an opponent in a video game. While originally the word referred to someone's complete defeat, like a "Shut-out" game from American Football, it is now commonly accepted as simply describing the defeat of one's opponent(s).
• The improper spelling (pwned rather than owned) comes from PC/Home Computer players who, in the throws of victory, would generally miss the "O" on the Keyboard; instead hitting the "P". While originally a simple spelling error, it occurred often enough that players simply began using this term instead.

Noob / Newb / Newbie

Noob / Newb / Newbie

• Terms that generally refer to someone who is unskilled at a game. Interestingly enough, these terms seem to have different acceptable uses.

• Noob: Tends to refer to an individual that is unskilled at a game with little acceptable reasoning. This often refers to someone who has been playing the game for sometime and yet either cannot improve or chooses not to perform at an optimal level. This is often used as an insult.
• Newb / Newbie: While it sounds the same, it very often is not used the same. This term refers to an individual that is unskilled at a game but due to the fact that they are new to a game or game-type. The player generally attempts to improve and very often will do so with a little practice. This is often used simply as a title and can even be called on to defend someone's honor rather than insult them.

Murked

Murked:

• Slightly lesser used term.
• Is often equated to "murder" or "killed". I.e. "I'm sorry, I was just killed" equals "I just got murked"

Healer

Healer:

• A term that is often associated with MMORPGs, however it is not restricted to this.
• This term refers to an individual who acts as a team's support unit/medic. Their purpose in a fight is to constantly help, replenish the health of, and use spells/abilities to block the damage that is dealt to his friends.

Gank

Gank:

• A term referring to an unexpected attack or ambush.
• Gank is often used in connotation with an individual or group of individuals that is unexpectedly attacked by another team, very often leading to a major setback in points or "deaths" of the surprised group.

DPS

DPS

• A term that is often associated with MMORPGs, however it is not restricted to this.
• DPS translates directly into "Damage Per Second". This term comes from a statistic of the same name that simply refers to how much overall damage a character can do to an enemy in a given span of time.
• This term is often used as a title for an individual or character in a game that is meant to deal damage to an enemy. Their roles are to punch out as much damage as possible and down an enemy as quickly as possible.

MMORPG / Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

MMORPG / Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game:

• A game that is played most-often exclusively via the internet and is played with a multitude of players, usually hundreds if not thousands, all interacting together within a single virtual world. These players do not have to know each other and are all connected by the fact they are enjoying the same title together.
• Examples of MMORPGS include World of Warcraft, Everquest, Guild Wars, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
• MMORPGS often include a subscription fee where players must be monthly in order to continue using the game's online service.

Downloadable Content / DLC

Downloadable Content refers to, as the term implies, extra content that can be downloaded in order to enhance one's gameplay experience. Downloadable Content, or more often referred to as DLC for easy reference, can include a wide variety different options. Some of these options include, but are not limited to:

• Extra Missions and Game Content
• This kind of DLC is an addition to a game that you already own. It is often meant to build upon the originally established story with either a continuation their of or the creation of side-plot. Some examples of this can include DLC for the game Mass Effect 2 which allows players to engage in additional missions and objectives where they acquire new characters to join their group in the overall story.
• Map Packs
• An incredibly common term now-a-days. This DLC type is often used with First-Person Shooters like Call of Duty or Halo and looks to add extra maps for players to fight on and explore in the online multiplayer functions; thereby allowing them to have a more varied range of gameplay to enjoy.
• Game (Digital Download)
• Exactly what it sounds like. A number of games that have come out recently are sold entirely via the internet and are simply downloaded to the system that they be played with. Most often these games are from independent and smaller developers, but plenty of large-name titles are released in this manner as well.

Downloadable Content is most often sold exclusively via the internet and requires the online service of the respective video-game system (Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Wii Ware, etc.)

Co-Op

Co-Op:

• An abbreviation of "cooperative".
• A term used to describe a game where multiple players, usually somewhere in the range of 2 to 4, are able to follow and complete a game's story together.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft Xbox 360

• The 2nd generation of video game console that has been released by the Microsoft corporation. Successor of the Xbox video-game console.

• Released November 22, 2005 and is currently still in production (05/09/11). 

• Offered in two primary models: 
• First, the original model which was available in White, Black, and several limited edition paint schemes including a Military-based Green/Gold design. Most commonly sold in the Arcade or Elite bundles.
• Secondly, the Slim-Line model which is offered in a Black Matte or Gloss color scheme and a notably smaller design in comparison to the original model. Currently sold in 4GB or 250GB bundles (which refers to the amount of available memory). Both of these systems also have optional Kinect-included bundles for an extra $100 USD ($299.99 vs. $199.99 and $399.99 vs. $299.99 respectively)

• Early models, most notably from the first two to three years of production, tended to suffer from what is commonly referred to as the "Red Ring of Death" in which the system displays three flashing red lights on the large, circular "Xbox" logo/power button. This was often caused by one or more internal components not properly receiving sufficient power and was sadly due to faulty designs in the system. These issues, to the best of the reviewer's knowledge, have been fixed in all newer models.

• Offers a number of special features:
• Offers the ability to play Xbox 360 video games and a large number of original Xbox video games (with available internet connection).
• The ability to watch DVD movies via the system and the ability to use Netflix to download and watch videos and shows via the internet.
• Able to connect to the Xbox-Live internet function that allows players to update their video games, download extra content (Downloadable Content), play online multiplayer games with friends and strangers, and use the aforementioned Netflix.
• Players are able to upload music and videos to their Xbox 360 in order to watch or listen to them via their system rather than using a computer console.

• Most games use an "Achievement" system to increase motivation and enjoyment in gameplay.

• Exclusive games to the Xbox 360 include, but are not limited to, titles like Gears of War, Halo, Forza Motorsports, Project Gotham Racing, Viva Pinata and more.

• Compatible with the motion-gaming peripheral, the Microsoft Kinect.