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)