Nowadays, playing games is not just about having fun, it’s also educational. The English words we become familiar with through games have become part of our in-game communication. Often the place where many people have been introduced to English is games, but how accurately do we use those words in our lives? Within games, we can often guess the meanings of certain actions and concepts, but behind each one lies a specific English expression or idiom.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the meanings of these words we encounter in games and the contexts in which they are used. As we go through them, you’ll be surprised to see how much English you actually know just from gaming.
Learn English with EnglishCentral
Building your vocabulary is key to mastering a language, and learning new and generational words along with common words can make a big difference in how fluently and expressively you speak. EnglishCentral gives you the perfect tools and environment to expand your vocabulary, practice new words, and use them with confidence.
With 25-minute one-on-one lessons for all ages and levels, EnglishCentral offers personalized and effective learning. These online live sessions are led by expert English teachers who guide you step by step, helping you improve at your own pace. You can also join 40-minute group lessons, where you’ll take part in fun, interactive conversations with your teacher and classmates.
However, EnglishCentral is more than just lessons! You’ll have access to thousands of interactive videos tailored to different interests. With our Watch, Learn, Speak, and Discuss steps, you can reinforce vocabulary and plan private lessons based on your needs. Quizzes, word exercises, and our AI-powered teacher MiMi make practicing English even easier. MiMi is always available to help you navigate different scenarios, from business meetings to ordering food, so you’re prepared for real-life conversations.
After each lesson, MiMi provides personalized reports, tracking your progress and highlighting areas for improvement. This instant feedback helps you stay focused on your goals and gain the confidence to use English in everyday life.
Gaming Terms and Vocabulary
| Term | Explanation in English |
|---|---|
| Ability / skill | The capabilities and actions that characters can perform in the game. |
| Ace | Eliminating the entire enemy team single-handedly. |
| Achievement | An in-game accomplishment or milestone. |
| Action game | A video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, hand-eye coordination, and reaction-time. |
| AFK (Away From Keyboard) | Not being present at the keyboard; currently not active in the game. |
| Again | To repeat an action. |
| Aggro | To draw the attention and hostility of enemies, often to control their movement. |
| Aim | To target or aim at an enemy. |
| Aimbot | A cheat program that provides automatic aiming at enemies. |
| Alpha | The first testing phase of a game; core mechanics are functional but many bugs and issues may exist. |
| Amateur | A non-professional or inexperienced player. |
| Armor | Protective equipment that reduces damage taken by a character. |
| Attack | To initiate an offensive action against an enemy. |
| Away From Keyboard (AFK) | Not being present at the keyboard; currently not active in the game. |
| Backgrounds | The scenery or environment behind the main game action. |
| Bad Game (BG) | A match or gaming session of poor quality. |
| Bait | To trick an opponent into a disadvantageous position, often by acting as a vulnerable target. |
| Ban | A penalty that prohibits a player from accessing the game for violating rules. |
| Basic | Fundamental or simple. |
| Beta | The final testing phase before a game's official release. |
| Boss | A powerful and challenging enemy, often at the end of a level or area. |
| Bot | A character controlled by artificial intelligence, often used in practice modes. |
| BRB (Be Right Back) | A phrase indicating a player will leave briefly but return soon. |
| Buff | A temporary enhancement that strengthens a character's abilities. |
| Bug | An error, flaw, or glitch in the game that causes unexpected behavior. |
| Bunny | Moving by jumping repeatedly to achieve faster-than-normal speed. |
| Buy | To purchase an item or service within the game. |
| Campaign | The main story mode of a game. |
| Cancel | To abort or stop an ongoing action. |
| Carry | To perform exceptionally well and lead one's team to victory. |
| Chapter | A section or part of the game's story or campaign. |
| Check point | A saved location or progress marker that players restart from after dying. |
| Clan/Guild | A group of players who regularly play together, often with a shared identity. |
| Clear | To eliminate all enemies in an area, making it safe. |
| Config | To adjust or customize game settings. |
| Continue | To proceed or resume the game. |
| Cooldown | The period of time a player must wait before using an ability or item again. |
| Cross Koymak | To fix the crosshair on a specific point. |
| Cutscene | A non-interactive cinematic sequence that advances the story. |
| Damage | The amount of health lost by a character from an attack. |
| Danger | A situation posing an immediate threat. |
| Defenders | Players or units tasked with protecting an objective or area. |
| Defense | The act of protecting oneself or an objective from enemy attacks. |
| Delay | A lag or slowdown caused by network or server issues. |
| Difficulty | The level of challenge presented by the game. |
| Direction | The path or orientation in which something is moving or facing. |
| Disconnect | When a player's connection to the game server is lost. |
| Distance | The amount of space between two points or objects. |
| Double Kill | Defeating two opponents in quick succession. |
| DPS (Damage Per Second) | The amount of damage a character can deal per second. |
| Drive | To operate a vehicle within the game. |
| Easy | A low level of difficulty. |
| Edit | To modify or change something, often related to settings or content. |
| Enemy | An opposing player or non-player character. |
| Energy | A resource often used for performing special abilities or actions. |
| Escape | To get away from a dangerous situation. |
| Exclusive | A game released only on specific platforms. |
| Exit | To leave the game or a specific area. |
| Fall Damage | Damage taken from falling from a height. |
| Feed | To repeatedly die, giving the enemy team an advantage. |
| Finish | To complete or end something, such as a match or objective. |
| Flash | An ability that temporarily blinds or impairs the vision of opponents. |
| Flick | A quick, reflex-based aiming and shooting motion. |
| Focus | To concentrate on a specific target or objective. |
| Forward | The direction ahead of the character. |
| FOV (Field of View) | The extent of the game world visible to the player at any given moment. |
| Free for all | A multiplayer mode where every player competes individually. |
| Free to Play | A game that is free to download and play, often generating revenue through microtransactions. |
| FPS (First Person Shooter) | A genre of video game where gameplay is experienced from the protagonist's perspective and centered around weapon-based combat. |
| Game over | The screen or message displayed when a player's game ends, often due to failure. |
| Ghost | Gaining an unfair advantage by watching a live stream of an opponent to know their position. |
| Glitch | A minor fault or bug that causes temporary odd behavior. |
| God mod | A mode or cheat that makes a character invincible. |
| Good Game (GG) | A phrase used at the end of a match to express sportsmanship. |
| Good Job (GJ) | A phrase used to compliment a player on their performance. |
| Good Luck (GL) | A phrase used to wish others luck. |
| Grenade | A throwable explosive weapon. |
| Grind | To perform repetitive tasks to gain experience, levels, or resources. |
| Guide | A set of instructions or tips to help players. |
| Hard core | A term for highly skilled and dedicated players, or a high difficulty level. |
| Have Fun (HF) | A phrase used to wish others an enjoyable experience. |
| Head Shot (HS) | A shot that hits an enemy's head, typically dealing extra damage. |
| Heal | To restore health points to a character. |
| Health points (HP) | A numerical value representing a character's health; if it reaches zero, the character is defeated. |
| Hide | To conceal oneself from enemies. |
| How-to-play | Instructions on the basic controls and mechanics of a game. |
| HUD | The Heads-Up Display; the on-screen interface showing game information like health and ammo. |
| Indie game | A game created by individuals or small teams without large publisher support. |
| Info | To provide teammates with information about enemy positions or strategies. |
| Instruction | A direction or rule to be followed. |
| Intro | The introductory sequence of a game. |
| Inventory | A menu or space where a player's collected items are stored and managed. |
| Invite | To ask another player to join your game or group. |
| Item | An object within the game that can be collected, used, or equipped. |
| Jump | To make a character leap into the air. |
| Kick | To remove a player from a team or game session. |
| Kill | To defeat an opponent. |
| Knock out (KO) | To defeat an opponent in a fighting game. |
| Lag | A delay or stutter in gameplay caused by slow network or server performance. |
| Lagger | A player experiencing lag. |
| Last-hit | Dealing the final blow to an enemy to secure the kill and its rewards. |
| Laughing out Loud (LoL) | An abbreviation meaning "Laughing out Loud." |
| Leaderboard | A ranked list showing the top players' scores or performances. |
| Level | A stage of progression in the game, or a character's power metric. |
| Level Up | To advance to a higher level, often gaining new abilities or stats. |
| LFG (Looking For Group) | A message indicating a player is searching for a group to play with. |
| Light | Illumination within the game world. |
| Loading | The screen displayed while the game loads assets or the next area. |
| Log out | To sign out of the game account. |
| Loot | To collect items from defeated enemies or the environment. |
| Map | A visual representation of the game world or arena. |
| Market | A place within the game where items can be bought or sold. |
| Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) | A large online game that supports hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously in a persistent world. |
| Matchmaking | The system that automatically pairs players together for a game. |
| Menu | A list of options allowing the player to control settings, view inventory, etc. |
| Meta | Most Effective Tactic Available"; the currently dominant strategy or character in the game. |
| Microtransactions | Small purchases made within the game for virtual goods or benefits. |
| Mode | A specific set of rules or gameplay style within a game. |
| MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) | A subgenre of strategy games where two teams compete to destroy each other's main structure. |
| Mod | A modification made to the game by players to alter content or mechanics. |
| Multiplayer | A game mode supporting multiple players simultaneously. |
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | The player who contributed the most to their team's performance in a match. |
| Nerf | To reduce the power of a game element (e.g., a character or weapon) to improve balance. |
| Nice Try (NT) | A phrase used to acknowledge a good but unsuccessful attempt. |
| No Problem (NP) | A phrase used to say "you're welcome" or that something is not an issue. |
| Non Player Character (NPC) | A character controlled by the game's artificial intelligence. |
| Noob | A derogatory term for a new, unskilled, or inexperienced player. |
| Offline | Not connected to the internet or other players. |
| One Tap | Killing an enemy with a single shot to the head. |
| Online | Connected to the internet and other players. |
| OP (Overpowered) | Describes a game element that is excessively strong and disrupts game balance. |
| Opponent | An enemy or rival player. |
| Options | The menu where game settings can be adjusted. |
| Outplay | To defeat an opponent through superior strategy or skill. |
| Password | A secret code used to access an account or restricted area. |
| Patch | An update to the game software to fix bugs or add content. |
| Pause | To temporarily halt the game. |
| Ping | A network tool measuring latency; in-game, often used to mark locations. |
| Play Slow | A directive to adopt a cautious and methodical playstyle. |
| Player | A person who plays the game. |
| Power | A measure of strength or ability. |
| Practice | To train or rehearse to improve skills. |
| Pre-fire | Shooting at a location where an enemy is expected to appear before they are visible. |
| Press | To apply pressure or attack aggressively. |
| Previous | The one before the current. |
| Punch | A melee attack with a fist. |
| PvE (Player versus Environment) | A game mode where players fight against computer-controlled enemies. |
| PvP (Player versus Player) | A game mode where players compete directly against each other. |
| Quest | A task or mission given to a player to complete. |
| Quit | To exit the game or a session. |
| Ranked | A competitive game mode where players have a visible skill rating. |
| Re-Take | The attempt to recapture a controlled area or objective from the enemy. |
| Ready | Prepared to start the game or an action. |
| Real Time Strategy (RTS) | A genre of strategy game where players give commands simultaneously in a continuous time environment. |
| Record | To save a gameplay session or achieve a high score. |
| Report | To notify game moderators about a player's rule-breaking behavior. |
| Respawn | To return to the game after being defeated, typically after a set time. |
| Resurrection (Res) | The act of bringing a defeated player or character back to life. |
| Retry | To attempt something again. |
| Return | To go back to a previous location or state. |
| RNG | Random Number Generator; the system that determines random outcomes, representing luck in games. |
| Roguelike | A subgenre of role-playing games characterized by dungeon crawling, turn-based gameplay, permadeath, and procedural generation. |
| Rotate | To move from one area or objective to another as a team. |
| Round | A segment of a match, often ending when certain conditions are met. |
| Rule | A guideline or condition that governs gameplay. |
| Rush | To move quickly and aggressively towards an objective or enemy area. |
| Safe | Secure and free from immediate danger. |
| Sandbox | A game style or mode with a high degree of player freedom and open-ended gameplay. |
| Save | To store game progress. |
| Score | The number of points a player or team has earned. |
| Screen | The display on which the game is viewed. |
| Select | To choose an option, character, or item. |
| Server | A computer that hosts the game and manages player connections. |
Example Sentences Related to Gaming Vocabulary
My aim got better after I adjusted my FOV.
The boss battle gave me too much loot!
I had to buy new armor to survive longer.
The cooldown for that skill is way too long.
He got banned from the server for using an aimbot.
The loading screen froze again.
Let’s continue from the last checkpoint.
The campaign has great cutscenes this time.
The map is too dark — increase the light a bit.
BRB, I need to log out for a minute.
He plays offline, but still completes every quest.
That lagger ruined the whole matchmaking process.
I’ll save before I exit, just in case.
My HP is low — please heal me!
The enemy tried to rush, but we defended well.
After the update, the bug finally disappeared.
I like this indie game more than big AAA ones.
The meta changed after the new patch dropped.
We need more defenders to hold the base.
GL HF, hope for a GG at the end!
She’s the MVP, always ready to carry the team.
I can’t escape — my cooldown isn’t ready yet!
The RNG in this loot system is insane.
“Did you just one tap him?”
“Yeah, pure skill, no luck!”
Frequently Asked Questions About Gaming Terms And Vocabulary
Now that we are acquainted with the terms of the gaming world, let’s look at some questions that’s asked about it.
What is a AAA game?
The term triple A game or “AAA” game refers to high-budget high-profile games. It is published by well-known publishers that mainly dominate the gaming market.
What is an indie game?
Being for the short meaning of “indiependant game” Indie games are created by small groups of people or with only one person. With a small amount of budget compared to triple-A publishers their focus is to create an innovation on their games.
What are the differences between PvP and PvE?
The PvP mode is a game type where players compete against each other. In contrast, PvE is a game type where players cooperate to fight against in-game creatures.
What does “Leash” mean in gaming terms?
Leash refers to the act of helping the jungler in MOBA games by assisting them in defeating jungle monsters at the start of the game.
Would you like to put what you have learned into practice? You can access everything you need to learn English on a single platform! With 25-minute one-on-one live English lessons, 40-minute group lessons, more than 30,000 interactive videos, vocabulary learning tools, AI-supported tutor MiMi, quizzes, and interactive activities, EnglishCentral offers its users a personalized and quality education plan at an affordable price. How about registering for EnglishCentral now and starting to learn English?
