killamch89 Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 I’ve noticed that gamers often use terms and slang that can be confusing for outsiders. From "buff" and "nerf" to "grinding" and "loot," it seems like there's a whole vocabulary unique to gaming. Do you think gamers have developed their own language? How has it evolved over time, and what terms do you find most interesting or confusing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shagger Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 It's just terminology. I'm a pipefitter to trade and it would be ludicrous for me to just expect someone from outside the trade to know what "flogging", "ferrules", "roots", "preps", "fillers" and "caps" are. The gaming terms have roots in common logic, so I don't think it's that hard to grasp, but I'll admit one or two I do find a little odd. "Nerfed", for example. I get it, it's lowering an item, weapon, enemy or characters offensive power, like stepping down from a real gun to a Nerf gun. It's just that I don't feel that Nerf guns have been around, or at least not been that popular, until comparatively recently. I looked into it and it turns out they go back as far as the late 1980's, but you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lens Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 I know that gamers definitely have their own language. I've also noticed that terms like buff and nerf are often used by gamers to describe changes to the game mechanics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Button Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 1 hour ago, Lens said: I know that gamers definitely have their own language. I've also noticed that terms like buff and nerf are often used by gamers to describe changes to the game mechanics. I completely agree that gaming community has created a lot of distinct language and I know that it is shaped by our shared experiences and culture in gaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 On 8/10/2024 at 6:38 PM, Shagger said: It's just terminology. I'm a pipefitter to trade and it would be ludicrous for me to just expect someone from outside the trade to know what "flogging", "ferrules", "roots", "preps", "fillers" and "caps" are. The gaming terms have roots in common logic, so I don't think it's that hard to grasp, but I'll admit one or two I do find a little odd. "Nerfed", for example. I get it, it's lowering an item, weapon, enemy or characters offensive power, like stepping down from a real gun to a Nerf gun. It's just that I don't feel that Nerf guns have been around, or at least not been that popular, until comparatively recently. I looked into it and it turns out they go back as far as the late 1980's, but you know what I mean. Fun fact: Terms like 'nerf' and 'buff' actually originated from the developers side when developers were referencing game balance, and we gamers adapted it over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
