Noob, XP, HP and MP A Gaming Almanac…Gaming 101

So we have looked at games from all angles. Platforms, Genres, Playing style. What else is there to know. Well just like any other domain, the deeper you get, the deeper the water becomes. Today we look at some acronyms or short forms that the gaming community uses when discussing cheats, writing a walk-through, or just basically trolling someone on the internet.

Remember this is not an exhaustive list, but I will try to cover 15 of the most commonly used acronyms, or terms that are used in Gaming. Here goes nothing:

1. H.P. (Hit Points): In most games your health/life is defined in numbers. If that counter runs to zero you die. So if your life meter says 100, you have 100 HP. When used alongside a weapon/attack, it denotes the number of life points it will take away when used.
2. M.P. (Mana Points): Just like HP denotes health, MP denotes your magic prowess. If you run out of MP, you can’t cast a spell, or do anything magical. Different term it differently (aura, charm, power meter), but the gaming community uses this as a general term.
3. X.P. (Experience Points): Points earned by doing some activity in a game. The more you do an activity (basically experience that activity), the better/stronger/faster/potent you become.
4. N.P.C. (Non-Playable Character): Any character in the game that you can’t play, but it plays a role in the game, can be termed a NPC. But the term is mostly used for characters who buy/sell you in game stuff.
5. Camper: A term used to denote a player in multi-player games (mostly shooters) who hides in a safe spot, waiting for enemies to come to him, rather than actually engaging him directly. This kind of gamers are usually not liked a lot.
6. NOOB: Term used to denote a rookie of the game. Its a derogatory term, but hey its online gaming.

   

7. LAG or Lagging: The most used excuse you will hear from a gamer, when something untoward happens in an online game. It denotes the delay between you issuing an order and the server actually executing it. If it is too much, the game can become unbearable.
8. COMBO: Its basically an acronym for Combination. It denotes a sequence of/simultaneous button pressing by you which results in your character chaining together different moves into one big fluid…what the word I am looking for…yes..COMBO. The sequence of keys can also result in a single very powerful move instead of a simple chain.

   

9. Co-Op: Means a game that can be played along with other players usually offline on the same console. Remember playing Street Fighter, or CONTRA or Double Dragon. You didn’t need the internet, thats Co-Op or Co-Operative Gameplay.
10. Easter Eggs: These not only refer to games, but also movies and other media. Its usually hidden (like the actual easter eggs themselves), and can be an internal joke, a hidden message or even a nod to a pop-culture reference.
11. Walk-through: These are extensive and usually exhaustive documents which list all/best way to crack/beat a game. They are different from achievement/trophy guides because they cover the full game from level 1 to level FINAL; while the achievement/trophy guides will only give you hints on how to get a particular achievement/trophy.
12. Cheevos/Achievement/Trophy: These are special medals that you earn when you do something in a game. It can be clocking a certain number of hours, killing a certain number of enemies, or clearing a level. Every game comes with a certain number, and is considered complete only when you have all of them. Cheevo and achievements are used interchangeably for Windows/X-Box 360 games, while trophies are for Play Station 3 games.

    

13. Beating a game: Is basically finishing the single player campaign the game has to offer. Earlier it used to denote completion of a game. But with achievements as the new stat, completing a game may require beating the game several times.
14. Boosting: Is a term where you use your friend’s help in order to get an achievement/trophy in a game.
15. Freemium: A relatively new gaming model. Where you can own the game for free with some basic features, but you have the option of buying new in-game stuff using real money. This may include new characters, new missions, new equipment etc. LOL, DOTA2 and Team Fortress are some of the games who follow the freemium model.

This brings us to the end of my small series on Gaming. Hope you found it interesting enough, and the next time you hear/read Noob, RPG, HP or Platformer; you just won’t shake your heads in fake agreement.