Gaming terms you might not be familiar with...
There are 16 entries in this glossary.
All
| Term |
Definition |
| 2.5D |
3D games we're used to, featuring a freedom of movement in all three dimensions, such as Oblivion, Call of Duty and so on; 2D games we're also familiar with, usually consisting of sidescrolling games like Trine or beat-em-ups like Street Fighter IV.
2.5D games are generally considered to be 2D games that include a limited amount of depth or an ability to interact with objects and scenery that is perceived to be on a different level of depth, without actually giving you the full ability to move about in those dimensions.
LittleBigPlanet is a 2.5D game since you have three levels of depth you can move between, but you cannot actually turn 90 degrees to the right and continue on that path.
Shadow Complex is also an example of a 2.5D game since it allows you to shoot enemies on different perceived depths to you, allowing aiming but not movement in all three dimensions.
|
| Activision |
Where soulless people go to have their hearts removed.
|
| Blu-Ray Disc |
Blu-Ray Discs (BD) are storage media of equal physical size to CDs and DVDs, but capable of holding much more information.
Single-layer Blu-Ray Discs can store 25 gigabytes, while dual-layer BDs can hold up to 50 gigabytes. That's quite a lot.
They are used to store high definition (HD) movies, audio, and data, generally in the form of PlayStation 3 games.
|
| DLC |
DLC stands for downloadable content. Downloadable content is, generally speaking, extensions to the original game that was bought as a physical disc package. These extensions could be anything from additional outfits and weapons to whole new levels, stories or episodes of the game.
DLC packages include Oblivion's much-discussed horse armour, GTA IV's Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony add-ons, various LittleBigPlanet costumes and so on.
More recently, DLC has been moving into new areas, the latest instalment of the Monkey Island franchise could be viewed as being entirely episodic DLC packages, with no real 'mother game' to be added on to. Tomb Raider Underworld DLC caused a stir by appearing to actually have been levels that were in the original game, shaved off to extend the title's lifespan. While GTA IV's DLCs are being sold as physical disc packages for those, presumably, too inept to connect their consoles to the internet.
|
| FOV |
Field of vision. This term is employed to describe the whole area visible to a person, creature or whatever. Heads-up displays (HUDs) are often designed so as to minimise any limitation on the FOV.
|
| FPS |
FPS can mean one of two things in the world of gaming:
1) FPS is a genre of game; first-person shooter. You play from the POV of an armed character and generally have to shoot a lot of things in various settings. FPSes include Modern Warfare 2, Killzone 2 and Halo 3.
2) FPS is a measurement of display: frames per second. The higher the FPS, the smoother the gaming experience. Also known as framerate, this is an indicator of competence not only of the machine running the game, but also of the developers to adequately use resources.
|
| HD |
HD stands for high definition and relates to the display format of a television or monitor.
Standard definition TVs have 480 rows of pixels, whereas HD TVs have 720 rows, or 1,080 rows. The distinction between them is known as the resolution and as logic will tell you, the greater number of rows of pixels, the sharper the display (presuming that what you are displaying is in the correct format, of course).
The three HD resolutions are 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The p or i stand for progressive scan and interlaced and in most fields, 1080p is regarded as 'full HD'.
The difference between 1080i and 1080p lies not in the resolution - they both display precisely the same number of pixels - but in how the display is processed. 1080i uses two different passes of the image, one of the odd rows, one of the even, and displays them together, while 1080p displays the entire image in one pass, which can mean that 1080p is smoother and clearer, particularly when video motion is involved.
|
| HD-DVD |
HD-DVD (high definition digital versatile disc) is to the Blu-Ray Disc format what Laserdisc was to the DVD.
|
| HDD |
HDD stands for hard disc drive and is the component of a personal computer (PC) or games console that acts as storage memory. Images, videos, music and games can be stored on your HDD, amongst much else.
|
| NSFW |
Not safe for work. This is often attached to forum posts, articles, videos etc, where the content is considered inappropriate for viewing on a computer terminal in a place of work for fear of the viewer's superiors taking exception to the material and commencing disciplinary action while secretly writing the URL down for private use.
|
| POV |
Point of view. This is the term given to the camera (real or virtual) style that is meant to show you the view from the eyes of a character or creature. First-person shooters (FPSes) are played from the POV of the player character (PC), whereas third person games are played from the POV of an imaginary other person following the PC.
|
| PSN |
PSN stands for PlayStation Networks and refers to the online gaming service provided by Sony for its PlayStation 3 customers. The PSN incorporates the PlayStation Store, where customers have access to trailers, demos and other free content, as well as pay for DLC, complete downloadable games, complete movies and other paid content. The PSN is also the online multiplayer platform for the PS3 system, which runs as smoothly as a nun's fishpit.
|
| RPG |
RPG stands for role-playing game, a game in which you assume the identity of the central character, whereby your choices have direct consequences on storyline. Most RPGs have some kind of character development system where the player can decide which aspects to increase upon reaching a new level, which in many RPGs are not stages or areas like in other games, but sets of personal goals attained by gaining experience points, also known as XP. XP is gathered by solving problems, defeating enemies and completing quests.
RPG also stands for rocket-propelled grenade, also called a bazooka. They're usually the most dangerous weapons in FPSes on account of their high amount of damage and large area of effect.
|
| Splash damage |
Splash damage is a term that relates to many different genres of games, where weaponry, being it technological, magical or otherwise, is employed. Throwing a grenade at an enemy will directly hit the enemy, but because the grenade has a standard area of effect, which is greater than just the intended target, anyone caught in the area of the explosion is said to take splash damage.
The trousers of human males may also suffer splash damage when a stream of urine strikes a vertical surface at an awkward angle, though this is more correctly called 'splashback'.
|
| UFO |
UFO, in terms of UFO Gamers, stands for Unadulterated Frivolity Offices. This is our full and seldom-used name. UFO Gamers sounds better, but it's always nice to know what the UFO actually stands for, in case it comes up in a pub quiz or something.
The idea behind the name is that here at UFO Towers, we're all working together in offices and our aim is, well, unadulterated frivolity. Aroo.
|
| XBLA |
XBLA stands for Xbox Live Arcade, the utility on the Xbox 360 that allows you to download and play games from your console's hard disc drive.
XBLA allows for games developers with less financial backing to have their works distributed to the consumer by foregoing the necessity to have the games pressed as discs and expensively packaged. It's as a result of this that we know the delights of, for example, Braid.
|
|
