Videogame Culture

""Videogame community? What's next, 'the necromancy community'?""

- Jack Thompson

The game behind the games. Like any other medium, gamers have a culture all their own, replete with jargon and its own brand of social maneuvering. Be warned: The stuff in here will inescapably ruin your eyesight, twist your spine, and keep America from winning the war, as it documents scarily obsessive gamer jargon that barely resembles English.

See also:
 * Fan Work
 * Video Game Creators
 * Video Game Companies
 * Video Game Tactical Index

Depictions:
 * Arcade Sounds
 * Fictional Video Game
 * The Most Dangerous Video Game
 * Pac-Man Fever
 * Ultimate Gamer 386
 * Ultra Super Death Gore Fest Chainsawer 3000
 * Ultra Super Happy Cute Baby Fest Farmer 3000

Tropes:
A piece of commercial software that's not for sale anymore. Using a particular aspect of the computer's AI to "cheat" at a game. A type of Fan Fiction for strategy games that involves a blow-by-blow description of a campaign. Although advertised as "free", the game actually has restrictions that you need to pay to override. A malady that causes a player to compulsively create alternate accounts for a game. When a Japanese game gets to America, the packaging and ads have to look Darker and Edgier or just angrier. When a popular game is adapted into an anime. When a glitch or bug is enjoyed so much it gets treated as a legitimate gameplay element. The display a game shows when nobody is playing. Squeeeeeeee! You know that part, where you have to jump that bit, and then ride that thing, and oh man, it's awesome! The video game testing process. Don't know which button to press? Completely new to a Fighting Game? Mash the keys and pray! Publishers with an annoying tendency to release one game, and then release it again several times with minor changes before any wholesale Sequel ever comes along. We kill stuff in video games to let off stress! A gamer who focuses entirely on improving his skills in a game to the point of insanity, and often showing off about it. Where fans argue about which characters are the best in a competitive game. There are long periods of time between checkpoints or save points. Purposely using weak attacks to bring down a powerful opponent, often for humiliation's sake. A sequence of commands that unlocks bonuses. A famous cheat code originating in Gradius. The phenomenon where players stick to the settings or characters they are used to no matter what. Competitions take place only on select maps, as if the others do not exist. The competition between electronics companies to increase their video game market share. Ways of ensuring you own the game you're playing. Where the same game is released in different locations, and programmed to act differently depending on where it's being played. A person whose online avatar is of the opposite gender. A situation in which both a "next-gen" console and its predecessor are both still being made, sold, and developed for concurrently. Where you're used to playing with a particular control scheme, then start another game that uses one that's almost the same, and you keep getting killed because you're pressing the wrong button. The game offers a wide variety of modes, options, and characters, but none of that matters because everyone's too lazy to use anything other than the defaults. A computer art subculture which specializes in producing demos, which are audiovisual presentations that are run in real-time on a computer or other platform. Games which try and predict absolutely everything the user will try. Selling (or giving away) games entirely as Downloadable Content. Where a game suddenly has a huge dip in playability and rise in frustration as you near the end. Game data that is downloaded into the game that wasn't there originally. A list of games that are considered imitations of each other. Data, levels, characters etc. that are still in the game code but are normally inaccessible. The stir created in the video game community when a high-profile game receives an unexpectedly high or low score from a major reviewer. Running an emulator, which is a program that can play games on a platform or PC designed for other platforms. Extra material produced for an existing game, either by the game's original production company or by a third party. Electronic Entertainment Expo, a major gaming event held in California every year. When concepts are used which, on paper, make a game apper to be balanced, but in reality, it is not. When developers use things like Luck-Based Mission and Trial and Error Gameplay to create the illusion of a challenge. Or, when it IS challenging, but for the wrong reasons. Things that pad out a game's length so they can brag about having "100 hours of gameplay!" The player equivalent of Fake Difficulty. A (generally freeware) game created by fans of the original game, which attempts to recreate the original game experience. Where the fan community creates a sequel to a work when the original creators won't. The translation of games that only appeared in other languages (almost always Japanese) into the player's native language (almost always English). The set of theories based on that material which, while they generally seem to be the "obvious" or "only" interpretation of canonical fact, are not actually part of the Canon. Replicas of video game items or other relevant props that come packaged with a game. You can pay to upgrade your Free account to a Premium account with more perks. A derisive term for the (supposed) inability of professional game reviewers to give any game a score under 6.0, even if they're nominally using a ten-point scale. A game that's part of a series but not a main entry: a side story or Perspective Flip. Using some natural feature of a game in an unnatural way, resulting in a huge advantage or benefit. A Game Breaker done on purpose, usually done only temporarily. A bug that seriously cripples or destroys the ability to continue with a game. A website devoted to observing video games in a clever and humorous light. One of the largest video game FAQ, cheat, and walkthrough websites in existence. A cheating peripheral most prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Alterations to a game that were not made by the game's license holder. A software "toolkit" that usually contains a pre-designed framework for a particular type of game, allowing that game to be made more easily by fans. Video game soundtracks. HAHA U R DEAD! When a bug or feature is found after a game is released which seriously changes the way it is played by a large segment of players. A franchise where every game falls into a different gameplay genre. A console cheat device most prominent around the turn of the millenium. The lone female in a male gaming clan, who's often portrayed as tomboyish, confrontational, and self-aware of her gender, and often can whup the other gamers' asses. A team of people that play multiplayer games together. A Review, industry news site with an open-source gaming wiki. Guy In Real Life Relative newcomers to a game who nevertheless act as if they know everything about it, and often rely on cheats or exploits to win. Cheat-based invincibility. The period from the appearance of Space Invaders in 1978 through The Great Video Game Crash of 1983. A bug in a video game which ends up being fun or useful. A translation which is So Bad It's Good, and ends up being so popular that better-made remakes will refuse to correct it. The seemingly endless repeats of songs heard in a video game makes a song distracting in other environments because of the association with said video game. Whether it's better to allow players to attack each other anywhere, only in certain areas, or not at all. A sad day in history. Defeating a strong but slow enemy by repeatedly moving away and throwing weak long-range attacks at him. Where TV and movies do not do the research when they depict video games being made. The trials and tribulations of getting a game meant to be played in one country to be played elsewhere. A game developed without the backing of a major publisher. I miss all that Fake Difficulty, dangit! RAWWWWWWRRRR!! Games are supposed to be fun, and frustration isn't fun! Any game less than 100 hours can't be worth the money I paid for it! Games that start out very slow, with lots of Exposition. The game is quite addictive. Really, really addictive. A game that's so good it's a reason to buy the system it's on. Shoehorning a sexy woman in a commercial to trick players into buying the game ie assuming most gamers are sexually frustrated. An inexperienced gamer who has no patience for complex plans and prefers to rush in and kill something, generally screwing up the plan entirely. An item that's so rare, powerful, and unique that gamers will do horrible things to get it. If it exists as a living creature in an MMORPG, someone, somewhere, will try to kill it. Movies made with images from game engines. Like Machinima, above, but of static images instead of movies, in a Web Comic format. Some part of a game that carries over between multiple playthroughs or multiple players. Whoever appears on the cover of the latest edition of the Madden NFL series will either not be up to snuff in the upcoming NFL season, or will suffer a major injury and be sidelined for a year. The game manual is wrong. Hilarity ensues. Where a character's crossover appearance in a game will be exported before the character's actual original appearance, confusing people as to where he/she actually originated. A means to issue commands or change game settings, which can ostensibly allow cheating. A government-appointed body whose job it is to field complaints about media and censure or penalize the creators if deemed necessary. If a repressive government doesn't like it, it's gonna get banned. Groups of people who want to protect children from being exposed to some level of sex, violence, etc. With competitive games, the collection of strategies in common use; how everyone else is playing. You can spend real-world money for individual pieces of in-game content. A sequel that's really just extra levels or content for the original game. If Baby Mario doesn't stop crying right now there is going to be some major child abuse going on. DADADA-DAAA-DA-DA-DADADAAAAAH! Bring on the Fan Service. Er... ditto? A game is developed for release on multiple gaming platforms. A player who plays the game to "win" at any cost, even if that isn't the point of the game. The allegation that (for example) because games feature killing, they are the cause of increased homicide amongst video game players. A change to a game that weakens a particular item, ability, or tactic. Although called a sequel, the second game may not share much with the first other than shared setting and references. A novice at a particular game, usually with negative connotations. A point in a game where a unique and unusual aspect of the controls is necessary, frequently leaving inobservant gamers stuck. The act of shooting a Sniper Rifle or other scoped weapon without a scope. Requires considerable skill in some games. A rushed piece of software that is full of bugs. A piece of software receiving regular support that remains full of bugs. One game in the series which is the "odd man out" for whatever reason. A vastly influential critical video game website. As MMORPGs get more players, the game eventually mutates into something the original members don't like. Abusing the pause button by pausing at a specific time or pausing repeatedly. Similar to the Console Wars, this is the never-ending fight between PC gamers and console gamers. Where an MMORPG player broadcasts a request for other gamers to join him and form a party to go adventuring. When a company creates a pinball game based on a successful franchise. Where games have a trading system that the players develop. The act of killing another player's avatar in a multiplayer game, generally used in cooperative games to denote "unnecessary" kills. In a game with many ways to play, most players may still decide on the same specific paradigm. You keep doing things in video games even when they aren't necessary. Some games would rather you play a few minutes today, tomorrow, and the next day than ten hours right now. When a series goes from 2D to 3D, it often has issues. When a game is ported from one platform to another, things go wonderfully right. When a game is ported from one platform to another, things go horribly wrong. Games based on existing licensed properties suck. When an older system is revamped into something physically smoother and sleeker to boost sales. An Wide Open Sandbox game that fails to give you any indication about what to do next. When you're about to lose, you just quit the game in anger rather than actually see the Game Over screen. When players equip their characters with gear solely based on stat bonuses without consideration to how it will look on them. Developers include blood, guts and sexual content to target the hardcore gaming market. When a game changes radically between its various versions. The assignment of a number representing a geographic region to a DVD or console. Where a game that was never released in a specific region is remade or ported to a new system specifically to be localized. A measure of how fun a game is after you've beaten it. An interest in playing older video games. Design features that seem solely designed to ensure increased profit for the manufacturer without adding any value for the consumer. Where publishers bundle several previously released games on one disc and sell it as a compilation. A better, souped-up edition of the original, with added bonuses. Take one game, split it into two, and put a few exclusive collectibles in each version, while the rest of the game is identical. Where those who preorder a game before it's released get special exclusive bonuses. When a bigger, badder, better version of a game is released a year or two after the original, sometimes as an enhanced port on a different console. A specific subtype; the game and all its Expansion Packs/DLCs on a single disc. Where an older game gets a graphical update, possibly some gameplay tweaks, and is re-released, generally on a newer platform. Video gamers tend to place more stock in professional reviews of works than fans of any other medium. It doesn't have to make sense, as long as it's fun. Fetish videos about defeating or beating up female characters in fighting and survival games. Save the game often, and if you do something wrong, just reload the save. A gameplay mechanic in an otherwise fun/enjoyable game that generates a sizable Hatedom. Doing something which is technically allowed but messes up the assumed order of events, often resulting in an Unwinnable game. A player of a competitive videogame who adamantly believes that his or her "house rules" should apply to everyone to promote his or her view of "fair play". Most of the said "house rules" are things he or she makes up on the spot and his or her view of "fair play" is "as long as I win 95% of the time". A playthrough of a game wherein the player plays under an restriction not required by the game itself in an attempt to increase the difficulty and replay value. One player controls both characters in a two-player mode. Completing the game after finding every single possible thing there is to find. Completing the game with your Character Level as low as possible. Completing the game while getting as few items or abilities as possible. Completing the game without anyone dying. Completing the game without taking damage. Completing the game while doing as little damage as possible to enemies or without killing anyone. Completing the game with only one character (in games with Player Parties.) Completing the game as fast as possible. Completing a Stealth Based Game without being discovered. Where one sequel ends up being considered where a series "begins" and earlier games tend to be ignored or forgotten. A subculture that is so jaded by Sequelitis and Capcom Sequel Stagnation that its members are predisposed to dislike any product that is a sequel, regardless of its actual value. Where you can do things in a different order than intended, skipping past "required" events or items. Software that's so low-quality, you'll wonder how (and why) it was released at all. A mini-game or secondary quest that's so addicting and fun, you forget about the main game. An expert player who always plays to win and can't understand why anyone would play the game to have, you know, fun. A tactic common to "Stop Having Fun" guys whereby the player hangs around spawn points killing players as they have just reentered the game. A type of sequel that is not part of the same world or story as its predecessor, but is nonetheless considered to be a successor because of shared creators or themes. A printed guide stuffed full of information on a game and purty pictures. A form of multiplayer gameplay where, instead of competing against one another, the players take turns controlling a single faction. The title of a game that indicates what system it's released for. Dear God, how the heck do I beat this guy?!? Oh God, with the lava and the Spikes of Doom and the Medusa heads and AHHHH! Someone who's so skilled at a game that whenever anyone plays with or against him it's no longer any fun. Yeah, there's that great sword... but seriously, less than zero seconds on a Chocobo race? The game draws you in so much, you begin see its elements in Real Life. Professional video game players in national or international competitions for real money. The various ways that companies can choose to approach the finicky business of localization. A player who's more interested in the monetary value of items than their actual impact on gameplay. EXTRA! Frustrated gamer throws up hands, just tries using every single inventory item and skill to continue! A strange or unknown character makes an appearance in a video game adaptation of a franchise. A video game rumor that seems almost plausible and just won't die. Computer or video game software or hardware that's constantly hyped but never seems to actually be released. When a Video Game series makes the leap from sprite graphics to Polygonal Graphics. The game presents characters in such a way to make you care about them past their utility in the gameplay. The potential a video game has for the player to do awful, horrible things to enemies or even friendly and neutral NPCs. When a game that puts you in the position of god of that world, and you use it to make peoples' lives hell. When a game's plot forces you to do horrible things. Because where's the fun in just shooting them? A game is voluntarily remade to look and play like it comes from an older generation. The tendency of some players to use a game's editing tools to create porn. An index page of all of the video game movies with their own pages. It's just one of those things. A document that shows how to play through a game and win. A screenshot or video Walkthrough with commentary; the goal is generally to show off how the player plays the game normally. Part time gamers.
 * Abandonware
 * AI Breaker
 * After Action Report
 * Allegedly Free Game
 * Alt-Itis
 * American Kirby Is Hardcore
 * The Anime of the Game
 * Ascended Glitch
 * Attract Mode
 * Awesome: Video Game Bosses
 * Awesome: Video Game Levels
 * Beta Test
 * Button Mashing
 * Capcom Sequel Stagnation
 * Catharsis Factor
 * Challenge Gamer
 * Character Tiers
 * Check Point Starvation
 * Cherry Tapping
 * Cheat Code
 * Classic Cheat Code
 * Konami Code
 * Complacent Gaming Syndrome
 * Abridged Arena Array
 * Console Wars
 * Copy Protection
 * Country Switch
 * Cross Player
 * Daddy System
 * Damn You, Muscle Memory!
 * Default Setting Syndrome
 * Demoscene
 * The Dev Team Thinks of Everything
 * Digital Distribution
 * Disappointing Last Level
 * Downloadable Content
 * Dueling Games
 * Dummied Out
 * 8.8
 * Emulation
 * Expansion Pack
 * E 3
 * Fake Balance
 * Fake Difficulty
 * Fake Longevity
 * Fake Skill
 * Fan Remake
 * Fan Sequel
 * Fan Translation
 * Fanon
 * Feelies
 * Freemium
 * Four Point Scale
 * Gaiden Game
 * Game Breaker
 * Purposefully Overpowered
 * Game Breaking Bug
 * Game Cola
 * GameFAQs
 * Game Genie
 * Game Mod
 * Game Maker
 * Game Music
 * Game Over
 * Gameplay Derailment
 * Gameplay Roulette
 * Game Shark
 * Gamer Chick
 * Gaming Clan
 * Giant Bomb
 * GIRL
 * God Modders
 * God Mode
 * The Golden Age of Video Games
 * Good Bad Bugs
 * Good Bad Translation
 * "Grand Theft Auto" Effect
 * The Great Player-Versus-Player Debate
 * The Great Video Game Crash of 1983
 * Hit and Run Tactics
 * Hollywood Game Design
 * Import Gaming
 * Indie Game
 * It's Easy, So It Sucks
 * It's Hard, So It Sucks
 * It's Short, So It Sucks
 * It Gets Better
 * Just One More Level
 * Killer App
 * Lady Not-Appearing-In-This-Game
 * Leeroy Jenkins
 * Loot Drama
 * Lord British Postulate
 * Machinima
 * Machinomics
 * Macrogame
 * Madden Curse
 * Manual Misprint
 * Marth Debuted in Smash Bros
 * Master Console
 * Media Watchdog
 * Banned in China
 * Moral Guardians
 * Metagame
 * Microtransactions
 * Mission Pack Sequel
 * Most Annoying Sound
 * Most Wonderful Sound
 * Most Gamers Are Male
 * Most Writers Are Male
 * Multi Platform
 * Munchkin
 * Murder Simulators
 * Nerf
 * Non-Linear Sequel
 * Noob
 * Noob Bridge
 * No Scope
 * Obvious Beta
 * Perpetual Beta
 * Oddball in the Series
 * Old Man Murray
 * Open Roleplaying Decay
 * Pause Scumming
 * PC vs. Console
 * Pick Up Group
 * Pinball Spinoff
 * Player-Generated Economy
 * Player Killing
 * Player Preferred Pattern
 * Player Tic
 * Play Every Day
 * Polygon Ceiling
 * Polished Port
 * Porting Disaster
 * The Problem with Licensed Games
 * Product Facelift
 * Quicksand Box
 * Rage Quit
 * Rainbow Pimp Gear
 * Rated "M" for Money
 * Reformulated Game
 * Region Coding
 * Remade for the Export
 * Replay Value
 * Retro Gaming
 * Revenue Enhancing Devices
 * Compilation Rerelease
 * Limited Special Collectors Ultimate Edition
 * One Game for the Price of Two
 * Preorder Bonus
 * Updated Rerelease
 * Game of the Year Edition
 * Video Game Remake
 * Reviews Are the Gospel
 * Rule of Fun
 * Ryona
 * Save Scumming
 * Scrappy Mechanic
 * Script Breaking
 * Scrub
 * Self-Imposed Challenge
 * Double Play
 * Hundred-Percent Completion
 * Low-Level Run
 * Minimalist Run
 * No Casualties Run
 * No Damage Run
 * Pacifist Run
 * Solo Character Run
 * Speed Run
 * Stealth Run
 * Sequel Displacement
 * Sequelphobic
 * Sequence Breaking
 * Shovelware
 * Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer
 * "Stop Having Fun!" Guys
 * Spawn Camping
 * Spiritual Successor
 * Strategy Guide
 * Succession Game
 * Super Title 64 Advance
 * That One Boss
 * That One Level
 * That One Player
 * That One Sidequest
 * The Tetris Effect
 * Tournament Play
 * Translation Style Choices
 * Treasure Hunter
 * Try Everything
 * The Unexpected
 * Urban Legend of Zelda
 * Vaporware
 * Video Game 3D Leap
 * Video Game Caring Potential
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential
 * Cruel Player Character God
 * Cruelty Is the Only Option
 * The Joys of Torturing Mooks
 * Videogame Demake
 * Video Game Perversity Potential
 * Video Game Movies
 * Video Game Movies Suck
 * Walkthrough
 * Let's Play
 * Weekend Warriors