Sound like a Pro

Tired of feeling inexperienced in the gaming world? Fed up with constantly asking your friends about weird-looking acronyms? (Let's be real. You were made fun of because of it, right? I was too.)

Not to worry, though! Below is an alphabetical glossary of the most commonly used terms in fan culture, RPGs and RPs. This list will receive frequent updates as time goes on. You're welcome!

▸ A-E

AFK - Short for "away from keyboard."
Ex. "I'll be afk for a moment."

ALT - Short for "alternate," which is another character you play separate from your main character. (Alt can also be used to describe another account you own).
Ex 1. "She's my alt character."
Ex 2. "Let me switch to my alt."

AoE - Means "Area of Effect." Commonly used in RPGs to describe characters whose attacks or defenses affect more than one creature or object.
Ex. "Hurry! Cast an AoE healing spell to revive our comrades!"

ATK - An abbreviation of "Attack" in RPGs. Refers to a character's offensive power or ability to deal damage to enemies.
Ex. "My ATK increased after leveling up."

AU - "Alternate Universe"; the roleplay diverges from the established main universe, causing the world, the events in that world, and the characters to be completely reimagined.
Ex. "My character has ice powers instead of fire powers in this AU."

Buff - An ability, spell, or other game mechanic that enhances a character's or entity's capabilities. Mostly found in RPGs.
Ex. "This speed buff makes dodging as easy as attacking."

Build - Refers to the strategic composition of a group or team of characters, players, or units in a way that maximizes their collective strengths, abilities, and roles. Can also mean choosing specific talents, gear, or items to enhance a single character's performance.
Ex 1. "I need to build a better lightning team."
Ex 2. "I need to build Pardofelis. I don't have her gear or any of her stigmatas."

Canon - Refers to any official, original material (characters, events, or details) that is created by the roleplay's designers.
Ex. "Darth Vader is canonically Luke Skywalker's father."

CC - Short for "Canon Character"; a character that already exists in the official lore or universe of a roleplay, TV show, movie, or game.
Ex. "Luigi is a CC in Super Mario Bros."

Campaign - A single-player experience; the player takes on the role of the main character and progresses through the story by completing a series of missions or adventures. Term commonly used in video games.
Ex. "The campaign of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare takes approximately 7-9 hours."

Class - The main area of expertise of a character; typically reflects what skills, abilities, or powers that character has. Common classes in modern RPGs include thief, wizard, fighter, etc. Read more about classes. >
Ex. "I'm a mage, he's a wizard, and she's an assassin."

Co-op - Literally means "cooperative." Opposite of a campaign; a collaborative, live multiplayer experience in which players join forces to complete challenges or explore the game's content. Players often control their own custom characters in co-op.
Ex. "I'm gonna complete a few co-op missions so I can make more coin."

Cosplay - Short for "Costume Play." Fans create and wear costumes to portray their favorite characters from the media, often participating in conventions or photo shoots.
Ex. "I just saw this wicked cosplay of Sukuna from Jujustu Kaisen."

Crossover - Refers to a type of game or story where characters, settings, or elements from different franchises or fictional universes are brought together.
Ex. "Honkai Impact 3rd is collaborating with PROMARE in the upcoming crossover event."

CW - Short for "Content Warning." Used to inform the audience about uncomfortable, distressing, or potentially offensive material.
Ex 1. "CW: Violence"
Ex 2. "CW: Mature Themes"

CYOA - Short for "Choose Your Own Adventure." A type of single-player, interactive game in which you assume a role in a story and makes choices that directly influence the outcome of the narrative.
Ex. "Until Dawn is a popular CYOA drama that utilizes the 'Butterfly Effect,' where the player's decisions can have an impact on who lives or dies."

Debuff - Opposite of buff; an ability, spell, or other game mechanic that weakens a character or entity in some form or fashion. Mostly found in RPGs.
Ex. "This debuff makes me move slower..."

DEF - An abbreviation of "Defense." Refers to a character's ability to resist and mitigate oncoming damage from enemies.
Ex. "My DEF is high enough for this boss, I think."

DPS - Stands for "Damage per Second." It measures the amount of damage that a character, weapon, or ability can deal over a period of one second. Frequently used to reference characters that deal high offensive damage.
Ex. "I'll be using Elysia's Herrscher of Human battlesuit as my Ice DPS."

Doxxing (or Doxing) - A form of toxic behavior that occurs when a player purposely revels sensitive or personal information about another person without their consent or permission. Can happen in games or online chatting platforms.
Ex. "She literally doxxed me - sent my address to everyone."

Emote(s) - A way of describing your character's actions or gestures; a form of non-verbal communication used to express emotions, reactions, or interactions. Unlike emojis, which are static, emotes can be animated and are usually triggered by a command or keystroke.
Ex. "/confused"

EXP (or XP) - Means "Experience Points." A measure of character development and growth in modern games. As a character accumulates more experience points, they "level up."
Ex. "I only need 200 EXP until I reach level 50!"

▸ F-J

Fandom - A community of fans who share a common interest in a particular piece of media or entertainment (i.e., books, movies, TV shows); common activities include making fan art, creating fan fiction, cosplaying, talking in discussion forms, and more.
Ex. "There's so much fan art of Yuu and Mika in the Seraph fandom."

Fanfic - Means "fan fiction"; fictional stories or creative works created by fans of an already existing film, television series, video game, book, etc. Fanfics usually explore AUs, romantic pairings, and crossovers which are not part of the original work.
Ex. "There's this fanfic I'm reading where Deku and Bakugo are actually in a committed relationship..."

Fanon - A play on "Canon"; used to describe material that is widely embraced or widely accepted by the community even though the original designer has not officially canonized it.
Ex. "Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy is a popular fanon pairing that exists despite the characters never having a romantic relationship in the original books."

Farm (Farming) - A gameplay activity where players repetitively engage in specific actions or tasks to acquire resources, items, or experience points.
Ex. "We can level up faster if we farm those soul eaters over there."

Forum - An online discussion or message board consisting of sub-forums, where players can post and participate in various topics.
Ex. "Make a post about reapers on our public forum."

Fluff - Refers to non-essential or non-mechanical elements that contribute to the game's atmosphere, lore, and storytelling, such as world-building, character descriptions, setting details, and more.
Ex. "This roleplay needs more fluff. Let's start by writing more background."

FTB - Short for "Fade to Black." Useful if players are including narrated scene changes in their roleplays.
Ex. "FTB: The screen glitches as it cascades into total darkness."

Headcanon - A fan's personal interpretation or belief about elements of a fictional universe; not part of the official canon.
Ex. "In the MCU, a widely accepted headcanon suggests that Loki is a misunderstood anti-hero rather than a full villain."

HP - Short for "Hit Points." Represents the amount of health a character has. Mostly used in RPGs, but can be implemented in rules-heavy, action-packed text-based roleplays.
Ex. "I don't think I can survive this battle with only 12 HP left."

IC - Short for "in-character". Denotes anything done within the roleplay. Can also mean character behaviors that are in line with the character's personality. ("IC" is also a text abbreviation for "I see.")
Ex 1. "You don't need to stay ic in this chat. It's just for discussions."
Ex 2. "His love for hockey is really ic for him."

Idle - When you're in a game, chat, call, etc. but not actively doing anything (being afk, for example).
Ex. "I think she's idle rn. Give her a minute."

IRL - Short for "in real life."
Ex. "I heard he works for Microsoft irl."

▸ K-O

Karma - A game feature where a player's choices and actions impact their character's reputation, affecting interactions and outcomes.
Ex. "I just earned a shit-ton of karma after helping those villagers."

K.O. - Short for "knock out." Common in one on one (1v1) combat games.
Ex. "I got K.O.'d fighting Superman in Injustice 2."

Lore - The background information, history, and mythology of the setting or universe of a game, movie, tv show, book, etc.
Ex. "According to the lore in Lord of the Rings, 'The One Ring', created by Sauron, grants its wearer invisibility but also corrupts their mind and amplifies their desires for power."

Main - Refers to your main character, if you play any other characters. Can also be used to refer to your main account.
Ex 1. "I'll be playing Brian as my main."
Ex 2. "Let me switch to my main acc."

Mana - A resource used by characters to cast spells or use special abilities. It represents a character's magical energy or power.
Ex. "Casting these spells takes up so much of my mana."

Melee - Refers to hand-to-hand combat or any kind of physical combat which requires the attacker to be in close proximity to the target. Melee weapons may include swords, scythes, or even fists.
Ex. "Seele's Starchasm Nyx battlesuit specializes in AoE melee damage."

Meta - Refers to characters, weapons, or other elements that are considered the strongest and most powerful in a game. The meta can change based on updates, patches, or new releases.
Ex. "Herrscher of Sentience has been the meta physical valkyrie in Honkai Impact 3rd for over 2 years."

MMO / MMORPG - Short for "massively-multiplayer online." Can be combined with RPG to refer to a "massively-multiplayer online roleplaying game."
Ex. "Final Fantasy XVI is a popular MMORPG."

Mob - Refers to enemies or monsters that players can encounter and engage with. The term "mob" is short for "mobile" or "mob character." Different from stationary characters, like quest-givers or shopkeepers, that are always found in the same location.
Ex. "There's some mobs in the forest that we can farm for rewards."

MOTD - Short for "message of the day." Usually displayed upon login on a game's screen.
Ex. "Today's MOTD is so hilarious. Check the game menu."

Multifandom - When a person partakes in more than one fandom; a community of people who are fans of multiple different fictional universes or fandoms; a roleplay with characters from several different fandoms.
Ex 1. "Sarah is a true multifandom enthusiast, eagerly discussing the latest developments in Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones."
Ex 2. "This multifandom discusses all the best fantasy and sci-fi films."
Ex 3. "The forum hosted a lively multifandom roleplay where characters from Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Marvel comics all interacted in a single interconnected storyline."

Newb(ie) or Noob(ie) - A new or inexperienced player. Can be used derogatively or sarcastically among friends.
Ex. "Check out this newbie. He hasn't even made it past the second level yet."

NPC - Short for "non-player character." Used to denote characters which are part of the game, controlled by the game, and non-playable. NPCs are usually used to enhance storytelling or game environments.
Ex. "There's an NPC over there that will give you rewards if you find her locket."

OC - Short for "original character." A character created by an individual for the purpose of creating art, writing fanfiction or original stories, and engaging in roleplays. OCs are not part of any established fictional universe.
Ex. "Cassie Brylee is an OC of the Elite Team universe."

OOC - Short for "out of character." The opposite of IC (in-character). Denotes anything done outside of the roleplay. Can also mean character behaviors that aren't in line with the character's personality.
Ex 1. "Use this channel for ooc talk. Don't fill up the main rp channel."
Ex 2. "That sort of behavior is really ooc for him."

OTP - Means "one true pairing." A romantic pairing you love above all others; a person's favorite or preferred romantic pairing of characters from a particular fandom.
Ex. "Johnlock is a popular OTP pairing between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in the British BBC series, Sherlock."

▸ P-R

PC - In a roleplaying context, PC is short for "player character." Refers to a character in the game that is controlled by a player rather than by the game's AI. Opposite of "non-player character," or NPC.
Ex. "Give me a moment to select my PC and class."

PvE - Short for "player versus environment." Refers to combat challenges posed by NPCs rather than other players.
Ex. "Players can team up with their friends to tackle challenging dungeons and defeat powerful monsters in exciting PvE scenarios."

PvP - Short for "player versus player." Refers to gameplay or game modes where players directly compete against each other rather than computer-controlled opponents.
Ex. "I honestly believe the guy in the last pvp match was hacking."

P2P - Short for "pay-to-play." Players are required to purchase the game or pay a subscription fee to access and play the game.
Ex. "World of Warcraft is a popular P2P MMO."

P4P - Short for "pay-for-perks." Players can pay real money to enhance gameplay; perks might involve cosmetic items, more customization options, and other convenience features.
Ex. "Fortnite is a popular P4P online game where you can purchase costumes and dance moves for your character."

P2W - Short for "pay-to-win." Similar to P4P games, except that the purchased advantages mostly affect the competitive aspects of the game (i.e. purchasing powerful weapons or boosts to easily win matches or progress the game faster).
Ex. "The initial release of Star Wars: Battlefront II faced significant backlash for its heavy reliance on loot boxes that provided in-game advantages, creating a P2W perception."

Ranged - Opposite of melee; involves attacking enemies from a distance using projectiles or ranged weapons like bows, crossbows, guns, or magic spells.
Ex. "Aponia in Honkai Impact 3rd specializes in ranged lightning damage."

RP / RPG - Come on. You know this already.
Ex 1. "Wanna RP later?"
Ex 1. "Let's play this RPG called Skyrim."

▸ S-Z

Sandbox - Refers to a style of role-playing where participants have a high degree of creative freedom and control over the direction of the story; a type of RPG that emphasizes open-ended gameplay and player-driven experiences within a large, dynamic game world.
Ex 1. "Let's do a sandbox rp and see where our imagination takes us."
Ex 2. "Stardew Valley combines RPG elements with farming, crafting, and relationship-building in a relaxing sandbox setting."

Ship (Shipping) - The act of supporting or fantasizing about a romantic relationship between two fictional characters, even if such a relationship is not explicitly depicted in the original work.
Ex. "I totally ship Kylo Ren and Rey."

SP - Can refer to skill points, special points, spell points, stamina points, and many others. Varies based on the mechanics and systems implemented in the RPG, but are generally used to activate or unlock new skills, abilities, or attributes.
Ex. "I have a shit ton of SP right now - I think I'll upgrade some of my spells."

Stats - Short for "statistics." It refers to numerical values that represent various attributes, abilities, and characteristics of a character within an RPG.
Ex. "Check my character's stats. I just finished building her."

Status (Effect) - A temporary alteration of the capabilities or attributes of a character or entity in a video game; an umbrella term for both buffs and debuffs.
Ex. "The mage strategically applied a series of status effects: buffs to regenerate the health of his team, and debuffs to break the shields of their enemies."

Talent(s) - "Talents" refer to special abilities, skills, or attributes that a character can acquire and develop over the course of the game. Usually specific to a character's class, role, or specialization.
Ex. "I spent a few of my points to enhance my lockpicking talents."

TBD - Short for "to be determined / decided / deleted."
Ex. "The launch date for our new game is still TBD."

Trolling - Refers to the act of deliberately provoking, annoying, or antagonizing other players in a video game or online gaming community. Trolls often aim to elicit emotional responses from others for their own amusement.
Ex. "These mfs won't quit trolling. They're literally using cheats to insta-kill the other team."

TW - Short for "Trigger Warning." Used to indicate that the content being discussed or presented may contain material that could be distressing or triggering to some individuals.
Ex. "TW: This article discusses topics related to self-harm and suicide."

Ultimate - An "ultimate" or "ultimate ability" refers to a character's most powerful and impactful special ability or move. Ultimates are often unique and visually impressive.
Ex. "Kafka's ultimate literally screams girlboss in Honkai: Star Rail."