While almost every multiplayer game these days includes voice chat and apps like Discord have made it even easier to keep in touch while playing, some people still prefer the simplicity of typing while playing.
Time is at a premium, so sometimes you have to get out what you want to say in the most efficient way possible. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of common acronyms you’re likely to see in game chats or on message boards where people are playing or talking about multiplayer games.
AFK: Away From Keyboard. Used to tell teammates you’ll be away from the game for a bit.
BRB: Be Right Back. Another way to let folks know you’ll be temporarily unavailable.
DC: Disconnect. Connection issues or dropping completely from a game in progress. DPS: Damage Per Second. How much damage an effect does in one second, usually used to determine the effectiveness of an attack. Often used for attacks that take longer than one second to execute, where you divide the total damage of the attack by the number of seconds it takes to use again.
DOT: Damage Over Time. An effect or power that continually hurts a target over a long period as opposed to a one-time health hit.
FF: Friendly Fire. Hitting and damaging someone on your team or in your group. Usually accidental.
FPS: First-Person Shooter. A game where gunplay is the primary focus experienced from a first-person perspective (eg. through the eyes of the character as opposed to over the shoulder where you can see the character itself) such as Call of Duty, DOOM and Overwatch. FPS: Frames Per Second. In addition to first-person shooter, depending on context, FPS can also mean frames per second, which is a determination of how smooth a game appears to be running on a given system. The higher the FPS, the better the performance and the smoother the game will look to the human eye.
GG: Good Game. A pleasantry used to signify respect for other players; usually said when the match is over. GGP: Gotta Go Pee. Letting others know it’s time for a potty break.
GTG: Good To Go. Ready to play the game. HP: Hit Points or Health Points. How much health a character has.
HUD: Heads-Up Display. The menu overlay that relays important information about the game such as HP, MP, mini-map and other details while playing.
IRL: In Real Life. Used to denote something not in the game but rather happening in the real world, whatever this is. LFG or LFP: Looking For Group or Looking For Party. A single player who is ready to join with other players in a cooperative multiplayer session. LFM: Looking For Members. Two or more people who are already grouped who are looking for more players to add to their party. MMORPG: Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. A role-playing game where thousands of people interact in the same persistent game world such as The Elder Scrolls Online, Guild Wars and World of Warcraft.
MOBA: Multiplayer Online Battle Area. Similar to the RTS genre, but instead of controlling several units, the player controls one hero unit on a small battle map against other players. Examples include Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), League of Legends and Smite. MP: Magic Points or Mana Points. How much magic a player has. MP: Multiplayer. Depending on context, MP can also mean multiplayer, as opposed to a single-player game.
NPC: Non-Player Character. A computer-controller character.
OOM: Out Of Mana or Out Of Magic. Used to announce MP are depleted.
OTW: On The Way. Used to let other players you’re coming to help.
OP: Over-Powered. A weapon, effect, spell, power or item that’s too strong, thereby unbalancing the game.
PC: Player Character. A human-controlled character.
PK: Player Kill(er). Someone who kills PCs. Almost always accidentally.
TTYL: Talk To You Later. Said when logging out of a game or chat to let others know you’re logging off and will play again sometime in the future.
WTT: Want To Trade. Used in chat when a player is looking to trade a specific item to another.
XP: Experience or Experience Points. A measure of positive progress that may get you new skills, powers or advantages.
Did this list cover all of the popular gaming acronyms? Let us know if we missed any on our official Discord server, where cloud-gamers go to talk about all things gaming.
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