The A-Z of new gaming terms
Colin Campbell
Monday 21st February 2022
Neologisms describe the way the world changes, or how we frame the changing world.
Gathering this list, I was struck by how many words, phrases, and concepts feel like they've been with us forever. But judging by Google Trends and other searches, all of them are either less than ten years old, or were used sparingly, if at all, in gaming circles prior to 2012.
I checked maybe a hundred words and phrases against Google Trends (which goes back to 2004) and also checked regular Google using the time-window. I whittled the list down to 30, keeping in mind readers of Gameindustry.biz's likely areas of interest (I rejected a bunch of colorful online gaming insults, for example).
Gathering this list, I was struck by how many words, phrases, and concepts feel like they've been with us forever
My rule of thumb was to include anything that showed a marked increase in the years since 2012. I do not claim that the words and phrases below didn't exist prior to 2012, only that they existed faintly in the world of video games, and are now used regularly. I have used brand names only when they signify broader trends.
If my experience with writing list articles is any guide, I'm sure to have missed a few good 'uns, so please leave suggestions in comments below. If enough words check out our criteria, we can look into including them in a follow-up article. I'm especially interested in words that have gained marked popularity in the field of game design and development.
Taken as a whole, I hope this list paints a picture of the game industry's progress in the last decade, especially in the fields of social awareness, consumer power, monetization, creative expansiveness, and technology.
The most welcome
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