Terminology explained

I just realized something. Some time in the near future, I'm going to probably share this blog's URL with my mom, and she may not understand some of the terminology I use (Love you Mom!). So here is a list. It's likely not complete, and I may add to it here or in another post in the future.

Most of the things I discuss in my blog will likely relate to RPGs, since that is the genre of games I usually play, as well as one of the genres that closely mimics real life (albeit in a fantasy setting). So here is my (likely incomplete) RPG termbase.

RPG: I should probably define this first, since it's the term I used first in this post. "RPG" stands for "role-playing game." It is sometimes shortened even further to "RP." When I use it, it usually means a video game, but it can also mean anything from a couple of friends telling a story together to D&D-esque dice-rolling games. Really, taking a loose definition, any "game" where you "play" a "role" could be considered an RPG. Hey, even your job could be considered one. Wow, that's deep.

MMORPG: Massively multiplayer online RPG. These are RPGs (of the video game variety) that people play online with other people (thus the "multiplayer). Usually a lot of people (thus the "massively). Video game and real life blur in this realm, as the characters you are playing with are real people. If you're not careful, you can spend many an hour hunched over your keyboard playing these games.

PC: Player character. In single player games, they are characters that you play, can play, and/or can choose to play. In multiplayer games, especially MMORPGs, they're characters that are played by real people.

NPC: Non-player character. Logically, the opposite of PCs. They are the quest-givers and shop keepers of games. Sometimes they exist to give information. Sometimes they're just there for comic relief. Sometimes they're there so a town won't look abandoned. I've referred to NPCs in at least one of the few blog posts before this one. In fact in yesterday's post, I mentioned that we bought our ice cream from an NPC. In this case, it simply means that it was store-bought. (Not that the employees aren't real people).

Quest: Speaking of quests, what are they? A mission with a purpose. In games, sometimes it's "Kill x monsters in n time." Sometimes it's "Bring n such-and-such items to x place." Sometimes they're timed. My current quest: Finish this blog entry.

HP/MP/SP: Hit/Health points, Magic/Mana points, Stamina points. These are all health/energy indicators. HP tells you how hurt you are (the lower the HP, the more hurt), MP lets you know how much magic you have left in you, and SP lets you know how many physical skills you can use. In some RPGs, there is no SP, and physical skills use up MP instead.

Mount: In RPGs, mounts refer to an animal you ride, or in some, a vehicle you ride on/in. These usually come with a speed increase, and in some cases, a special ability, like the ability to fly if it's a bird, for example.

N00b(ie)/Noob(ie)/Newb(ie): A new player to the game. It can be used in a derogatory way, but has come to be the general term for new players.

Mob: A group of monsters/bad guys.

Party: A group of players/characters that band together for training, a quest, etc.

Class/Occupation: What your character does. Sometimes you can have both (for example: an archer class with the occupation of tailor), but a lot of times, these terms are used interchangeably.

FAQ: Frequently asked question (list). In gaming, it's seen as a type of guide to the game, though there are also walkthroughs, which are step-by-step instructions.

Cheat Code: Some way to let you cheat in a game. Invincibility, level selection, unlimited money, etc. are attainable through cheat codes. Cheat codes are often used by game testers in testing certain aspects of the game, and are sometimes left in the final product. Some are there just for fun, like making the characters appear more cartoony or whatever. Some are even made publicly available by the company. Using these is considered by most to be cheating, obviously, though some see it as perfectly fine, as they are part of the game and intentionally left. Cheat codes may also refer to using some sort of hacking device to bypass the intended programming, which achieves some of the same result as "normal" cheat codes. Using these is obviously cheating, though many gamers do it. I even have my old Game Shark for the original Gameboy system. Other cheats include exploiting glitches in the game's programming. These last two (hacking the game and exploiting glitches) may also cause damage to save files.