Video Games Glossary

Pathfinding algorithm that uses accumulated costs and an estimate of the remaining cost to explore possible routes.

Informal label for productions of intermediate scale between small projects and blockbusters, with no universal budget threshold.

Informal designation for productions typically backed by large budgets and teams; it is not an official label.

Action of aiming using the sight or optic of a weapon, often with a change in field of view.

Abbreviation of 'away from keyboard' indicating that a player is momentarily absent or inactive.

Effect that simultaneously hits an area or several targets within its perimeter.

Contract defining how software components exchange commands, data, or services.

Overlay of digital elements on the perception of the real environment, on a screen or specialised device.

Metric relating revenue to only the users who paid during the analysed period.

Metric relating a period's revenue to the number of users included, according to a specified method.

Informal term for software that is no longer sold or supported; its abandonment does not automatically place it in the public domain.

Symbolic reward recorded by the game or platform for a completed action, challenge, or step.

Family of games primarily requiring immediate reactions, a sense of rhythm, or direct mastery of movement and combat.

Role-playing game where combat requires commands executed in real time rather than being resolved exclusively through menus or turns.

Genre combining real-time interactions, movement, exploration, and progression through obstacles or puzzles.

Code used to add or unlock a licence on a given service, subject to its conditions.

Music whose layers, intensity, transitions, or structure evolve in response to game actions and states.

Interface whose layout or commands adjust to the device, preferences, or abilities of the user.

Genre where exploration, narration, and solving situations or puzzles play a central role.

Game designed primarily to promote a brand, product, or advertising campaign.

Visual or functional cue suggesting what an element allows to do, such as a ledge indicating a climbing opportunity.

Possibility given to the player to make choices that have a perceptible impact on the experience or its consequences.

Level of threat or attention a character generates from game-controlled opponents.

Mechanism built into the game that eases aiming based on inputs; it should not be confused with a cheating aimbot.

Parameter modifying the ratio between the input device's movement and the cursor's rotation or speed.

Program or cheating device that automates aiming at targets, distinct from in-game aim assist.

Base colour map of a surface, used in some PBR workflows without including certain lighting effects.

System classifying a character's values or behaviours along moral or ideological axes defined by the game.

Development build still incomplete, used to test core systems before content is finalised.

Secondary character created or used in addition to a player's main character.

Different conclusion reachable based on choices, conditions, or actions completed during the game.

Requirement of a persistent connection to launch or use a game, even when some activities appear solo.

Approximation of the darkening in areas where the environment reduces exposure to ambient light.

Set of continuous or occasional sounds that build the acoustic perception of an environment.

Directional input measuring gradual tilt, useful for moving a character or camera.

Input measuring variable pressure, notably for accelerating, braking, or modulating an action.

Provisional assembly of images or poses, optionally accompanied by sound, to test the flow of a sequence.

Organised change of poses, positions, or parameters over time to bring objects and characters to life.

Computed mix of several animations to produce transitions or combine actions.

Filtering that improves the sharpness of textures viewed at an oblique angle, particularly on distant surfaces.

Character, group, or force opposing the protagonist's main objectives within the story.

Techniques that soften jagged edges and other sampling artefacts.

Tools and procedures designed to detect or prevent cheating practices in a game.

Speedrun category aiming to finish the final objective without requiring all optional content, subject to the applicable rules.

Setting replacing or modifying virtual spiders to limit a fear trigger for some players.

Furniture or device dedicated to one or more games available in public venues.

Damage applied to targets in a zone; the name describes the impact and not necessarily every AOE effect.

Competitive shooter emphasising mobility, map control, and pickup-based resources in an arena.

Set of choices defining the palette, shapes, mood, and aesthetic coherence of a game.

Person responsible for the aesthetic choices and visual coherence of environments, characters, interfaces, and effects.

Progressive loading of assets during play to limit wait times and memory needs.

Game where participants have fundamentally different roles, means, or objectives rather than identical tools.

Fundamental value of a character, such as strength or intelligence, influencing several abilities or calculations.

Spoken description of important visual elements when they cannot be inferred from existing sounds.

Automatic reduction of one source's volume, such as music, when an important voice is playing.

Sound segment designed to be repeated continuously or according to a defined sequence.

Specialised software bridging game events and the playback, mixing, or adaptation of audio content.

Attenuation or alteration of a source when an obstacle is placed between it and the virtual listener.

Game in which units are recruited and positioned before largely automated battles, with strategy focused on composition.

Recording triggered by the game without explicit player action, at defined frequencies or moments.

Verification executed by program to repeatedly check expected behaviours or results.

Low-level software responsible for initialising or running hardware, sometimes required by emulation systems.

Confrontation of the best of three or five games: the first to win the required majority takes the series.

Set of remote services handling accounts, saves, matchmaking, storefront, or data required by the game.

Offering that provides ready-to-integrate infrastructure for accounts, statistics, or online services.

Data transfer that continues while a game, menu, or other task remains usable.

Ordered list of tasks, features, and fixes planned for a product or team.

Return to previously explored areas, sometimes to open new paths using recently acquired abilities.

Ability of a newer platform to run games designed for a previous generation, natively or through adaptation.

Prior computation of information such as light, shadows, or normals to be stored for faster rendering.

Adjustment of rules, resources, and abilities to limit undesirable imbalances between strategies, characters, or situations.

Temporary or permanent suspension of an account's access to a feature or service for defined reasons.

Grouping of compatible rendering operations to reduce setup costs and state changes.

System of seasonal rewards unlocked through progression, often split into free and paid tracks.

Competitive mode gathering many participants with successive eliminations until a survivor or team remains, often in a shrinking zone.

Game in which the player progresses through levels by fighting successive groups of enemies, often in close combat.

Hierarchical structure organising an agent's decisions based on evaluated conditions and actions.

More advanced build intended to detect issues and gather feedback, without guaranteeing full stability or completeness.

Technique producing headphone cues close to those perceived by the ears in a real space.

Predefined variation of a model's geometry used notably for facial expressions.

Action that absorbs or reduces a hit, often at the cost of stamina, resistance, or maintaining a posture.

Defect preventing the execution of an essential feature or normal progression, depending on the test context.

Luminous halo added around intense areas to reproduce or stylise light diffusion.

Name of a visual scripting system in Unreal Engine; the term can also refer more generally to a technical plan.

Contemporary label for FPS inspired by the fast and labyrinthine codes of 1990s shooters; not an official historical category.

Increase in power or performance; may also refer to a speed-up or a ranked-boost service depending on context.

Particular opponent, usually more elaborate or resistant, serving as a notable challenge at a stage of the game.

Mode or sequence pitting the player against several successive bosses, often with little exploration in between.

Component or step limiting overall performance, such as the CPU, GPU, storage, or network.

Structure that distributes tournament matchups and determines opponents as results come in.

Interactive conversation where the proposed responses can alter relationships or events.

Game offering choices or paths that genuinely change the order, flow, or outcome of some sequences.

Mission whose flow includes multiple paths or outcomes based on decisions and conditions.

Temporary or permanent effect improving a statistic, ability, or action conditions of a character.

Software defect producing incorrect, unexpected, or non-compliant behaviour with respect to a defined requirement.

Document describing the issue, context, reproduction steps, expected result, and actually observed result.

Set of steps and conditions allowing an observed defect to be triggered again.

Chosen combination of stats, skills, equipment, and synergies defining a playstyle; 'build' also means a software build elsewhere.

Identifiable assembly of code and resources produced for testing, validation, or distribution; distinct from a character build.

Genre in which assembling elements and creating structures is the main activity or one of its pillars.

Form of shooter where the screen fills with projectile patterns to be read and threaded precisely.

Chain of jumps used to maintain or modify speed thanks to a game's movement rules.

High amount of damage dealt in a very short time, as opposed to sustained output.

Acquisition expenses divided by the number of customers obtained, according to the costs and population considered.

Processor executing general logic, scripts, simulations, and system tasks, in cooperation with the GPU.

Computer role-playing game associated with traditions of choice, stats, dialogue, or party control; usage of the term varies between communities.

Function called following an event or at a defined point in a software operation.

Strategy of staying in one location for a long time to watch an area or ambush opponents.

Allowed interruption of one animation or action by another, used notably in fighting games.

Set of events and works considered official within the continuity of a given franchise.

Text also representing relevant sound information, such as sound effects, important music, or speaker indication.

Game whose battles are organised primarily around cards with specific effects and rules.

Player whose performance contributes dominantly to a team's success; may also mean 'to carry' a match.

Physical media inserted into a console to provide a game's data, using technology specific to each generation.

Commentator who describes and explains the unfolding of an esports match live.

Occasional player or experience designed for relatively light engagement; the term does not measure intrinsic skill.

Rule allowing a trailing player to reduce the gap without guaranteeing they will regain the lead.

Stylised rendering method producing flat tones and value transitions evoking certain cartoons or comics.

Version where some content has been removed or modified by the publisher's decision or regulatory constraint.

Check of requirements imposed by a platform before publication or update of a game.

Artist designing and producing the appearance and models of characters, in coordination with animation.

Archetype defined by skills, role, or progression path, such as warrior, mage, or healer.

Secret or developer-provided command altering certain rules, resources, or abilities; distinct from external cheating software.

Use of means forbidden by match or platform rules to obtain an advantage.

Saved step allowing resumption after a failure; it does not always correspond to a permanent save.

Tactic that exploits a weakness, shortcut, or unexpected interaction to overcome a challenge with low risk.

Proportion of users or subscribers who stop playing or paying over a given period according to the definition used.

Framing controlled by the game to stage an event or guide the gaze at a specific moment.

Management game in which one plans and develops a city, its infrastructure, economy, or population.

Technique that immediately displays the likely result of an input before server confirmation to reduce perceived latency.

Interruption of a story at a moment of tension or uncertainty intended to maintain anticipation.

Short video segment cut from a stream or capture to be shared separately.

Test phase reserved for selected or invited participants according to defined conditions.

Execution of a game on a remote server with video transmission and input feedback over the network.

Save synced to a remote service to restore progression on compatible devices.

Decisive successful action in a difficult situation, often when victory seems compromised.

Shared production of a game between several studios according to a division of disciplines or features.

Integrated in-game encyclopedia gathering information on characters, locations, creatures, or events discovered.

Optional element hidden or scattered through a level and tied to a discovery or completion goal.

Volume or shape used by the engine to detect physical contacts between entities.

Computation determining whether two shapes or trajectories meet and can trigger a reaction.

Colony simulation whose management of inhabitants, events, constructions, and shortages creates unforeseen situations.

Set of settings aimed at making certain information more discernible; simple colour filters are not always sufficient.

Chain of hits or actions whose transitions produce a coherent sequence that is hard to interrupt.

Return in a match after a significant disadvantage, up to overturning or balancing the outcome.

Collaborative resource describing a game's mechanics, strategies, or lore, with quality and reliability varying by governance.

Person managing exchanges and information between the game team and its community within a defined editorial framework.

Character accompanying the protagonist, able to assist in combat, talk, or influence the story's evolution.

Verification of operation on different hardware configurations, system versions, or peripherals.

Update likely to change the balance, strategies, or rules applicable to a competition.

Player seeking to discover or finish all challenges and content considered for exhaustive completion.

Reusable module attached to an entity to provide functionality, such as a collider or movement system.

Assembly of several visual layers or passes to obtain the final image or a specific effect.

Artist producing visual explorations to define characters, architecture, objects, or moods before production.

Icon informing about a type of sensitive element, such as violence or language, alongside a recommended age.

Information alerting to the presence of themes or effects that may disturb certain audiences before they encounter them.

Set of commands offered based on the object, situation, or interface element currently selected.

Automation of the delivery of validated builds to test or production environments following a defined process.

Recurring automation of checks or compilations as changes are added to a shared project.

Full or partial support of a physical controller, sometimes requiring key configuration.

Transition of a user from one stage to another, such as visit, signup, download, or first purchase.

Mandatory delay before being able to reuse an ability, item, or action.

Mode where several players pursue common objectives by helping each other or sharing resources.

Routine that can suspend and resume execution to coordinate actions spread out over time.

Content that mainly changes appearance, animations, or presentation rather than stats or game rules.

Decision that changes the presentation or a line of dialogue but not substantially the systems or outcome of the story.

Retaliation performed after or during an opponent's action, sometimes gated by a parry or timing window.

Creation of items from gathered materials according to recipes, plans, or assembly rules.

List of ingredients, quantities, and conditions needed to create an item or piece of equipment.

Unexpected termination of a game or program following a failure.

Capture of technical data produced during a crash to help diagnose its origin.

Governed collection of crash reports to track the frequency and characteristics of failures.

Person responsible for the coherence of the artistic, narrative, or gameplay vision and its major arbitrations.

Attack benefiting from a multiplier or additional effect according to a specific probability or condition.

Ability for players on different platforms to participate in the same online matches.

Continuity of levels, items, or account-bound unlocks across multiple versions or platforms of a game.

Ability to continue the same save across multiple compatible platforms or devices.

Effect hindering the actions of a target or group, notably by slowing, immobilising, or stunning.

Mobilisation of public contributions to finance a project, with varying rewards or conditions per platform.

Period of particularly intense, often prolonged work, imposed or accepted to meet production deadlines.

Elimination of the computation or rendering of invisible or irrelevant elements to save resources.

Set of parameters allowing separate modification of challenge aspects rather than choosing a single global level.

Staged sequence, real-time or pre-rendered, during which direct control is generally reduced or suspended.

Set of digital directions allowing precise commands on four main axes and their combinations.

Number of accounts or users considered active on a given day according to a specified measurement definition.

Module or content distributed separately from the base game, free or paid, such as missions, characters, or items.

Damage applied progressively after an effect, such as poison, fire, or bleed.

Indication of a mouse sensor's sensitivity in counts per inch; not a direct measure of player accuracy.

Measure of the amount of damage dealt over time, used to compare attacks, equipment, or offensive roles.

Technical mechanism governing access or copying of software; its constraints vary by publisher.

Resource or benefit granted based on a daily login or action, according to calendar rules.

Visible indicator announcing an attack's future area to allow the player to react.

Game simulating romantic relationships through interactions, choices, and affinity systems; not always the same as a visual novel.

Update available at launch or around the first day of a game's release.

Range of analog movement ignored to prevent unintended actions when the stick returns toward its centre.

Effect temporarily reducing an ability, statistic, or action option of a target.

Tool allowing inspection of execution, variables, and call stack to understand a failure.

Search for and correction of the cause of an issue in code, data, or system behaviour.

Game or mechanic in which cards are acquired, removed, and combined throughout a run to evolve one's strategy.

Distinct graphics chip generally with specialised resources and sometimes its own video memory.

Instance responsible for hosting a match without requiring a participating player to also act as host.

Commercial name for a version bundling improvements or content, whose scope depends on the publisher.

Voluntary reinterpretation of a game under the constraints or aesthetics of older hardware.

Playable excerpt of a game allowing one to experience part of it before or independently of its full release.

Artistic and technical community producing real-time audiovisual demonstrations, historically tied to micro-computing.

Camera effect rendering certain distances sharp and others blurry according to a focus plane.

Gap between states simulated on multiple machines, leading to contradictory positions or events.

Game requiring observation, gathering clues, and establishing links to solve a mystery or case.

Property of a simulation that produces the same results from the same states and inputs, essential to certain synchronisations.

Organisation responsible for all or part of a game's design and technical or artistic production.

Structure linking the lines and choices of a conversation through branches and conditions.

Sound originating from a source located within the game's world, such as a radio, a door, or a character.

Interface integrated into the fictional world, such as a counter on equipment worn by the character.

Level of resistance opposed to the player by rules, opponents, timers, or resource constraints; it can be adjustable or dynamic.

Option adapting certain constraints, such as speed, damage, or action windows, without enforcing a single definition of difficulty.

Evolution of complexity and demand throughout the game, determined by expected learning and obstacles encountered.

Delivery of a game by download or digital service, without mandatory physical media.

System dynamically adjusting enemy spawns, intensity, or events based on parameters observed during the match.

Communication break preventing a player from continuing an online session normally.

Game whose features relying on official servers have become inaccessible after their shutdown.

File reproducing the data structure of an optical disc, useful for archiving or execution depending on the required authorisations.

Number of pixels making up the produced or displayed image, such as 1920x1080.

Programmed decrease in the level of an audio source according to its distance from the virtual listener.

Action allowing one to avoid an attack through movement, temporary invulnerability, or a combination of both.

Option that outperforms others in most situations, potentially reducing strategic diversity if unintentional.

Format where participants generally need two losses before being eliminated from the tournament.

Organised selection procedure of characters, maps, or units following a defined order and rules.

Command sent to the GPU to draw part of the scene, whose cost depends on the hardware and context.

Game whose main interest lies in mastering a vehicle and its physics, not necessarily requiring competition.

Appearance or obtainment of a reward following an action; may refer to a drop rate.

Probability associated with obtaining a given item in an eligible attempt.

Operation or result of copying data from a medium or component to a digital file.

Game centred on repeated exploration of dungeons, labyrinths, or floors, with combat, loot, and progression management.

Exploitation of a defect to illicitly copy items or resources in a game.

Resource expressing an item's wear and possibly requiring it to be repaired or replaced.

Exchange whose lines adapt to game variables, events, stats, or prior choices.

Architecture separating entity identifiers, component data, and systems operating on that data.

North American game rating body, with age categories and content descriptors.

Release or access to a game still in development, whose content and features may evolve.

Intentional secret hidden by the creators, often as a reference, gag, or unexpected feature.

Game designed with an explicit pedagogical purpose, in addition to its possible entertainment function.

Ranking system based on match results and estimated levels; some games use derivatives.

Date or time before which people with press access contractually commit not to publish certain content.

Appearance of unscripted-in-detail situations resulting from the interaction of multiple rules or systems.

Story the player retrospectively builds from events generated by systems, without being written scene by scene.

Software reproduction of another hardware or system's functions to run programs designed for it.

Program that reproduces enough of a system's behaviour to run software designed for it.

Announced or effective shutdown of infrastructure needed for some game features, distinct from its removal from storefronts.

Contract presenting the conditions of use of software or services to end users.

Runner or dodger game with continuous progression and no fixed finish line, often increasing in difficulty with distance.

Developer specialised in the engine's core systems, such as memory, rendering, or execution.

Option increasing the visual distinction between texts, objects, indicators, and backgrounds.

Artist creating the environments, props, and sets that compose a game's visual spaces.

Conveying information through locations, objects, traces, or layout rather than direct verbal exposition.

Set of items worn or used by a character to modify protection, attacks, or abilities.

Organised competitive practice of video games, with players, teams, rules, competitions, and sometimes professional activity.

Person responsible for studying strategies, compositions, and results to prepare a team or commentate on a competition.

Supervisor helping players structure their training, communication, and tactical decisions.

Signal indicating that a condition or action has occurred and possibly triggering other behaviours.

Agreement or situation limiting a game's availability to certain platforms, territories, or periods.

Significant additional content enriching a base game, sometimes sold separately or requiring ownership of it.

Points earned by performing actions and often used to advance a character or account.

Use of a game's unintended behaviour to gain an advantage or produce an unusual result.

Shooter in which the player enters a zone, gathers resources or completes an objective, and extracts, or risks losing equipment.

Determination of the final pose of an articulated chain from the rotations of its joints.

'Fear of missing out': fear of missing a time-limited event, reward, or offer.

Angle covered by a virtual camera, whose setting modifies the perception of space and sometimes comfort.

Shooter primarily presented through the controlled character's point of view, as if looking through their eyes.

Rate of display or production of images, not to be confused with the abbreviation for first-person shooter.

Capture of facial expressions to animate a virtual character's face.

Organised group within the world with a specific identity, interests, or relations with the player.

Situation ending an attempt or preventing the game-defined objective from being achieved.

Erroneous detection treating legitimate activity as forbidden or suspicious behaviour.

Game created by fans based on or in the spirit of an existing work; using protected elements may require authorisation.

Voluntary repetition of an activity to accumulate experience, equipment, or currency predictably.

Accelerated movement between known locations, generally through a menu or transport points.

Repeatedly offering kills or advantages to the opponent, intentionally or otherwise depending on the situation.

Visual, audio, or tactile response informing the player of the consequences of an action, event, or mistake.

Controller inspired by arcade cabinets, combining a joystick and large buttons for fighting games.

Genre organised around duels or arena combat, with strikes, movement, and interactions specific to fighters.

Model describing several possible states of an entity and the conditions allowing transitions between them.

Visual perspective placed at the played character's level or perception, without a persistent external camera.

Camera placed or oriented according to a predefined viewpoint, sometimes changed per area or situation.

Aggressive message or online argument seeking verbal confrontation more than constructive exchange.

Perceived continuity between actions, information, and obstacles, or state of balanced engagement between challenge and mastery depending on context.

Mechanic that hides unexplored areas or areas outside the current line of sight in a strategy game.

Mechanical resistance or torque applied to a peripheral to simulate physical effort and interactions.

Limit imposed on the number of frames per second to control consumption, heat, stability, or synchronisation.

Regularity with which frames are computed and presented, key to the perception of fluidity.

Time required to produce a frame, often expressed in milliseconds to analyse irregularities.

Agreement allowing the use of an existing universe or brand to create or distribute a new product.

System that lets the player control the orientation or position of the camera within the intended limits.

Ability to suspend the action at will, when technical or multiplayer constraints allow it.

Model granting access to the base game without initial payment, with optional monetisation or other revenue sources.

Model offering free access to part of the product and charging for additional features, services, or content.

Apparent halt of execution or display during which the game no longer responds normally.

Rule allowing a player's attacks to damage their allies or teammates.

Technique that eliminates objects outside the virtual camera's visible volume.

Verification that a feature behaves as intended under defined conditions.

Document presenting the game's intentions and systems, evolving with the project and rarely sufficient on its own to ship the game.

'Good game': phrase commonly used to acknowledge a match, sincerely or sometimes ironically.

'Good game, easy': phrase used to claim a win was easy, often perceived as provocative.

'Good luck, have fun': wish of good luck and enjoyment addressed to participants before a match.

Commercial 'Game of the Year' label used for a sometimes enriched re-release; it does not necessarily attest to receiving an award.

Specialised processor executing massive operations useful for rendering and other parallel computations.

System of random draws of items or characters, inspired by Japanese capsule machines, sometimes using purchased currency.

Set of techniques driving agent behaviour or system adaptation; does not require machine learning.

Recording of images produced during a session, to be distinguished from performance capture of actors in production.

Musician creating the music pieces accompanying actions, atmospheres, or events of the game.

Discipline that defines the rules, mechanics, objectives, interactions, and structure of the experience offered to the player.

Professional who designs or adjusts a game's rules, systems, and experiences in collaboration with other teams.

Software suite providing reusable functions to run a game's systems, scenes, rendering, and interactions.

Library or development structure providing components, without necessarily constituting a full engine or editor.

Creation event during which participants produce a game or prototype in a limited time, often around a theme.

Precise rule or action offered to the player, such as jumping, trading items, dodging, or building.

Distinct configuration of rules or objectives, such as campaign, survival, cooperation, or competition.

Engine entity representing a game element, sometimes associating position, rendering, or behaviour components.

Screen or state indicating that the attempt ends following a failure or exhaustion of ways to continue.

Simulation or approximation of movement, gravity, forces, and collisions to produce reactions in a world.

Preservation of software, media, code, documentation, and execution conditions to maintain access to gaming heritage.

Formal constraint determining what is allowed, forbidden, or triggers a consequence in the playable world.

Software or machine maintaining a shared state, rules, or services needed for multiplayer sessions.

Continuous period during which a person uses a game, regardless of the rounds or attempts performed.

Set of interdependent mechanics whose interactions produce the situations encountered in a session.

Author of texts, dialogue, and narrative elements taking the project's interactive constraints into account.

Peripheral combining buttons, sticks, or triggers to transmit the player's actions.

Set of actions, rules, and reactions that concretely determine how a person plays and interacts with a game.

Cycle of recurring actions, such as exploring, fighting, gathering resources, then upgrading gear, that structures the experience.

Developer implementing the rules, controls, abilities, and interactions needed for the playable experience.

Mouse equipped with sensors and settings suited to certain gaming uses, with configurable sensitivity and buttons.

Coordinated or surprise attack against a target, often from numerical superiority and without a fair frontal engagement.

System that automatically reclaims unused memory regions, sometimes causing pauses.

Obstacle preventing access to an area or feature until a condition or ability has been obtained.

Observable anomaly in a game's behaviour or display, not necessarily a blocking failure.

Speedrun category forbidding certain exploitable defects according to a list of rules that varies per game.

Set of lighting effects from indirect light bounces within a scene.

Game giving broad influence over a world or population, sometimes indirectly rather than controlling each individual.

Version approved as the basis for manufacturing or release; it may be followed by patches on launch day.

Strategy game covering large-scale political, economic, diplomatic, or military systems, generally over a long time span.

Provisional construction of a level with simple grey or white volumes to test flow, scale, and combat before final art.

Behaviour aimed at deliberately disrupting other players' experience rather than playing toward the collective objective.

Prolonged repetition of actions to progress, often with low variety or modest yield.

Lasting organisation of players sharing identity, coordination, or objectives; the name depends on the game.

Sensor measuring the rotation speed of a device, used notably for orientation or aiming.

Mechanical hard drive offering persistent storage with generally higher access times than an SSD.

Representation and display capable of handling an extended luminance range; the result depends on the entire chain.

'Hands on throttle and stick' setup combining a joystick and throttle, used notably in flight simulation.

Value representing a character or object's resistance to damage, whose depletion often means defeat.

Information overlaid on the game view, such as health, minimap, ammo, or objectives.

Expression referring, depending on context, to an action game centred on many fights, or in some RPGs to a progression dominated by combat and loot.

Standalone device combining controls, screen, and gaming hardware for mobile use.

Compact computer combining a screen and physical controls for gaming in a portable form factor.

Vibratory or tactile signal associated with an action, impact, or game information; a possible complement to audio feedback.

Variable expression designating a player highly invested in time, knowledge, or expectations; not an official category.

Complete lock preventing the player from continuing or interacting normally, often due to a software failure.

Localized impact on a target's head, to which some games attribute specific damage or effects.

Role specialised in restoring survival resources and sometimes in removing negative effects.

Shooter whose playable characters have distinct abilities and whose team compositions structure the encounters.

Detailed geometric model using many polygons, frequently used during sculpting or texture creation.

Short excerpt selecting a remarkable, funny, or decisive action from a match or broadcast.

Volume or zone calculated to detect a collision or strike; it can differ from a character's visible outline.

Firing method that immediately checks a trajectory or ray instead of simulating a projectile's continuous movement.

Time during which a hit character cannot act normally as a result of the attack's impact.

Option allowing an action to be activated either by holding a key or by successive presses.

Gaming machine primarily designed to be used with an external display in a fixed location.

Software or game developed by individuals for a platform, often outside its official publishing circuit.

Machine or player responsible for creating or administering a session, sometimes also running the simulation.

Transfer of match responsibility to another participant when the initial host leaves the session.

Small update published quickly to resolve an important issue without waiting for a larger version.

Central space from which one accesses several activities, zones, or missions, and to which one regularly returns.

Zone where a character can actually receive damage, distinct from volumes used for their attacks.

Device allowing multiple usage modes, notably handheld and connected to an external display.

Creation combining several families of mechanics, none of which alone describes the experience.

Software combining code editing, execution, debugging, and programming tools.

Computation of joints bringing a limb toward a target position, such as a hand on a handle.

Game in which resources or progression largely continue to accumulate without constant player input.

Feeling of being mentally engaged in the game's world or activity, not necessarily requiring realistic representation.

Family of games valuing consistent systems and multiple solutions to a problem, notably through interaction with the environment.

Transaction made within an application or game to obtain a feature, currency, or digital content.

Insertion of advertising messages or formats into a game's interface, world, or services.

System of production, circulation, exchange, and destruction of resources and currencies within a game.

Game based on cumulative numerical growth, often through upgrade purchases and automated mechanisms.

Creator or studio producing outside the usual structures of major publishers; financial and editorial independence vary.

Delay between a physical input and its visible effect on screen, including several processing steps.

Separate copy of a space or activity, intended for a limited group of players within a larger world.

Graphics chip integrated into a processor or SoC, often sharing part of the system memory.

Progressive introduction of rules and interfaces during the first minutes or hours, ideally without excessively interrupting play.

Set of rights attached to creations and distinctive signs, whose scope depends on works, contracts, and laws.

Property making usable objects distinct from the decor through contrasts, symbols, or alternative feedback.

Dynamic adjustment of volumes and processing between music, dialogue, and effects depending on the situation.

Definition at which the engine renders the image before any upscaling to the output resolution.

Computation of intermediate values between several key poses or frames to produce a transition.

System for storing and consulting the items, resources, and equipment held during a game.

Limit or stat influencing the quantity of items that can be carried and sometimes character mobility.

Frames during which a character does not take certain damage, often during a dodge or animation.

Axonometric projection where the three axes show the same reduction, frequently imitated in fixed-camera games.

Label historically associated with Japanese role-playing games and certain staging or progression conventions; it does not describe a single system.

Variation in packet transmission delay, likely to cause an impression of irregularity.

Directional control lever, standalone or integrated into a pad, used to drive movement and axes.

Horror device triggering a sudden fright, often through a sudden appearance or sound effect.

Ratio or set of statistics based on kills, deaths, and assists; the exact formula depends on the game.

Generally accessible and stylised racing game with short tracks, offensive or defensive items, and interactions between competitors.

Function allowing actions to be assigned to different keys or buttons according to the player's preferences and needs.

Ability to navigate menus and commands using keys without relying on a pointing device.

State of an object or character recorded at a specific time to guide an interpolated animation.

Assembly of existing visual elements to quickly build a more complex object or environment.

Tactic of luring an enemy while staying mobile to avoid their attacks while dealing damage.

Local network allowing communication between nearby machines without requiring an Internet-accessible game server.

Physical gathering where participants play together, historically by connecting their machines to a local network.

'Looking for group': message indicating a player is looking for partners for an activity.

Selection of more or less complex representations of an object based on distance, importance, or rendering cost.

Estimate of revenue or margin contributed by a user over the whole relationship with the product.

Perceptible delay in inputs or synchronisation, possibly due to network, server, or performance issues.

Server-side adjustment to reconcile received actions with past states, notably for shots.

Delay between an action or data emission and its perception or acknowledgement; it can come from the network or system.

Official information announcing a game's availability and providing elements for the public or press.

Reference developer who organises technical decisions and supports the programming team in a domain.

Progression of understanding and mastery of systems required or facilitated by the game.

Video or series showing a person playing, generally accompanied by commentary and reactions.

Segment of a game or progression tier of a character; the meaning depends on context and should be distinguished from map.

Organisation of spaces, obstacles, objectives, and progression rhythms to support the game's mechanics and intentions.

Specialist who builds playable paths and situations, then adjusts them based on playtest feedback.

Tool that allows placing, configuring, and testing spaces and objects without rewriting the engine's logic.

Adjustment of opponent or reward power based on the player's or zone's progression.

Advancing to a progression tier potentially granting stats, abilities, or new possibilities.

Texture storing precomputed lighting for some surfaces of an environment.

Experience whose environments or events follow a mostly predefined order, with limited route freedom.

Linking of multiple platform identifiers to share certain services, purchases, or progression elements according to the rules.

Discussion area associated with a broadcast, where viewers react in real time.

Continuous management of a game's content, events, balance, and services after release.

Game designed to receive regular content and activities, often with online infrastructure and ongoing support.

Test measuring the behaviour of a service or game as the number of users or requests increases.

Interface displayed while resources or a zone are being prepared, sometimes showing tips and information.

Time required to transfer and prepare data before accessing a space or feature.

Waiting and configuration space where participants gather before launching a match.

Multiplayer on the same hardware or proximity network, not necessarily going through the Internet.

Work of adapting a game to languages and cultural contexts, combining translation, integration, and verification.

Feature that keeps a selected target in view to orient the camera, attacks, or follow-up on the opponent.

Recorded sequence of events used to analyse the behaviour of a game, server, or tool.

Items or resources recovered from an enemy, in a chest, or as a reward for an activity.

Virtual container whose contents are random or uncertain before opening; some are paid and others earned in-game.

Weighted list of rewards a system can produce according to defined conditions and probabilities.

Body of knowledge about the fictional world: its history, peoples, events, rules, and traditions.

Video game work whose version or data is no longer publicly accessible, sometimes despite documented existence.

Measure or perception of average sound level, useful for balancing comfort and consistency across content.

Approach using relatively few polygons, for technical constraints or a deliberate aesthetic style.

Number of distinct accounts or users considered active over a month according to the chosen method.

Online game or environment accommodating a large simultaneous population, not necessarily imposing RPG systems.

Online multiplayer role-playing game gathering a persistent population or many players in a shared world.

Value estimating a player's competitive level to improve matchmaking; its calculation varies by game.

Competitive arena generally opposing two teams around heroes with abilities and map objectives.

Combination of real and virtual elements that can spatially interact depending on the device's capabilities.

Reduced version including the features needed to test a product hypothesis; not to be confused with a vertical slice.

Methods learning behaviours or predictions from data, sometimes used in game tools or systems.

Character, class, or role the player mainly uses or masters.

Stage directly contributing to the game's central progression or dominant storyline.

Resource used to cast spells or special abilities; its name and behaviour vary by game.

Game centred on administering a system, business, population, or resources toward defined goals.

Representation or play space containing the locations, objectives, and areas traversed by the player.

Central service listing or coordinating available servers and sessions without necessarily hosting each match's simulation.

System that automatically forms matches by grouping players according to defined criteria.

Set of parameters and textures defining how a surface reacts to lighting and rendering.

Player decision producing a lasting or identifiable effect on the plot, relationships, or world.

Choice presenting understandable consequences and options that are genuinely different from the player's perspective.

Keyboard using individual switches for its keys, appreciated in various uses but not strictly required for gaming.

Organisation of memory allocation, use, and release to limit errors and overhead.

Geometric structure composed notably of vertices, edges, and faces used to represent a 3D object.

Set of strategies and choices considered effective at a given moment in a community; their value changes with updates.

Improvements or content kept between several runs, common in games with repeated attempts.

PBR parameter indicating how much a surface behaves optically like a metal.

Action-exploration sub-genre characterised by an interconnected world where new paths open using acquired abilities.

Purchase of content, resources, or an advantage within a game, sometimes via an intermediate currency.

Contractual or internal stage used to verify that a set of expected deliverables has been produced.

Optimisation strongly favouring certain characteristics over others to reach a targeted performance.

Intermediate special opponent, more demanding than a regular enemy but distinct from major boss fights.

Reduced representation of an area displayed during play to aid orientation and localisation.

Set of progressively reduced texture versions to improve filtering and performance at distance.

Games designed or adapted primarily for smartphones and tablets, with specific interfaces and constraints.

Modification created for an existing game, adding or replacing content, rules, or interfaces.

Activity of creating, installing, or maintaining modifications made to a game.

Interfaces made available so creators can modify or extend a game within an explicit technical framework.

Set of rules and interventions aimed at governing behaviour and exchanges in a community.

Effect simulating the integration of movement during exposure, sometimes adjustable for comfort.

Recording of a real actor or object's movement to guide a digital model's animation.

Settings that may reduce discomfort, such as FOV, motion blur, and camera movement options.

Title available on several device types, without guaranteeing cross-play between their users.

Mode allowing several people to participate in the same environment or linked matches, locally or online.

Organised passage from one theme or musical state to another, sometimes synchronised to the tempo.

New run started after a first ending while keeping certain unlocks, possibly with additional rules or challenges.

Character in the game world not directly played by the player, generally driven by scripts or AI.

System organising non-player characters' schedules and activities based on the world's time and rules.

Designing how story, mechanics, space, interfaces, and player choices together produce meaning.

Cross-cutting category where writing and story progression form a major part of the experience.

Value recording a choice or situation to later adapt dialogue, missions, or endings.

Game compiled or designed to run directly on a given platform without relying exclusively on emulation of another.

Feature that helps locate a route or objective via visual, audio, or haptic cues.

Representation of walkable surfaces used to compute paths through an environment.

Mechanism that limits gaps by slowing leaders or helping struggling participants.

Voluntary reduction of an element's power or effectiveness through a balance change.

Set of communication, synchronisation, and compensation mechanisms used in a multiplayer game.

Person new to a game or community; the term is generally more descriptive than 'noob'.

Sound heard by the player but not coming from a source belonging to the fictional world, such as some music themes.

Information displayed only for the player without physically existing in the world, such as a floating gauge.

Often pejorative term for a person considered inexperienced or clumsy; not to be confused with the neutral 'newbie'.

Texture encoding local orientations to simulate surface detail without proportionally increasing geometry.

Qualifier for a weapon, ability, or strategy considered too strong relative to the other options.

Set of musical compositions associated with a game, sometimes released separately as an album.

Result a mission, mode, or system offers the player to achieve, either mandatorily or optionally.

Symbol indicating a destination or task, sometimes with a distance and direction cue.

Technique avoiding the rendering of objects hidden by other objects in front of them.

Functionality allowing play without an active Internet connection, possibly after installation or prior validation.

Configuration allowing the main commands to be performed with one hand or a reduced input set.

Test phase accessible to a relatively wide audience under the publisher's conditions.

Conclusion that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered or allows multiple interpretations.

Spatial organisation offering a large explorable area with variable freedom of movement; it can still feature very directed missions.

Contractual authorisation defining the permitted uses of a work, brand, or technology in a given context.

Physical media read by laser, such as CD, DVD, or Blu-ray, used to distribute some games.

Modification of content or system to reduce its compute or memory cost while preserving the desired result.

Additional condition that is not required to succeed in the mission but may unlock a reward.

Contractual delegation of tasks to an external provider, for example for artwork or quality assurance.

Approach to materials and lighting based on models inspired by the physical behaviour of light.

Computer used for gaming, configurable according to compatible systems, components, and peripherals.

European system of age advice and certain sensitive content, without evaluating game difficulty.

Planned alternation of tension, exploration, learning, rest, and rewards throughout the experience.

Loss of part of the data transmitted over the network, potentially causing desyncs or erratic movements.

Movement of decor layers at different speeds to suggest depth in a 2D scene.

Defensive action performed with precise timing that can deflect an attack or open a counter-attack.

Distribution allowing access to part of the game before all content has been downloaded.

Group of players gathered to play, communicate, and join activities together.

Game designed for short, collective sessions, favouring immediately understandable rules and social interaction.

Update modifying the software to fix defects, adjust balance, or improve some behaviours.

Document presenting changes brought by a version, such as fixes, new features, and balance changes.

Rendering method statistically following many light paths to approximate global illumination.

Computation of a route to a destination while avoiding or going around expected obstacles.

Recognisable sequence of actions or movements in an enemy that can be anticipated through observation.

Model requiring payment to access the game, through purchase, subscription, or other commercial condition.

Controversial label for a model where real spending provides in-game advantages that may affect competition or progression.

Architecture where participants' machines exchange data directly, with or without intermediary services.

Capture combining movement, expression, or acting to recreate a performance in a digital scene.

Degradation of response time, fluidity, or resource consumption after a change.

Rule where a character's death permanently removes defined progression, sometimes the entire run.

Environment whose state or progression continues beyond a given player's session.

Representation technique making depth and distances appear in an image, according to chosen projection rules.

Feature allowing control of framing, pose, or filters to capture images of the game world.

Reconstruction of 3D objects or surfaces from multiple photographs taken at different angles.

Sensitivity to lighting effects, flicker, and rapid contrasts, considered in design and visual settings.

Sale of games on physical media such as a cartridge or disc, sometimes with supplementary downloads.

Subsystem computing approximate physical movements and interactions between objects or characters.

Selection and exclusion phase of characters, maps, or options before a competitive match.

Round-trip time measured between a device and a network service, usually expressed in milliseconds.

Mechanism guaranteeing or increasing the probability of a reward after a certain number of unsuccessful draws.

Graphic technique voluntarily constructing images at the pixel scale, with precise control of shapes and palette.

Genre built on movement and jumping between surfaces, often requiring timing or trajectory precision.

Character controlled by the player and associated with direct actions or decisions.

Session where people play a build to observe understanding, engagement, difficulties, and ergonomic issues.

Adventure game controlled primarily by selecting objects, characters, or destinations with a pointer.

Stat or mechanic determining resistance to interruption and stagger during an animation.

Frequency at which a peripheral transmits its state to the host device, generally expressed in hertz.

Geometric face of a mesh, generally triangulated before being processed by rendering units.

Technical adaptation of an existing game to run on another platform or architecture.

Mechanism by which an initial advantage makes it easier to obtain further advantages, creating a cumulative effect.

Work of fixes, compatibility, and assistance ensured after a game's initial release.

Finalisation or correction phase preceding delivery; its scope varies and does not replace post-launch maintenance.

Purchase or reservation made before a game's announced commercial availability.

Research, prototypes, scoping, and technical or artistic preparation phase before intensive production.

Model in which the base game is generally acquired through an initial payment, independently of any additional content.

Internal currency generally obtained for real money or occasionally granted, used to acquire certain content.

Code granting access to a game for press or review purposes, without determining the editorial independence of a publication.

Mechanic offering a new progression cycle after a reset in exchange for lasting bonuses or unique advantages.

Order of handling for a task or defect based on risk, objectives, and available resources.

Community-run service replicating or replacing official online infrastructure; its status depends on the content and authorisations used.

Movement computed dynamically from rules, constraints, or conditions rather than fully predefined.

Creation of spaces, events, or content through algorithms and rules rather than fully manual placement.

Person coordinating resources, schedule, and production decisions to move a project forward.

Phase of creating and integrating content and features intended to form the final game.

Organised sequence of steps and tools used to create, validate, and integrate a game's assets.

Instrumented measurement of a system's time or memory cost to identify bottlenecks.

Object or entity whose trajectory is simulated after firing, possibly with speed, drop, or lifetime.

Main character or central figure around which the story is organised, whether playable or not.

Experimental version created to test an idea or mechanic before committing to full production.

Horror approach based on perception, ambiguity, or mental unease rather than only on adversaries and jump scares.

Company that finances, supports, distributes, or markets a game under varying agreements with the studio.

Action of drawing one or more enemies toward one's group to trigger combat under chosen conditions.

Genre centred on solving problems through logic, observation, assembly, or understanding rules.

Mode or situation where players primarily face opponents and challenges controlled by the game.

Mode or situation where human players face each other directly.

Mode mixing player-versus-player combat and game-controlled dangers in the same space.

Set of methods used to control a game's conformity and reliability during development and maintenance.

Tester responsible for identifying, documenting, and reproducing game defects against defined criteria.

Action requiring the press of a button within a deadline or at a specific moment during a scripted sequence.

Scripted or systemic objective given to the player, often including steps, conditions, and rewards.

Interface listing the objectives, hints, and stages of missions in progress or completed.

System placing players in line to join a match, server, or capacity-limited activity.

Temporary memory used by a device to hold data and programs needed for execution.

Common abbreviation for the programmed randomness influencing draws, events, or loot.

Digital copy of memory or cartridge data, whose use and distribution conditions depend on applicable rights.

Unofficial modification of a game distributed as a ROM image or patch, possibly changing levels, graphics, or rules.

Role-playing game where one plays a character or party progressing through stats, skills, equipment, and progression choices.

Strategy game where units, resources, and buildings are managed while action continues without waiting for each decision.

Genre centred on mastering competitive, timed, or opposed movement on a track or course.

Controller reproducing the rotation of a car steering wheel, often with pedals and force feedback.

Interface distributing commands around a centre to quickly select an action or item.

Physical simulation of a character's body, often activated after a fall or being knocked out.

Abrupt departure from a match driven by frustration or anger.

Long or demanding cooperative activity generally requiring collective organisation and multi-step objectives.

Shooter where main progression or movement is automatically guided while the player focuses on aiming.

Use of randomness in creating or selecting elements; can be part of a broader procedure.

Modification or mode redistributing items, abilities, or locations according to rules, often from a reproducible seed.

Competitive mode whose results affect a rank, division, or ranking score.

Category distinguishing items by obtainment frequency or intended value, without guaranteeing actual effectiveness.

Transformation of projected geometry into fragments or pixels to form an image.

Family of methods simulating light paths to compute reflections, shadows, or lighting with varying levels of accuracy.

Test firing a mathematical ray into a scene to identify intersected objects, useful for shots, aiming, or selection.

New commercial release of an already released title, with or without technical improvements or new content.

Ease with which the player distinguishes important information: enemies, dangers, objectives, interfaces, and possible actions.

Restart of a franchise redefining its continuity, approach, or fundamentals; not necessarily a new version of a specific game.

Movement imposed on the weapon or aim after a shot, influencing mastery of subsequent shots.

Procedure allowing rejoining a match after an interruption, if rules and infrastructure allow.

Edition adapted or distributed in a territory with specific languages, content, or commercial constraints.

Verification that a change has not reintroduced a defect or degraded a previously working feature.

Version intended for release if final checks do not reveal a defect justifying a new build.

New production of an earlier game rebuilding a significant portion of its content or systems, sometimes with new mechanics.

Version generally keeping the original game and modernising aspects like resolution, textures, sound, or performance.

Feature streaming a game running on one's own machine to another connected device.

Recording of a match as video or simulation data allowing later review.

Ability of a game to offer renewed interest across additional sessions through its choices, challenges, or variations.

Indicator evaluating how a character is perceived by a faction or community, sometimes gating interactions.

Voluntary or automatic return of certain stats, resources, or steps to their initial state.

Organisation of gains and expenditures of points, items, or currencies to create trade-offs between actions.

Mechanism that injects currency or items into a game's economy.

Mechanism that removes currency or items from circulation to control their accumulation.

Return of a character or object in the game after its disappearance, often from a defined point.

Feature allowing redistribution of a character's points, talents, or stats after they have been chosen.

After-the-fact modification of established facts in a series' universe to ensure or redirect continuity.

Measure of the share of users who return after a first activity, calculated over a defined period or cohort.

Practice of discovering or replaying older games and systems, on original hardware or by other means.

Contractual arrangement splitting revenue between multiple parties according to a defined formula and scope.

Persistence and set of reflections of a sound evoking the dimensions and materials of a space.

Organised or massive accumulation of ratings and reviews intended to influence a game's perception, sometimes for reasons unrelated to its quality.

Genre requiring actions to be synchronised with musical or temporal cues.

Set of virtual bones and controllers allowing manipulation of a 3D model for animation.

Object simulated by a physics engine with properties such as mass, velocity, and response to forces.

Relationship between the danger accepted by an action and the potential benefit obtained in return.

Presentation of planned developments and their schedule, which may remain indicative.

Genre historically inspired by Rogue, often associated with generated levels, restarted runs, and high lethality; no universal boundary is agreed upon.

Label used for games borrowing roguelike elements while often introducing progression kept between runs; non-standard usage.

Method that predicts some inputs and briefly re-simulates past states when remote data arrives.

Method where a character's overall movement derives from its animation data rather than from movement imposed separately.

Parameter representing a surface's roughness and influencing specular spread in PBR rendering.

Group format where each participant meets every other according to a defined schedule.

Artificial adjustment of competitors' behaviour based on performance gap; distinct from network-induced positional pullback.

Effect of a character snapping back to a corrected position after divergence between client and server.

Gameplay session or attempt, notably when a game requires starting over from a recurring starting point.

Action game combining continuous movement, jumps, and sustained shooting against many enemies.

Set of tools, libraries, and documents intended for development on a given platform or technology.

Sound associated with an action or event, such as a footstep, a collision, or a menu opening.

Flash-memory storage whose fast access can reduce certain loading times.

Structure favouring freedom of experimentation with systems or tools, with few or no imposed objectives.

Recording of a game state to resume the adventure or return to a saved progression.

Organisation of a game's events, characters, and conflicts, with a structure that can be fixed or interactive.

Set of objects and settings organised as a content unit in an engine, possibly forming a level or menu.

Set of features and content a project commits to producing within its budget and schedule constraints.

Progressive extension of requirements beyond the initial plan without proportional adjustment of resources or deadlines.

Numerical value evaluating performance according to game-defined point criteria.

Spoken reading of interface elements to allow access to menus and displayed information.

Visible artefact when several frames are presented during a single display scan.

Organised practice match between players or teams, intended to prepare for a competition.

Program or sequence of commands driving behaviour, an event, or a feature of the game.

Delimited period during which content, rankings, or progression rules are renewed.

Offer granting entitlement to a selection of future or seasonal content according to a defined scope; distinct from a battle pass.

Value initialising a pseudo-random generator to reproduce a result sequence under the same conditions.

Position assigned to a participant based on ranking or organisational criteria to compose a bracket.

Transformation of game data into a recordable or transmittable format, used notably for saves.

Game designed with a primary non-recreational purpose, such as learning, awareness, research, or training.

Geographic or logical zone chosen to host matches, possibly affecting latency and available populations.

Measure of a defect's technical or functional impact, distinct from the urgency assigned to its correction.

Program executed during rendering to compute geometry, pixels, or other visual effects along the chosen pipeline.

Partition of an online world constituting a distinct population or set of servers.

Genre centred on shooting and dodging projectiles, often with a vehicle or character advancing through a constrained space.

Genre in which aiming and using weapons or projectiles is a dominant mechanic.

Off-centre framing placed behind the character, common in some third-person shooters.

Optional mission distinct from the main objective, which can enrich the world, progression, or character relationships.

Use of landmarks, lighting, or compositions to draw attention toward a relevant path or action.

Intermediate form between technical simulation and arcade game, often used to describe certain racing experiences.

Genre aiming to represent the functioning of an activity or system, with widely varying degrees of fidelity.

Publication of a game on multiple platforms or territories on the same announced date.

Tournament format where a loss generally means elimination from the competition.

Mode designed for one active person in the game, even if a connection or community features remain available.

Tracking of three translations and three rotations, allowing position and orientation of a device to be detected.

Maximum mastery level that is effectively useful or differentiating in a game system, distinct from ease of access.

Initial skill level needed to obtain baseline results in a game or with a character.

Resource granted through progression and used to unlock or improve an ability.

Interface presenting abilities to unlock following a structure of branches, prerequisites, or point expenditures.

Visual modification of a character, vehicle, or equipment, with no necessary effect on playable stats.

Association of a mesh's vertices with joints so that it deforms during animation.

Secondary account used by an experienced player, often at a ranking lower than their actual level.

Game whose interactions, relationships, and routines of characters form the main substance of the experience.

Internal currency mainly earned by playing, often distinct from a premium currency.

Situation where the game keeps running but progression becomes impossible without reloading or restarting.

Progressive loss of compatibility with newer systems due to technical changes, dependencies, or discontinued services.

Person handling most of a game's creation alone, possibly with contractors for some tasks.

Family of games inspired by certain Dark Souls conventions: demanding combat, enemy learning, and risk management; boundaries remain variable.

Set of audio files and metadata grouped together to be loaded and triggered by the game.

Creator of sound effects and their integration or behaviour in the interactive environment.

Archiving of files and dependencies needed to understand or rebuild software, according to associated rights.

Sound processing giving an impression of origin, distance, and movement of sources around the player.

Elimination of an opponent shortly after they respawn, sometimes before they can reposition.

More precise orientation of a class or character, obtained by choosing particular talents or equipment.

Feature allowing observation of a match without controlling a participant; a broadcast delay may limit information-based advantages.

Technology transforming speech into text, notably to improve access to voice conversations.

Practice and attempt to finish a game or objective as quickly as possible, following the rules of a timed competition category.

Display dividing one screen into several views, generally one per local player.

Information revealing a narrative element or discovery that some people prefer to encounter for themselves.

Simulation or playful interpretation of a sport, with rules more or less close to its real equivalent.

Short, planned work period in some agile management methods, followed by a review of the result.

2D image or sequence of images representing an object or character in a game; it may be animated.

Sheet grouping several images of the same character or of different objects to facilitate their use.

Gradual release of a version according to users, devices, or regions.

Imbalance caused by hits that may interrupt enemy actions or open an opening.

Resource consumed by physical actions such as running, attacking, blocking, or dodging, and usually regenerated.

Quantified value characterising a character, item, opponent, or game system.

Special condition applied to an entity, such as freeze, poison, sleep, silence, or invisibility.

Gameplay favouring avoidance of detection, observation of patrols, and exploitation of enemy areas or behaviours.

Isolated track or grouping of music tracks allowing a piece to be recomposed in layers during gameplay.

Very short musical or sound intervention emphasising an event, reveal, or achievement.

Service offering the discovery, acquisition, and sometimes management of games and downloadable content.

Mode prioritising progress through a scripted campaign, sometimes with its own difficulty or rules.

Sequence of images preparing a sequence to plan framing, rhythm, movements, and shot transitions.

Lateral movement performed without necessarily turning the viewpoint, common in action and shooter games.

Resource detailing mechanics, choices, and methods to progress or reach an objective.

Series of consecutive days or matches meeting a condition, often valued by a counter or rewards.

Graphic layer overlaid on the game to display scores, camera, commentary, or stream information.

Person broadcasting their gameplay sessions or associated content live on a platform.

Distribution of an audiovisual stream live or on demand, notably to share a match.

Perceptible irregularities in display rhythm, even when the average frame rate appears high.

Offer periodically charging for access to a game, catalogue, or set of services, under specified conditions.

On-screen transcription of spoken dialogue, sometimes accompanied by speaker information.

Family of techniques aiming to reconstruct a high-definition image from less detailed information or multiple images.

Role improving team performance through healing, protection, information, or control, not limited to healing.

Game where one must maintain vital resources or conditions, often by exploring, crafting, and facing threats.

Horror genre where exploration, vulnerability, uncertainty, and sometimes resource scarcity create lasting tension.

Informal qualifier for a match or player that is particularly competitive and demanding.

Anti-aliasing method using information from several successive frames, sometimes introducing blur or trails.

Strategy game in which players or factions take their decisions in turns according to sequencing rules.

Shooter whose camera shows the character from an external viewpoint, often behind their shoulder.

Role-playing game organising combat around positions, movement, and tactical decisions, often on a grid or turn-based.

Shooter emphasising preparation, positioning, coordination, and shot consequences.

Role consisting of absorbing, avoiding, or deflecting attacks to protect the team.

Ability intended to draw or force an opponent's attention toward a character, depending on the threat system.

Specialist bridging artists and programmers, notably responsible for shaders, tools, and graphics pipelines.

Person responsible for technical directions, tools, and architectural constraints on a project.

Movement or signal preceding an attack and giving information about its direction, timing, or power.

Governed collection of usage and operational data used to study progression, errors, or performance.

Ground surface representing relief, generated or sculpted and dressed with materials and decor elements.

Element of a digital texture, analogous to a pixel but expressed in the texture's image space.

Technology converting text into synthetic speech, sometimes used for interface or chat.

Image or data used to modify a surface's appearance: colour, apparent relief, material properties, etc.

Large image grouping multiple textures to facilitate loading or reduce certain rendering costs.

Perspective showing the controlled character from an external, free or guided camera.

Parallel or concurrent execution unit allowing distribution of computations under certain synchronisation constraints.

Frequency at which a server simulates or updates its game state, distinct from the number of frames displayed on screen.

Small reusable graphic element used to compose floors, walls, and environments by assembly.

Grid of tiles visually or logically describing a portion of a level, often in two dimensions.

State of frustration disrupting a player's decisions and performance after a series of unfavourable events.

Availability reserved for a defined period before potential release on other platforms.

Run constructed using tools that precisely control inputs and states to explore theoretical performance.

Organisation of a mesh's vertices and edges, important for deformation, performance, and clarity.

Input interface using gestures or presses on a screen to directly control game actions.

Set of matches organised according to rules to determine a ranking or a winner.

Game in which the player places and upgrades defences to prevent enemy waves from reaching a target.

Set of harmful behaviours in a community, such as insults, harassment, or deliberate sabotage.

Estimation of a headset, controller, or body part's movement and orientation in space.

Mode offering a controlled environment to work on mechanics, combos, or strategies without the constraints of a regular match.

Person or intervention aimed at provoking reactions by deliberately disrupting a conversation or match.

Player who intensely tries to win or optimise; the word can be descriptive or mocking depending on context.

Sequence or device intended to teach essential commands, rules, and mechanics.

Set of elements allowing the player to view information and perform commands, such as menus and indicators.

Assignment of 2D coordinates to the surface of a 3D object to apply textures to it.

Overall quality of the player's interaction, including understanding, comfort, efficiency, and satisfaction.

Narrative voice or source whose information is intentionally incomplete, biased, or misleading.

Producing a higher-definition output image from a lower-resolution render through interpolation or reconstruction.

Feature aligning frame emission with the display's refresh to reduce tearing, sometimes at the cost of latency.

Recording of a live broadcast viewable after airing; the term does not only refer to a movie service.

Technology allowing one to perceive and move through an immersive environment using a headset and adapted inputs.

Memory accessible to the GPU for textures, geometry, buffers, and other rendering resources.

Technology allowing a compatible display to adapt its frequency to the source's frame rate.

Tool for distributing and managing plants and trees, often with distance-based optimisation.

System preserving the history of code and files to coordinate changes and revert to a previous state.

Convention identifying releases of a game or its components to track their evolution.

Elementary point of a mesh containing a position and possibly colour, normal, or texture data.

Portion of the game representative of the targeted quality and functioning, combining several disciplines within a limited scope.

Criterion that triggers success in a match, such as reaching a score, capturing a base, or eliminating an opponent.

Interactive work executed by a computing device, in which the player's actions influence images, sounds, or a system of rules.

Research studying the objects, versions, traces, and material contexts of video games to understand their history.

Puzzle game generally requiring understanding a closed environment and combining clues to escape.

Image, expression, or reference from gaming that circulates and transforms within communities.

Software device determining the framing, position, orientation, and projection of the image seen by the player.

Unit of exchange specific to a game or account, earned, bought, or awarded according to the business model.

Interactive work primarily based on text, illustrations, and dialogue, with more or fewer choices.

Building logic through nodes or connected blocks rather than exclusively typing code.

Recording and integration of voices performing characters in a given language or version.

Supervision of interpretation, rhythm, and coherence of vocal performances during recording.

Narrative voice or commentary heard without the speaker necessarily appearing in the scene.

Element of a discrete volume, used to represent or modify 3D objects and worlds.

Weakness of software or service that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability.

'Well played': compliment meaning that an action or performance was well executed.

Informal label for experiences mostly built on movement, observation, and narrative discovery, generally with few complex actions.

Documented path explaining how to finish a game or section, in text or video form.

Cheating technique revealing opponents or information normally hidden by obstacles.

Marketing term for a user whose spending is exceptionally high; the usage can be dehumanising.

Elimination of an entire group or collective failure generally forcing a rematch.

Adding a game to a tracking list on a storefront, often studied pre-release as an interest indicator.

Space integrated into some platforms for publishing, discovering, and installing compatible community creations.

Work of designing the coherence of a universe: geography, cultures, conflicts, technologies, and functioning of its institutions.

Option reversing the relationship between the controller's vertical movement and the camera's vertical direction.

Identifiable portion of the world defined by its geography, rules, danger level, or technical streaming.

Accomplishing the full set of objectives chosen by the game or community to consider content entirely finished.

Speedrun category that imposes a set of completion criteria defined by the community, which do not necessarily match the in-game counter.

Common term for a combination of 2D and 3D aspects or techniques, whose definition varies according to presentation and mechanics.

Representation organised primarily along two axes; the technique used does not impose a particular type of gameplay.

Representation of objects and spaces along three geometric dimensions, generally observed through a virtual camera.

Professional who gives movement and expression to characters or objects through poses, curves, and animation systems.

Acquisition of a real object's shape to produce a digital three-dimensional representation.

Strategy genre structured around four conventional goals: exploration, expansion, resource exploitation, and extermination or domination.