From N00B to 1337: Gamer Talk Dissected

If you’ve ever spent any serious time playing video games, you should be able to translate the title. If not, there’s never been a better time to acclimate yourself with the lingo. Since video games are exponentially evolving in line with Moore’s law, they’re positioned to keep pace with computers and become an increasingly important part of society. Although this new lingo didn’t really take hold until the rise of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) like Starcraft and World of Warcraft, it has (in a relatively short amount of time) managed to profoundly influence internet and pop culture alike.

The slang involved can be intimidating at first, and gamers themselves can be very unforgiving when it comes to new players (n00bs), but knowing what is going on with these seemingly random assortments of numbers and letters is a good place to start. Add to that a few commonly used phrases and you could become a Beast in no time.

The Numbers

Gamers like to substitute letters with numbers to create some of their most recognizable slang. Though there is an entire 1337 (pronounced “leet” and meaning “elite”) alphabet, the following are the most commonly used:

0: O

1: L

3: E

7: T

The Phrases

Video games come in all shapes in sizes, so it’s no surprise that slang in one game can mean something totally different in another. Many games even have their own list of slang words unique to gameplay involved, but the following lingo continually appears in most video games.

Slang	Meaning	Example
n00b	a new, inexperienced or hated player	Watch out n00b or you’ll get us all killed!
1337	an elite player	He’s been playing since the game came out. He’s definitely 1337.
PWN3D	defeated in a highly embarrassing way	That n00b just got PWN3D!
Aggro	Aggression; being aggressive	Chill out! Don’t be so Aggro.
Camp	to hold position	If you get the sniper rifle, the best spot to camp is in the tower.
Beast	an awesome player	He’s been playing forever. He’s a Beast!
Farming	earning experience or items	I just started playing so I’ll be farming exp. for the next few days.
Mule	an alternate game character used for storage	I know I have that item, but it must be on one of my mules.
W00t	showing joy or excitement	Just got the best item in the game! w00t w00t!
Cheese	cheap strategy	Only a n00b would use cheese like that.