[Must-Read] Gaming Glossary & Slang for Beginners

When reading Steam reviews, do you ever encounter terms you've never heard of or unique slang? "This game is Omakuni...", "The Meta has changed", "The Stuttering is terrible"... it can be confusing without context.

This guide explains essential gaming terms and slang for beginners in a simple way. Understanding these will help you decode the "true meaning" behind reviews.

1. Purchase & Distribution Issues

Omakuni: Short for "They won't sell it in your country." Refers to games not available in certain regions (especially Japan) or priced significantly higher than elsewhere due to licensing or other reasons.
Omago: Short for "They won't put your language in." Cases where the game is available but Japanese support is omitted or sold later as paid DLC.
Early Access: A system where you can buy and play games while they are still in development. Expect bugs and unpolished balance, but you often get them cheaper and can provide feedback to developers.

2. Graphics & Performance

Stuttering: Brief, sudden freezes in the display. Even with high frame rates (fps), this can make the experience very unpleasant.
Tearing: A visual artifact where a screen shows information from multiple frames in a single draw, making the screen look "torn."
Optimization: How well a game is tuned to use PC hardware efficiently. "Poor optimization" reviews are common when even high-end PCs struggle to run the game smoothly.

3. Game Content & Systems

Meta: Short for "Most Efficient Tactics Available." Refers to the current popular or "strongest" strategies/builds in competitive games.
Nerf: When an update reduces the power of a character, weapon, or skill. The opposite is Buff.
QoL (Quality of Life): Refers to features that make the game easier or more comfortable to play, such as UI improvements or streamlining tedious tasks.
Vanilla: The original state of a game without any modifications (MODs).

4. Special Expressions

Sakura / Shill: Fake reviews, which this site focuses on detecting. When developers or affiliates write fake praise to inflate ratings.
Review Bombing: When a large number of negative reviews are posted in a short period, often due to an issue unrelated to gameplay (e.g., developer controversy or business practices).

5. Online Chat & Communication

Common abbreviations seen in multiplayer chat and English reviews.

gg / wp: "Good Game / Well Played." A standard greeting after a match.
ty / thx: "Thank You / Thanks."
nt: "Nice Try." Used to encourage teammates after a failed attempt.
glhf: "Good Luck, Have Fun." A common greeting at the start of a match.
afk: "Away From Keyboard." Refers to someone being away or idle.
brb: "Be Right Back."
noob / n00b: Short for "newbie." Often used derogatorily to mean a bad player.

6. General Industry Terms

DLC: "Downloadable Content."
F2P: "Free to Play."
P2W: "Pay to Win." Games where spending money provides a significant competitive advantage. Often used negatively in reviews.
GOTY: "Game of the Year."

We will update this list regularly. If you have terms you'd like us to explain, let us know via the contact form!