Let’s be honest, there are times when computer jargon can get so out of hand that you may as well be speaking a different language, or might just be better off communicating in code, because the spoken or written word can no longer keep up with the amount of data those talking wish to convey or describe. With things only set to get more technical moving forward, we may as well get used to this state of play and continually brush up on our tech glossaries.
However, the worlds of computing and tech aren’t the only ones that churn out more abbreviations than an IT consultant trying to boggle an unwitting client. Many games and the people who play them have seemingly found means of communication that, were you wired into their conversations with no preparation, your brain would be almost certain to explode – metaphorically speaking of course. Here are some of the best or worst, depending on whether you enjoy the intricacies of abbreviation and acronym.
Poker
Ever since this popular card game first began, the terminology has been used to describe every aspect of the game, from the first three community cards, known as the “flop,” to the “turn” and the oft-times dreaded “river”. Just when poker players had got to grips with it all, along came the online version of the game, unleashing a whole new breed of poker jargon that would soon balloon to rival any terminology found in any other game that exists today.
If you don’t believe us, then go ahead and fire up one of the Twitch streams run by professional poker players, and see how much sense you can make of what’s going on between them and their subscribers in chat. Get ready for banter, about everything from “the nuts” to “sharks” to “fishes” and plenty of gallows humor besides.
Fortnite and Other Online Games
The aforementioned Fortnite has become something akin to a religion or cult in the world of online gaming, with millions tuning in to watch their favorite stars play. With in-game decisions having to be coordinated among each team, often at lightning speed, abbreviations were always going to be necessary. Fans and players alike have now run with it, forming a language fit for its own dictionary.
Of course, you can immerse yourself in this alien diction via online streaming portals, but the best way to experience Fortnite’s linguistic madness is to go to an Esports live event, where you can sit with your popcorn as players scream at one another to “Full Send” or to “Turtle” while trying to avoid being “Harry Pottered”. You might think we’re joking, but all these terms genuinely exist and for a Fortnite player they’re gospel.
Offline Board Games and RPGs
Sure, online games have taken things to new heights where lingo is concerned, but for true jargon aficionados and gaming geeks there’s still nothing quite like sending your computer to sleep, taking out that beloved board game and immersing yourself and your friends in a myriad array of rules, spells, secret words and gobbledygook.
One of the behemoths of this particular gaming world is Games Workshop, whose Warhammer series has also made great strides online. However, the real beauty of Games Workshop games is the painstaking detail involved, from the artistry needed to paint and craft the playing figures themselves, to the detailed 48-page manuals that explain how to maneuver them.
But the real reason that Warhammer and its other companion games stand out so much, is that their version of the spoken word has even now translated into novel length books. Fans and general readers alike can experience the games simply as readers, well away from the strains of competition, loud explosions and men with beards and death metal t-shirts screaming “Alphastrike”. It’s a jargon so complex that it needs a series of books.
