Glossary of video game terms
This is a non-comprehensive list that includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing an "area of effect", or AoE
The attract mode for the arcade game San Francisco Rush: The Rock showcasing one of the racetracks available to play in the game
Gibs in OpenQuartz
"Game over" is a message in video games which informs the player that their playing session has ended prematurely, due to misfortune such as losing all of one's lives or failing a critical objective. It also sometimes appears at the successful completion of a session, usually in games designed for arcades, after the player has exhausted the game's supply of new challenges. The phrase has since been turned into quasi-slang, usually describing an event that will cause significant harm, injury, bad luck, or even death to a person.
"Game over" screen from the game Torus Trooper
A "game over" banner at an anti-fascist protest in Berlin, 2020