Gamer Speak: World of Warcraft

Here are some of the more common World of Warcraft terms and shorthands that might be helpful in following a WoW conversation.

• Alliance

I accidentally ended up in the middle of Alliance territory.

The Alliance is one of the two political sides of World of Warcraft. The Alliance is stereotyped as being the “good” people.

• AFK

Sorry, I was AFK.

AFK stands for Away From Keyboard and is used when a player stays in the game, but leaves their controls.

• Blizzard

Blizzard’s taking forever to fix that glitch.

Blizzard is the game developing company that produced World of Warcraft. They maintain the game and will occasionally update areas or add assets to the game.

• Class

The character I’m working on right now is a priest, but I wish I had chosen another class.

The class a player chooses will determine what types of weapons and skills that can possess. The classes in WoW are: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rouge, Shaman, Warrior, Death Knight, and Warlock. www.wowwikki.com.classes gives a description of each class.

• Char/Toon

I’m starting a new char next month.

Char, and sometimes Toon, are used as a shortened term for character. The player’s character is the person they play as in the game.

• Drop

This creature only drops the item I need every 5-6 times.

When a player kills a creature (Mob), or finds a chest, they can find items. A creature drops items after they are killed, and the player searches the dead creature’s corpse to find the items left behind.

• Dungeon

I’ll meet you I the Dungeon at 10:15.

A dungeon is an underground area in which the players can fight. The term dungeon can also be loosely applied to any area in which the players start an instance.

• Elite

I can’t take on an elite for another two levels.

An elite form of a creature is one that is particularly strong. These creatures are more difficult to beat.

• Grinding

I spent all day grinding and I only gained two levels!

Grinding is the process of working towards a higher level. Grinding often requires performing mundane or repetitive tasks to gain experience.

• Guild

My guild’s name is “The Evil League of Evil,” and you can’t join our guild if you’re Alliance.

People who play World of Warcraft create guilds. These are groups of players who normally have something in common. Some guilds will have events in real life that they do together, or the guide might all play at an appointed time or in the same place.

• Horde

This town is controlled by the Horde.

The Horde is one of the two political sides to World of Warcraft. A player chooses to be in the Horde or not. The Horde is stereotyped as being “bad” or “dark.”

• HP

My HP is too low to start a fight.

HP measures a creature or player’s health points. When a person is out of health points they are dead.

• Instance

We’re waiting for John to begin the Instance.

An instance is a part of the game where a group of players can play privately. This allows a group (usually members of the same guild, or friends from outside of the game) to play without being interrupted by other players or happenings.

• Manna

After that fight, I’m in desperate need of manna.

Manna is what allows a player to cast spells. Spells can be used to attack, defend, or heal.

• MMORPG

World of Warcraft is a very popular MMORPG.

MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game. These are games that are played by a large number of people over an Internet connection during which players play as if they are a certain character.

• Mobs

This quest requires me to find a certain type of mob, and it is really rare.

A Mob is an entity in the game that is not played by a person, but moves about in the game. The purpose of Mobs is to give players something to kill, usually for the purpose of gaining XP or completing a quest.

• Pets or Mounts

At the next level I can get a new pet/mount.

A pet or mount is a creature that is associated with a character. The character usually will have to earn the pet/mount. These creatures can have various benefits based on the type of creature.

• Pots

I’m looking for a certain Pot.

“Pots” is short for potions. This term isn’t used too often, but potions are a common part of WoW. Each potion has a different affect on a character. Potions can be bought or found, and some characters can make them.

• PvP

This is a PvP area.

PvP stands for Player versus Player and marks areas where two players of any type can fight one another.

• Quest

I have to go and turn in this Quest.

A quest is a task that a player completes to gain some sort of reward. The reward can be experience points, skill levels, or items.

• Race

I chose to play on the side of the Alliance because they had the race I wanted.

The races in WoW are the types of creature/people that the player can be. There are five races for both the Horde and the Alliance. The races are: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome and Draenel for the Alliance; and Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll and Blood Elf for the Horde.

• Raid or Raid Party

We need one more person for a raid.

A raid or raid party is a group of at least 6 players that complete tasks together under the leadership of a raid leader.

• Rez

I’ll be there in ten minutes, I gotta rez.

Rez is short for resurrection. When a player in WoW dies, they have the ability to be resurrected by other players, by returning as a ghost to the body, r by a Spirit Healer.

• WoW

I’ve played WoW for seven years now.

WoW is short for World of Warcraft which is a popular online game.

• XP

I’m 1,500 XP from the next level.

XP is short for experience points. In Warcraft, a player gains XP by killing certain creatures or completing quests. As the player gains XP they gain levels.

For more in depth information I recommend www.wowwikki.com

For the review of World of Warcraft see here.

Gamer Speak: Intro

Have you ever been hanging out with your player and his friends when you find yourself staring at them and wondering what language they are speaking? Sure it sounds like English, but you can't follow a single sentence, or even tell when one sentence ends and the other begins.

I have often been sitting in silence listening to what I can only describe as verbal alphabet soup spilling out of the mouths of those around me. Therefore, I shall embark upon the task of creating Gamer Speak dictionaries for the benefit of every gamer girlfriend out there.

Be looking for the first set this week. My first set of definitions will cover that all too familiar game, World of Warcraft. You can read the review here:

http://gamergf.blogspot.com/2009/06/review-world-of-warcraft-wow.html

Review: World of Warcraft (WoW)

Played on: PC

World of Warcraft is an online game where players create characters. These characters can be different species and the player can choose to play for one of two main groups, The Horde or The Alliance. Players complete tasks and quests to gain levels and skills. Each expansion to the game has added more to the story line with the latest expansion adding the pursuit of the Lich King.

Visuals:

The game is graphically very well done. It looks like a video game, but generally plays smoothly. Some of the scenery can be quite beautiful. Due to the way the game is set up, players often have to do much of the same task, or use the same skill many times in order to gain levels and progress to the next part of the game. For some players this "grinding" can be a very positive characteristic of the game as it is a great way to waste a few hours, however, it can be excruciating to watch.

Audio:

There isn't much to the game as far as soundtrack. There are sound effects that are associated with many parts of the game, but they are not necessary for the success of the player. The game can easily be played on mute.

Involvement:

There is no opportunity for involvement from a girlfriend who does not wish to play the game. The game's chat features can be a way to communicate with friends, but this will be done mostly by the player. Some girlfriends do play World of Warcraft on their own so that they may play a character with their boy, but I would not suggest WoW for a non-gamer, or even a very casual gamer.

Overall:

There is a reason the term "WoW Widow" exists. WoW is not a good game for girlfriend watching and players tend to play for hours on end. I might find some enjoyment in watching it for a few minutes, but it quickly becomes boring. If WoW is to be played in the presence of the girlfriend, mute your computer and let her choose a movie to watch as you try to reach level 70. If your girlfriend is into games, and not just casually, you might be able to convince her to start playing, but don't push it. For most girlfriends, I would recommend leaving the WoW playing for when she goes with her friends.