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A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming Acronyms and Abbreviations
Decode the short forms used in game chat, menus and patch notes, from FPS, RPG and NPC to DLC, RNG and AFK, grouped by where you are likely to see them.
Gaming explained
Understand how games work, in plain language.
Plain-language explainers on how games, gaming hardware, esports and player culture work, with concepts and history rather than hype.
146 in-depth guides 20 topics Oct 2026 latest guide
Featured guides
Guides to start with
Each one links on to more specific articles in its topic.
Understanding Frame Rate: A Guide to Gaming Performance
Learn what frames per second and refresh rate mean, how the eye and brain judge smoothness, and why steady frame pacing often matters more than a high number.
Understanding Gaming Hardware: A Glossary of Terms
A plain-language glossary of gaming hardware terms, from CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD to cooling, power and displays, with no invented specs or benchmark numbers.
A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming Consoles: A Statistical Look at Market Share
What a gaming console is, how generations work, how console makers compete, and how to read market share claims, explained without quoting any share figures.
Understanding Game Genres: A Statistical Look at Popularity
A plain map of the main video game genres, how they blend together, and why claims about which genre is most popular are so hard to measure or trust.
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How Games Run
Words, hardware and performance behind play.
Gaming Vocabulary Terms, slang, acronyms and mechanics explained. 6 guides Performance and Lag Frame rate, resolution, GPUs and why games feel smooth or not. 8 guides Hardware and Upgrades Parts, upkeep, upgrades and controllers. 7 guides Inside the Machine What each part of a gaming computer does while you play. 8 guides Online Play and Networking How games talk over a network and why connections feel the way they do. 8 guides
How Games Are Made
Design, sound, story and immersion.
Design and Genres How genres, difficulty, length and AI shape games. 8 guides Sound, Story and Immersion Music, narrative and VR in games. 5 guides Making a Game The stages and roles that turn an idea into a finished game. 8 guides Systems Under the Hood The rules, math and structures that drive what happens in a game. 8 guides
Players and Scene
The industry, competitive scene and the people who play.
Platforms and Business Consoles, platforms, money models and rules. 6 guides Esports and Communities Competitive play, events and player communities. 5 guides Social Play How playing together relates to socializing and engagement. 5 guides Player Wellbeing Psychology, habits and health questions, educational only. 8 guides How Competition Is Organized Brackets, ladders, teams and the structure of competitive play. 8 guides
Game History
Where arcades, consoles, PCs and online play came from.
Creators and Access
Streaming, modding and making games playable for more people.