Gaming Lexicon - "C" Trivia Quiz

Answer: checkpoint

In modern-day video games, a checkpoint is a vital tool used to lock in a player's progress so they don't have to start all over again. It can be a physical location that players must reach on a map or a level/stage that a player has progressed to. Upon reaching a checkpoint, the player no longer needs to worry that all of their previous efforts will be erased; the checkpoint serves as a new starting point if the player fails at a task or dies to enemies.

RPGs often use physical checkpoints stylized as campfires or tents to symbolize that the player is resting and has reached an area where they can let their guard down, if only temporarily. These checkpoints or save points often allow a player to craft items, cook food, brew potions, or put points into character abilities. The checkpoint, then, serves not only to preserve one's current progress but also to help prepare one for the challenges to come.

Answer: combo

Emerging from early '90s fighting games, a combo (short for "combination") is a series of moves that, when properly sequenced, can give the player a significant advantage. In fighting games, this can mean preventing the opponent from blocking or even dealing them extra damage. In other game genres, combos can offer higher scores or other bonuses. The trick to pulling off a successful combo is timing. If the right buttons are pushed in the right sequence at the right time, players are rewarded.

Initially, the concept of combos in fighting games was largely an unintended feature. In "Street Fighter II," players learned they could sustain an attack if they found the correct sequence of moves and timed them properly, spawning various popular strategies. Game designers soon incorporated combos as a regular fighting game element, one that has helped define the genre ever since.

Answer: camping

Largely seen as unfair or unsportsmanlike behavior, camping is the act of staying in one location (usually a chokepoint or area with limited access) to gain an attack advantage over one's opponents. It is a tactic that is most commonly seen (and criticized) in first-person shooters, such as the "Call of Duty" franchise. Game developers generally try to limit the number of positions on game maps that offer extreme tactical advantages by adding multiple entrances and access points to certain areas. However, gamers are nothing if not persistent in sniffing out the best locations to camp.

A more specific type of camping in these games is called "spawn camping," in which a player stays near an area known for player spawning (where a character appears or reappears on a map). Because the spawning player may need a moment to familiarize themselves with their surroundings, the camper has a strong opportunity to attack. And since spawn points are often fixed or predictable, the spawn camper knows where to expect an opponent to appear.

Answer: cutscene

While video games are at their core interactive, many game developers include story or narrative elements in their games. This often leads to cutscenes, where a game pauses its interactive elements to relay part of the story. Cutscenes often come at the start of a game, during important moments in the middle, and at the game's conclusion. Occasionally, these scenes are of better graphical quality than the game itself.

Narrative adventure games have become a popular genre in recent decades as some players have come to envisage gaming as an extension of visual storytelling versus just a thing to win. Games such as "The Last of Us" and "Life Is Strange" put great focus and care into their storylines and the narrative roles that their characters play. While gaming elements are still certainly present (and very necessary), the experience can be more akin to reading a novel than succeeding in a competitive arena.

Answer: crit

The word "crit" (short for "critical") can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective in the gaming world. It is typically paired with the words "hit" or "damage," and in that sense, it is meant to convey that an attack has dealt significantly more damage than normal. In RPGs and shooters, a crit is usually triggered when certain conditions have been met or occurs according to a percentage chance.

Characters within video games will often have two different stats when it comes to the idea of crits: crit chance and crit damage multipliers (which can also be expressed as a percentage). For example, your character might have a crit chance of 10%, while their crit damage multiplier might be 300%. That means your character will deal 300% of their normal damage 10% of the time. Raising these numbers can be vital for certain playstyles and builds.

Answer: cheese

Cheesing is a somewhat negative term in gaming, meaning to use a video game's own controls and systems to produce an advantage that was typically not intended by the game's developers. It can be used in instances in which a player is playing solo or multiplayer. While it is not exactly cheating (due to the fact that you are not using anything external to affect the experience), it is usually considered unsportsmanlike.

A couple of examples might include attacking an enemy from an unintended vantage point or repeatedly performing a move that is difficult or impossible to interrupt and gives the opponent little chance to respond. Games that include trading or currency can be cheesed if a specific item has an unbalanced price and players try to sell large numbers of that item. Generally, cheesing is not considered to be in the spirit of the game.

Answer: consumable

When designing items to be included in a game, there are some that can remain with the player or character indefinitely--things like weapons, tools, apparel, etc. However, some items are labeled as consumable, meaning they are used and then disappear from one's inventory. Examples include food, medicine, potions, kits, scrolls, throwables (such as bombs or grenades) and ammunition.

In games that include crafting, the ingredients and materials used to make items are generally not considered consumables. Instead, these materials are often gathered in order to craft a consumable as the end product.

Answer: carry

With the arrival of multiplayer games (particularly MMORPGs, FPSs, and MOBAs), working as a team with other human players has become more important than ever. However, not every player has the same skill level, and not every character has an equal power level. That is where the concept of "carrying" comes from. While most games try to create a balance in which all characters and players are useful, sometimes a single player will stand out from the rest of the team. This person's performance contributes significantly, or perhaps even single-handedly, to the team's victory.

Generally speaking, you don't want to be the person carrying your team. It implies that either you must do significantly more work than the other team members or that your teammates are all remarkably unskilled. Nevertheless, there are certainly scenarios in which someone carrying a team creates a sense of exhilaration as you watch--can your teammate really defeat the other five opponents and win the match?

Answer: clicker

A clicker is a type of incremental game in which a person amasses resources by clicking various icons or buttons. Sometimes this entails a simple reward by itself, and sometimes these resources can be used to purchase or craft other items to improve your clicking yield. Clickers are typically intended to be low-stakes, in that you simply progress in the game instead of meeting any kind of loss state. In other words, you can't really "lose" many clicker games.

Because of their inherent simplicity, many early clicker games were PC-based and played over the internet. These days, many clicker games are mobile games, played during downtime, such as lunch breaks or while riding public transportation.

Answer: cooldown

When playing a video game, what prevents a player from using a powerful item or skill over and over, defeating the enemy without much thought? The answer is a cooldown, a game mechanic that sets a time period or other condition that forces the player to wait until they can use that item or skill again. Usually, this takes the form of a time constraint, and the inventory box that contains the item or skill is grayed out until the cooldown has elapsed.

In some games, cooldown times can be decreased by leveling your character or researching certain technologies. Cooldowns help prevent the concept of spamming, which was conveyed in the first sentence of this info section. They force players to approach a situation with multiple tools instead of relying on just one.