Glossary of video game terms

Also isometric graphics.Also triple A.Also badge, trophy, medal, cheevo.Also aim down sights.Also control stick and thumbstick.A term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or other effects that affect multiple targets within a specified area.

In most tactical strategy games artillery weapons have an area of effect that will damage anyone within a radius of the strike zone.

In the Atari 8-bit computers of the late 1970s and 1980s, the term attract mode was sometimes used to denote a simple screensaver that slowly cycled the display colors to prevent phosphor burn-in when no input had been received for several minutes.

[44] Also crit.Also cinematic.Also control pad and directional pad.Also day zero.Also day one.Also free-for-allAlso conversation tree.Also downedAlso stick drift.See also levelAlso software testing and Software release life cycle.Also infinite runner.Also electronic sports, e-sports, eSports, competitive gaming, cybersports and professional gaming.Also field of vision.Also invincibility frames, invulnerability period, mercy invincibility.Also full perfect combo (FPC).Also gameplay mechanics.Also gameplay mode.Also Buy-to-play.Also Live Service Games.Also goated.Also: infinite health, infinite life, invincibility, invulnerabilityAlso hit points (HP).Also hi-score.Also damage ring.Also i-frames.Also independent video game.Also heads-up display (HUD).Also magic points.Also multi-user domain, multi-user dungeon.Also cross-platform.Also CPU.Also P2W or PTW.Also hardcore mode.Also platformer.Also ragdolling.Also gamer rage.

Early title screens often included all the game options available (single player, multiplayer, configuration of controls, etc.)

Older computer and video games had relatively simple menu screens that often featured pre-rendered artwork.

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
A7Xpg gives the player the opportunity to continue playing after losing their last life.
The player cannot see enemy activity beneath the greyed-out fog of war.
Gibs in OpenQuartz
Level 256 in Pac-Man is unbeatable due to a bug associated with an integer overflow in the game's code.
The Konami Code
A simplified example of a skill tree structure, in this case for the usage of firearms
Although only the blue player in the center takes a direct hit, everyone within the circle takes splash damage. The damage may decrease further from the point of impact; this is known as damage falloff.
OpenArena title screen