AFK stands for “away from keyboard” and means a player is temporarily not playing or responding.
The Genre Constellation
16 kinds of game, plotted by what they have in common. Follow the lines to find a genre close to one you already enjoy.
16 genres, one sky
Each star is a genre. A line joins two genres when they share core ideas, so you can see at a glance which styles of game sit close together and which are worlds apart.
Six corners of gaming talk
From how games are tuned to how they make money, each topic groups the words you are likely to meet together.
Game mechanics terms explained in plain English
The rules a game runs on, from how long an ability takes to recharge to what happens when your character falls.
17 entries →
Balance and meta terms explained: nerf, buff, meta and more
The vocabulary of a game that keeps changing: who got stronger, who got weaker, and what everyone is playing this week.
13 entries →
Game monetisation terms explained: battle passes, loot boxes and DLC
How games are sold and how they earn money after launch, explained without the marketing language.
15 entries →
Gaming slang explained: what players actually mean
The everyday language of players, from friendly sign-offs to the words used when things turn sour.
16 entries →
Gaming tech terms explained: frame rate, ping, input lag and more
The technical words that appear in settings menus, reviews and complaints about lag, translated into plain English.
15 entries →
Competitive gaming terms explained: ranked, MMR, esports and roles
The language of matchmaking, ladders, team roles and record attempts, for anyone who wants to follow the competitive side of games.
14 entries →A translator for the language of play
Gaming has its own vocabulary, and it moves quickly. Words like meta, smurf or gacha pass from voice chat into school playgrounds long before they reach a printed dictionary. If you are new to games, returning after years away, or a parent trying to follow a conversation at the dinner table, the jargon can feel like a wall.
Playerlexicon breaks that wall into short, honest entries. Each one gives a single-sentence meaning first, then a fuller explanation, an example of the word in use, and a note on what it means in practice. Where a word has a documented history, we link to the sources we checked. Where it touches money, safety or wellbeing, we point to official guidance rather than offering opinions dressed up as facts.
We do not review games, award scores or sell anything. There are no adverts or affiliate links. You can read more about how entries are written and checked.