Glossary

A reference to common online-gaming terminology, listed alphabetically.

Battle pass: A seasonal progression track in a free-to-play game, typically costing around 10 EUR per season, that unlocks cosmetic items as the player gains XP through normal play.
Cosmetic: An in-game item that changes appearance only and has no effect on gameplay or competitive balance. Skins, emotes and weapon charms are typical cosmetics.
F2P (free-to-play): A game that is free to download and play, monetised through cosmetic items, battle passes or other optional purchases. Distinct from a free demo, which is a limited part of a paid game.
Gacha: A monetisation model based on randomised pulls for characters or items. Originating in Japanese mobile games, now common in titles like Genshin Impact. Regulated as gambling in some jurisdictions.
HTML5: The current generation of the HTML web standard. Combined with Canvas and the Web Audio API, the de facto delivery format for browser games since Flash was retired in 2020.
IAP (in-app purchase): A purchase made inside an app or game, as opposed to paying for the app upfront. Powers most of the modern free-to-play economy.
.io game: A casual, instant-join multiplayer browser game, named for the .io top-level domain popularised by Agar.io (2015) and Slither.io (2016).
Loot box: A randomised reward container, paid or earned, that grants in-game items at varying rarities. Increasingly regulated as gambling, particularly when sold for real money.
MMO (massively multiplayer online): A game that supports hundreds or thousands of simultaneous players in a shared persistent world. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV and Guild Wars 2 are mainstream examples.
MMORPG: An MMO that is also a role-playing game — the dominant flavour of MMO. The terms are often used interchangeably in casual contexts.
MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena): A team-based real-time competitive game on a fixed map with character classes, popularised by DotA and refined by League of Legends and Dota 2.
Pay-to-win: A monetisation model in which paying players gain a competitive advantage. Generally considered the least player-friendly approach; common in some mobile genres, rare in major Western shooters.
PWYW (pay-what-you-want): A pricing model in which the buyer chooses how much to pay, often with a suggested minimum or no minimum at all. Common on itch.io.
RNG (random number generator): The randomness underlying loot drops, critical hits, item rolls and similar mechanics. Often used informally to refer to the random outcomes themselves (“bad RNG”).
Roguelike: A genre of game with procedurally generated runs and permanent death within a run. Strict roguelikes are grid-based and turn-based; looser “roguelites” relax some of these rules.
RTS (real-time strategy): A strategy game played in real time rather than in turns. StarCraft and Age of Empires are canonical examples; the genre has shrunk on PC but remains influential.
Season pass: Older term, sometimes used interchangeably with “battle pass”, sometimes referring instead to a bundle of paid DLC. Context matters.
Skin: A cosmetic item that changes the appearance of a character, weapon or vehicle. The primary unit of monetisation in modern F2P shooters.
WebGL: A web API for accelerated 3D graphics in the browser, based on OpenGL ES. Together with HTML5 Canvas, the foundation of modern browser game rendering. WebGPU is its successor and is now shipping in major browsers.