Game Development Vocabulary: 100 Key English Terms
Game development is one of the most international creative industries, and its working language is English: engine documentation, editor menus, bug reports, patch notes and publisher emails are full of words like build, asset, playtest, shader and netcode. This glossary explains the core vocabulary of engines, gameplay, level design, graphics, physics, animation, multiplayer, monetization, testing and publishing in plain English and Turkish, with examples from real studio work. It is written for game developers, game development students and anyone who wants to work with international teams or publishers.
100 terms
9 topics
41 core terms
200 example sentences
Read, understand, keep going
No account needed. Read the meaning, see where the term is used, then study the examples. Click any word in the lesson for help. You can also select a word and press Alt + Enter.
Game Engines & Tools
game engine
noun
Meaning
A software framework that gives developers ready-made systems for graphics, physics, sound, input and scripting, so they can build a game without writing everything from scratch.
Where you use it
Used constantly in job ads, studio meetings and tutorials. Well-known examples are Unity, Unreal Engine and Godot; large studios often have an in-house engine. You choose, build on, license or switch engines.
Examples
We're prototyping in Godot first, then we'll decide whether to move to a bigger game engine.
The studio built its own game engine because no commercial one handled huge crowds well.
Common phrases
choose a game engine · in-house engine · engine license · switch engines
Any piece of content used in a game, such as a 3D model, texture, sound effect, animation or music track, usually stored as a file and imported into the engine.
Where you use it
Used all day by artists, designers and programmers. You create, import, reuse, optimize and replace assets; placeholder assets are temporary ones used until the final art arrives. Engines also have asset stores that sell ready-made content.
Examples
These are placeholder assets, so don't worry about how the trees look yet.
We bought a few environment assets to save time on the prototype.
Usage note
In finance an asset is something valuable that a company owns. In game development it simply means a content file, with no money meaning.
Common phrases
placeholder asset · import assets · asset store · art assets · asset pipeline
A piece of code that controls how something in the game behaves, such as a door that opens, an enemy that patrols or a quest that starts, usually attached to objects in the engine.
Where you use it
In Unity scripts are written in C#, in Godot usually in GDScript, and in Unreal designers often use Blueprints instead of text scripts. Designers who write gameplay logic are sometimes called scripters. The verb is script: to script an event.
Examples
Attach the health script to the player prefab and set the max value to 100.
The bridge collapse is a scripted event, so it happens the same way every time.
Usage note
Script can also mean the written dialogue of a game, as in a film script. Narrative designers and programmers both use the word, with different meanings.
Common phrases
write a script · attach a script · scripted event · gameplay script · scripting language
The code cycle at the heart of every game that runs many times per second: read the player's input, update the game world, then draw the new frame.
Where you use it
A programming term. In an engine you rarely write it yourself; instead you put code in functions the loop calls, such as Update in Unity or Tick in Unreal. Physics often runs in a separate loop with a fixed time step.
Examples
Anything heavy inside the game loop will hurt the frame rate.
For our course project, we wrote our own game loop in C++ without an engine.
Usage note
The game loop is about code; the core loop is about what the player does. Turkish uses 'döngü' for both, so be precise in English.
Common phrases
main game loop · fixed time step · update loop · inside the game loop
One part of a game project in the engine, such as a menu, a level or a test area, that contains the objects, lights and cameras placed in it.
Where you use it
Unity and Godot use the word scene; Unreal calls the same thing a level or map. You open, save, load, unload and switch scenes. Two people editing the same scene file at once often causes merge conflicts.
Examples
Please don't touch the main scene today; I'm reorganizing the lighting.
Loading the next scene in the background lets us remove the loading screen.
Common phrases
load a scene · main scene · test scene · scene hierarchy · switch scenes
A saved, reusable game object with all its parts and settings, such as an enemy or a door, that you can place many times; editing the prefab updates every copy.
Where you use it
A Unity term that many developers also use for similar systems in other engines; Unreal uses Blueprint classes and Godot uses saved scenes for the same idea. You create, edit, apply changes to and override prefabs.
Examples
Make the torch a prefab so we can change its light radius in one place.
Someone overrode the enemy prefab in this level, so the fix didn't apply here.
Usage note
Short for prefabricated. Stress the first syllable: PREE-fab.
Common phrases
create a prefab · prefab variant · apply to prefab · prefab override · nested prefab
A tool that measures where a game spends its time and memory, frame by frame, so developers can find what makes it slow instead of guessing.
Where you use it
Every major engine has a built-in profiler, and platforms provide their own tools. Developers profile a build, look for spikes and check CPU and GPU time per frame. 'Profile first, then optimize' is a common rule.
Examples
The profiler shows a 40 ms spike every time an enemy spawns.
Run the profiler on the actual device; the numbers in the editor are misleading.
Common phrases
run the profiler · CPU profiler · memory profiler · profile a build · frame spike
A piece of functionality attached to a game object, such as a collider, a light, an audio source or a script; an object's behavior comes from the components it has.
Where you use it
Unity attaches components to GameObjects, and Unreal adds components to Actors. You add, remove, get and disable components. ECS (entity component system) is a related architecture used when a game has huge numbers of objects.
Examples
Add an Audio Source component to the door so it can play the creak sound.
Instead of one huge player script, split the logic into smaller components.
Common phrases
add a component · get a component · component-based design · entity component system
What the player actually does in a game and how it feels: the actions, rules, challenges and choices, as opposed to the story or the graphics.
Where you use it
One of the most common words in reviews, design meetings and job titles such as gameplay programmer. People talk about gameplay footage, a gameplay trailer and deep or repetitive gameplay. It is uncountable: say 'the gameplay is', not 'a gameplay'.
Examples
The graphics are average, but the gameplay keeps you coming back.
We're looking for a gameplay programmer with strong C++ skills.
Usage note
Turkish speakers often say 'I watched a gameplay' meaning a video of someone playing. In English say 'a gameplay video' or 'some gameplay footage'.
A single rule or action that a game is built around, such as jumping, crafting, stealth or a cover system. Several mechanics together make up the gameplay.
Where you use it
Designers usually just say mechanic or mechanics. You introduce, prototype, polish, cut or combine mechanics, and a pitch often starts with the core mechanic.
Examples
The core game mechanic is simple: you can rewind time by five seconds.
Let's cut the fishing mechanic; it doesn't fit the rest of the game.
Common phrases
core mechanic · introduce a mechanic · polish a mechanic · combat mechanics · cut a mechanic
A document that describes the planned game in detail, including its concept, mechanics, story, levels, characters and controls, so the whole team builds the same game.
Where you use it
Usually called the GDD. Modern teams keep it as a living document in a wiki and update it often, instead of writing one huge file at the start. Designers write it; the rest of the team reads it and asks questions.
Examples
Before you add a new weapon, check the game design document for the damage rules.
Our game design document is just a wiki now, and each feature has its own page.
Common phrases
write a game design document · update the GDD · living document · one-page design document
The main set of actions a player repeats again and again in a game, for example explore, fight, collect loot and upgrade, then explore again.
Where you use it
A key idea in pitches, design reviews and mobile game analysis. If the core loop is not fun, extra content will not save the game. Designers describe it as a short cycle of verbs and often draw it as a circle.
Examples
Our core loop is simple: run a mission, earn parts, upgrade the ship.
Players dropped off quickly because the core loop felt like a chore after an hour.
Usage note
Do not confuse it with the game loop, which is a programming term for the code cycle that runs every frame.
Common phrases
core gameplay loop · tighten the core loop · define the core loop · meta loop
Short for non-player character: any character in the game that is controlled by the computer, not by a player, such as a shopkeeper, a quest giver or an enemy guard.
Where you use it
Said letter by letter: N-P-C. Designers talk about NPC behavior, dialogue and schedules; programmers about NPC AI and pathfinding. Some teams use NPC only for friendly characters and call hostile ones enemies or mobs.
Examples
The NPCs in the market should react when the player draws a weapon.
We gave every NPC a daily schedule, so the town feels alive.
Short for heads-up display: the information shown on top of the game view while you play, such as health, ammo, a mini-map and the score.
Where you use it
Usually pronounced as one word that rhymes with 'mud'. UI designers talk about a clean, cluttered or minimal HUD, and some games let players hide it. The term comes from aircraft displays that show data in front of the pilot.
Examples
The HUD is too cluttered; players can't see the enemies behind all those icons.
We added an option to hide the HUD in photo mode.
Common phrases
minimal HUD · cluttered HUD · hide the HUD · HUD element
How quickly a game gets harder as the player progresses. A good curve rises steadily with short breaks; a bad one has sudden spikes or long, boring flat parts.
Where you use it
Designers adjust the difficulty curve using playtest data. People talk about a smooth, steep or uneven curve and about difficulty spikes, such as a boss that is far harder than anything before it.
Examples
The difficulty curve jumps in world three; half our testers quit there.
We want a gentle difficulty curve for the first hour.
To adjust numbers and rules, such as damage, costs and cooldowns, so that no weapon, character or strategy is too strong or too weak compared with the others.
Where you use it
Also a noun: game balance, a balance patch, balance changes. Competitive games keep being balanced long after launch. Designers use spreadsheets and match data to balance, and players say a character is overpowered (OP) or underpowered.
Examples
We need to balance the sniper rifle; it wins almost every long-range fight.
The next patch is mostly balance changes for the three new heroes.
Common phrases
balance a weapon · balance changes · balance patch · game balance · well balanced
A special, usually harder battle against a strong enemy called a boss, often at the end of a level or chapter, which tests the skills the player has learned.
Where you use it
Also called a boss battle. Bosses often have phases and attack patterns that players must learn; smaller ones are mini-bosses. Designers discuss whether a boss fight is fair, readable and memorable.
Examples
The second phase of the boss fight needs clearer warning signs before each attack.
Players loved the final boss fight but hated the long walk back after dying.
Common phrases
final boss fight · boss phase · mini-boss · attack pattern
How responsive and satisfying it feels to control a game moment to moment, created by things like input timing, animation, camera shake, sound and visual effects.
Where you use it
Designers say a game has great game feel, or that movement feels floaty, heavy or tight. Small effects that make actions feel better are called juice: 'add more juice to the jump'. Hit stop, a tiny pause on impact, is a classic technique.
Examples
The game feel improved a lot once we added screen shake and a short hit stop.
The mechanics are fine, but the game feel is floaty; the character takes too long to stop.
Common phrases
great game feel · add juice · feel floaty · tight controls · hit stop
The way a player or character grows stronger and unlocks new things over time, such as levels, skills, gear, areas or story, which gives players goals to work toward.
Where you use it
Designers plan progression systems such as skill trees and level-ups, and talk about progression speed, rewards and grind, the boring repetition needed to move forward. Players complain when progression is too slow or locked behind payments.
Examples
Progression slows down a lot after level 30; we need more rewards there.
Our progression system is built around unlocking new tools, not raising stats.
Common phrases
progression system · player progression · progression curve · slow progression · grind
The first minutes or hours of a game, designed to teach new players the controls and rules step by step so they understand the game without feeling lost or bored.
Where you use it
Wider than a tutorial: it includes UI hints, the first levels and the order in which features unlock. Mobile teams watch the onboarding funnel to see where new players quit. Good onboarding teaches by doing, not with long text.
Examples
Too many players quit during onboarding, before they even see the first battle.
We cut most of the text in the onboarding and let players learn by trying.
The waiting time after a player uses an ability or item before it can be used again. It stops players from repeating the strongest action all the time.
Where you use it
Common in action games, MOBAs and RPGs. An ability is on cooldown, and designers increase, reduce or reset cooldowns as a balance tool. Players say a skill has a long or short cooldown.
Examples
The dash has a three-second cooldown, so you can't use it over and over.
We increased the cooldown on the healing ability from 8 to 12 seconds.
Common phrases
on cooldown · reduce the cooldown · cooldown timer · long cooldown · reset cooldowns
To make a weapon, character, ability or strategy weaker in an update because it is too strong. The opposite, making something stronger, is to buff it.
Where you use it
Informal, but designers use it in patch notes, community posts and meetings. Also a noun: the latest nerf. Players often react strongly when their favorite character gets nerfed, so teams explain the reasons.
Examples
We're nerfing the shotgun's range; it's winning fights it shouldn't win.
After the nerf, almost nobody picks that hero in ranked matches.
Usage note
The word comes from Nerf, a brand of soft foam toy guns. It rhymes with 'surf'.
Common phrases
nerf a weapon · get nerfed · buffs and nerfs · heavy nerf
A short non-interactive scene in a game, like a piece of film, that tells part of the story, introduces a character or shows the result of the player's actions.
Where you use it
Cutscenes can be pre-rendered video or rendered in real time in the engine. Players want to skip cutscenes when they replay, so 'make it skippable' is a common request. Cinematic designers and animators create them.
Examples
Let players skip the cutscene after the first time they see it.
The opening cutscene is rendered in-engine, so the hero wears whatever armor you chose.
The work of creating the spaces a game takes place in, such as maps, missions and stages, and deciding where players go, what they meet and how hard it is.
Where you use it
Means both the job and the result. A level designer builds layouts, places enemies and items, and works closely with artists and game designers. People praise or criticize the level design of a single map or of a whole game.
Examples
The level design guides you to the exit with light and color instead of arrows.
She moved from QA into level design after building maps in her free time.
To make a character, enemy or item appear in the game world, or to appear in it. A spawn point is the place where this happens.
Where you use it
Used with an object (the game spawns enemies) and without one (enemies spawn behind you); also a noun. Respawn means to come back after dying. Level designers place spawn points and tune spawn rates; players complain about spawn camping.
Examples
Enemies shouldn't spawn where the player can see them appear.
I moved the team spawn points further from the middle of the map.
Usage note
Rhymes with 'lawn'. In general English, spawn means to lay eggs (fish and frogs do this) or to give rise to something, which explains the game meaning.
A point in a level where the game saves the player's progress, so after failing or dying they start again from there instead of from the beginning.
Where you use it
Level designers decide checkpoint placement to control frustration, and players say a game has fair or unfair checkpoints. You reach or hit a checkpoint and restart from the last checkpoint; autosave is the system behind it.
Examples
Add a checkpoint before the boss; nobody wants to replay ten minutes of platforming.
The checkpoint saved after the player had already lost most of their health.
Common phrases
checkpoint system · reach a checkpoint · checkpoint placement · restart from the last checkpoint
A large game world that players can explore freely and in almost any order, instead of moving through a fixed series of levels.
Where you use it
Used as a noun and, with a hyphen, as an adjective: an open-world RPG. Open-world games need streaming technology, many points of interest and careful navigation design. The opposite is a linear game.
Examples
Building an open world with a team of twelve is extremely risky.
The map is an open world, but the story missions are quite linear.
Common phrases
open-world game · open-world RPG · explore the open world · seamless open world
An early version of a level built from simple grey shapes with no final art, used to test layout, scale, routes and timing before artists spend time on it.
Where you use it
Also called a blockout, and spelled graybox in American English. It is also a verb: to greybox a level. Level designers greybox, playtest and iterate many times before handing a level to environment artists.
Examples
The greybox already shows that the bridge is too long to be fun.
Let's playtest the greybox before anyone starts modeling buildings.
An invisible area or condition in a level that starts an event when the player enters it or does something, such as opening a door, spawning enemies or playing a cutscene.
Where you use it
Level designers place trigger volumes or trigger boxes and connect them to scripts. Also a verb: entering the room triggers the ambush. A classic bug is a trigger that fires twice or never fires at all.
Examples
Put a trigger at the top of the stairs to start the boss music.
The ambush triggers too early, before the player can see the enemies.
Common phrases
trigger volume · trigger box · fire a trigger · trigger an event · one-shot trigger
The shortest route through a level or game that the player must follow to finish it, as opposed to optional side areas, secrets and side quests.
Where you use it
Level designers make the critical path clear with lighting, landmarks and the shape of the level, and QA tests it first. A secret is 'off the critical path'. In project management the term has a different meaning: the chain of tasks that sets the end date.
Examples
The critical path takes about 12 hours; with side quests it's closer to 40.
Players kept leaving the critical path because the exit was too dark to notice.
Common phrases
off the critical path · follow the critical path · critical path time · side content
The rhythm of a level or game: how action, exploration, story and quiet moments are mixed and timed so that players stay interested without getting tired.
Where you use it
Designers and reviewers say the pacing is good, slow, uneven or too relentless. Level designers often plan pacing on a graph of intensity over time, alternating moments of high tension with moments of rest.
Examples
The pacing drags in the middle chapters; there's too much walking and talking.
Add a quiet room after the big fight to help the pacing.
Creating game content such as maps, dungeons, terrain or loot automatically with algorithms and rules, instead of building every piece by hand.
Where you use it
Common in roguelikes and survival games, where every run is different; often shortened to procgen. A seed value lets the same world be generated again. Designers mix procedural generation with handmade pieces so the content does not feel random and empty.
Examples
The dungeons use procedural generation, but every boss room is handmade.
Because of procedural generation, QA needs the seed to reproduce a broken map.
Common phrases
procedurally generated · random seed · procgen · generate levels
Short for navigation mesh: a simplified map of the walkable surfaces in a level that game AI uses to find paths and move characters around obstacles.
Where you use it
Engines build or bake the navmesh from the level geometry. Level designers check it when NPCs get stuck, walk into walls or cannot reach the player. Pathfinding algorithms such as A* run on top of it.
Examples
The guards can't reach the roof because the navmesh has a gap near the ladder.
Rebuild the navmesh after you move those crates.
Common phrases
bake the navmesh · navmesh agent · rebuild the navmesh · navmesh link
The process in which the computer turns a 3D or 2D scene, with its models, textures and lights, into the final image shown on the screen.
Where you use it
Games use real-time rendering, which must produce many images every second, while films can use offline rendering that takes minutes or hours per frame. Programmers in this area are graphics or rendering engineers. The verb is render.
Examples
Real-time rendering at 60 fps means each frame has to be ready in about 16 milliseconds.
We switched to a simpler rendering path for older phones.
The number of images a game draws on the screen each second, measured in frames per second (fps). A higher, steadier frame rate makes the game look and feel smoother.
Where you use it
Common targets are 30 and 60 fps on consoles and higher on gaming PCs. People say the frame rate drops, dips or stutters, or that it is locked or capped at a number. Performance reviews and bug reports mention it all the time.
Examples
The frame rate drops below 30 when too many enemies are on screen.
We locked the frame rate at 60 to keep the controls consistent.
Usage note
FPS can also mean first-person shooter, a game genre. The context usually makes it clear: '60 FPS' versus 'a new FPS'.
Common phrases
stable frame rate · frame rate drop · lock the frame rate · target frame rate · uncapped frame rate
A 2D image used as an object in a game, such as a character, an enemy, a coin or an explosion. Several sprites shown one after another create an animation.
Where you use it
Common in 2D and mobile games and in pixel art. Artists draw sprites and pack them into a sprite sheet, one image holding many frames, to save memory and draw calls. The word rhymes with 'bright'.
Examples
The main character's sprite has eight frames for the run animation.
Can you pack all the enemy sprites into one sprite sheet?
Common phrases
sprite sheet · sprite animation · pixel art sprite · draw a sprite
A small program that runs on the graphics card and decides how surfaces look, for example their color, lighting, shine and transparency, or effects like water and fire.
Where you use it
Written in shading languages such as HLSL or GLSL, or built visually in shader graphs. Technical artists and graphics programmers write, compile and optimize shaders. In some PC games, players notice shader compilation as stutter.
Examples
The water shader looks great, but it's too expensive for mobile.
I wrote a simple shader that makes enemies flash white when they get hit.
Usage note
Despite the name, shaders do far more than shading. Pronounce it SHAY-der, not 'shadder'.
Common phrases
write a shader · shader graph · water shader · compile shaders · shader compilation stutter
A 2D image wrapped around a 3D model to give it color and surface detail, such as wood grain, skin or rust. Extra textures can control shine, bumps and roughness.
Where you use it
Artists create, paint, compress and apply textures. Texture resolution, such as 2K or 4K, has a big effect on memory, so teams set texture budgets. Players notice blurry textures, or textures that appear late, called texture pop-in.
Examples
Halve the texture size on the background props; nobody gets that close.
The rock texture repeats too obviously on the cliff.
The number of polygons, usually triangles, that make up a 3D model or a whole scene. Fewer polygons are faster to draw but show less detail.
Where you use it
Also written poly count. 3D artists work within a polycount budget for each character or prop, and talk about high-poly and low-poly models. Low-poly is also the name of an art style with visible flat faces.
Examples
Keep the polycount under 20,000 triangles for each main character.
The polycount of the city scene is fine; the real problem is the number of draw calls.
Common phrases
polycount budget · high polycount · reduce the polycount · low-poly model
Work that makes a game run faster and use less memory, battery or bandwidth, for example by simplifying models, reducing draw calls or rewriting slow code.
Where you use it
A constant topic before launch and in reviews of PC ports. People say a game is well or poorly optimized. Good optimization starts with measuring in a profiler, not guessing. The verb is optimize.
Examples
We have two weeks of optimization before the console submission.
Most of the optimization work was on the crowd system, not the graphics.
A command the CPU sends to the graphics card to draw a group of polygons with one material. Too many draw calls per frame can slow a game down.
Where you use it
A key performance number on mobile and older hardware. Programmers reduce draw calls with batching, texture atlases and combined meshes. They say a scene has too many draw calls or is CPU-bound.
Examples
The market scene has 3,000 draw calls; we need to get it under 500 for mobile.
Batching the street lamps cut our draw calls by a third.
Short for graphics processing unit: the chip that renders a game's images by running shaders and drawing millions of pixels every frame. The CPU handles most of the game logic.
Where you use it
Developers say a game is GPU-bound when the graphics card is the bottleneck and CPU-bound when the processor is. Minimum and recommended specs list a GPU model. In everyday speech players say graphics card.
Examples
We're GPU-bound in the forest; the foliage shader is the main cost.
The minimum spec requires a GPU with at least 4 GB of video memory.
Visual effects applied to the whole image after the scene has been rendered, such as bloom, motion blur, color grading and depth of field.
Where you use it
Artists use post-processing volumes to change the mood of an area. Effects such as motion blur and film grain can often be turned off in the settings because some players dislike them. They cost GPU time on every frame.
Examples
Most of the moody look comes from post-processing, not the textures.
Add an option to turn off post-processing effects like motion blur.
A tool that creates effects such as fire, smoke, sparks, rain and magic by producing and moving many small images or shapes called particles.
Where you use it
Built by VFX (visual effects) artists, who set the emission rate, lifetime, size and how color changes over time. Large particle effects cause overdraw and can hurt performance, so they are checked in the profiler.
Examples
The explosion uses three particle systems: fire, smoke and flying debris.
Cut the particle count in the rain system; it's killing the frame rate on Switch.
A technique that swaps a model for simpler versions as it gets farther from the camera, so distant objects use fewer polygons and the game runs faster.
Where you use it
Usually called LOD. Artists make LOD0 (full detail), LOD1, LOD2 and so on, and engines can also generate them automatically. Players notice LOD popping when a model suddenly changes as they move closer.
Examples
Each tree has four levels of detail, and the last one is just a flat card.
Adjust the level of detail distances so players don't see the rocks pop.
To calculate something expensive, such as lighting, shadows or navigation data, before the game runs and save the result, so it does not need to be computed in real time.
Where you use it
Most often heard as 'bake the lighting', which produces lightmaps. Baked lighting looks good and is cheap at runtime, but unlike real-time or dynamic lighting it cannot change. Artists also bake normal maps from high-poly models.
Examples
Don't move any walls; I just baked the lighting for the whole level.
Baked shadows look great, but they don't update when the door opens.
Common phrases
bake the lighting · baked lighting · bake a lightmap · bake normal maps
The part of a game that checks whether two objects touch or overlap, for example a bullet hitting an enemy or the player landing on a platform.
Where you use it
Handled by the physics engine using simple invisible shapes called colliders, such as boxes, spheres and capsules. Collision response is what happens next, like bouncing or taking damage. Bugs here let players fall through floors or get stuck in walls.
Examples
Fast bullets sometimes pass through thin walls because collision detection only checks once per physics step.
We simplified the collision detection on the rocks to a few boxes.
The system that simulates real-world physics in a game, such as gravity, collisions, friction and forces, so objects fall, bounce and push each other believably.
Where you use it
Usually part of the game engine or added as middleware; well-known ones include PhysX, Havok, Jolt and, for 2D, Box2D. Programmers tune its settings, and designers often work around it to make movement feel good rather than realistic.
Examples
We don't use the physics engine for the player; the character controller is custom.
The physics engine goes crazy when two crates spawn inside each other.
An invisible shape around a character, or part of one, that the game uses to decide whether an attack or bullet has hit. It is often simpler than the visible model.
Where you use it
Very common in fighting games and shooters, where players complain about hitboxes being too big or inconsistent. Some teams call the area that can take damage the hurtbox and the attacking area the hitbox. Developers turn on a debug view to see them.
Examples
The sword's hitbox lasts two frames longer than the animation, so it feels unfair.
Headshots didn't register because the head hitbox was offset.
Common phrases
head hitbox · hitbox size · show hitboxes · hitbox and hurtbox
An object in the physics engine that keeps its shape and is moved by forces such as gravity and collisions, for example a falling crate or a thrown grenade.
Where you use it
Unity's component for it is called Rigidbody, written as one word. Developers add a rigid body to an object, set its mass and drag, and decide whether it is kinematic (moved by code) or simulated. Soft bodies, such as cloth, bend and change shape.
Examples
Add a rigid body to the barrel so it rolls when the player kicks it.
Too many active rigid bodies in one room made the physics step very slow.
Common phrases
add a rigid body · rigid body physics · kinematic rigid body · set the mass
A check in which the game sends an invisible straight line from a point in a direction to find what it hits first. It is used for shooting, line of sight and ground detection.
Where you use it
Also a verb: raycast from the camera to the mouse position. Programmers talk about a raycast hitting or missing, ray length and layer masks. Hitscan weapons, which hit instantly, are usually made with raycasts.
Examples
We do a short raycast down from the feet to check if the player is on the ground.
The enemy raycasts to the player before shooting, so it never shoots through walls.
Common phrases
cast a ray · raycast hit · layer mask · hitscan weapon
A physics setup in which a character's body becomes a set of connected parts that fall and react to forces realistically, usually when the character dies or is knocked down.
Where you use it
Often called ragdoll physics. The game switches from animation to ragdoll at the moment of death. Funny ragdoll bugs, with bodies flying or twisting, are popular in online clips, so teams limit forces and joint angles.
Examples
When the enemy dies, switch off the animator and turn on the ragdoll.
One ragdoll got stuck in the wall and started shaking violently.
Common phrases
ragdoll physics · switch to ragdoll · ragdoll bug · active ragdoll
A frame in an animation where the animator sets an important pose or value; the software then fills in the movement between keyframes automatically.
Where you use it
Animators set, add, move and delete keyframes on a timeline. Filling in the frames between them is called interpolation or in-betweening. Keyframe animation is the opposite of motion capture, where movement is recorded from real actors.
Examples
Move the contact keyframe two frames earlier so the punch feels faster.
All the creature animations are keyframed by hand; we didn't use motion capture.
Common phrases
set a keyframe · keyframe animation · add a keyframe · animation timeline
The hidden skeleton of bones and controls inside a 3D model that animators move to pose and animate it, like the strings of a puppet.
Where you use it
Built by riggers or technical artists. Also a verb: to rig a character. Skinning connects the model's surface to the bones. Problems in the rig show up as twisted elbows or stretched shoulders in animation.
Examples
The character rig needs extra bones for the cape and the hair.
Can you rig the new monster before the animators start on Monday?
Common phrases
character rig · rig a character · facial rig · skinning · rigger
Describes a game or mode in which several people play together or against each other, online or on the same device. As a noun, it means the multiplayer part of a game.
Where you use it
The opposite is single-player. People talk about online multiplayer, local multiplayer on one screen or console, and co-op, where players work together. Multiplayer adds a lot of networking work, so teams decide early whether a game needs it.
Examples
Adding multiplayer late in development almost always causes problems.
The game has a 20-hour campaign and a four-player online multiplayer mode.
Common phrases
online multiplayer · local multiplayer · multiplayer mode · co-op multiplayer · multiplayer server
The time it takes for data to travel between a player's device and the server or another player, usually measured in milliseconds. High latency makes online games feel slow.
Where you use it
Network programmers say latency, while players usually say ping or lag. You measure, reduce, hide or compensate for latency; netcode techniques such as client-side prediction exist mainly to hide it.
Examples
Players in South America have over 150 ms of latency to our European servers.
We need a way to hide latency when the player fires a weapon.
Usage note
Latency is the delay itself; lag is what players notice when the delay is bad. Ping is a measurement of round-trip latency.
A computer, usually in a data center, that runs only the game server and the shared game world, while players connect to it instead of one player hosting the match.
Where you use it
Competitive online games usually use dedicated servers because they are fairer and harder to cheat on, but they cost money to run. The alternatives are listen servers, where one player hosts, and peer-to-peer connections.
Examples
Dedicated server costs will be one of our biggest monthly expenses.
Ranked matches run on dedicated servers; casual matches are hosted by players.
Common phrases
run dedicated servers · dedicated server costs · host a dedicated server · server region
The networking code of an online game that sends game data between players and servers and keeps everyone's view of the match in sync despite delays.
Where you use it
Players and reviewers judge netcode as good or bad, especially in fighting games and shooters. Developers discuss rollback netcode, delay-based netcode and how much data to send per tick.
Examples
The game is fun, but the netcode makes long-distance matches unplayable.
Switching to rollback netcode was the biggest improvement after launch.
Common phrases
rollback netcode · bad netcode · netcode programmer · improve the netcode
The system that puts online players into matches with or against each other, based on things like skill level, region and connection quality.
Where you use it
Players complain about long matchmaking times or unfair matches. Skill-based matchmaking, often shortened to SBMM, uses a hidden rating. Developers tune the trade-off between match quality and waiting time.
Examples
Matchmaking takes over five minutes at night because there aren't enough players.
We widen the skill range in matchmaking after the first 60 seconds.
A noticeable delay between a player's action and the game's reaction, usually caused by a slow or unstable network connection, which makes the game feel jumpy.
Where you use it
An informal word used by players, community managers and developers. Also a verb: the game lags. Players say a server is laggy, and a lag spike is a short burst of very bad lag.
Examples
Players in the Middle East report lag every evening after 9 p.m.
That wasn't lag; the hitbox on that attack is just too big.
Usage note
Input lag is different: it is the delay between pressing a button and seeing the result on screen, even when you play offline.
Common phrases
lag spike · input lag · laggy server · cause lag · lag compensation
How many times per second a game server updates the game state and sends it to players, measured in hertz. A higher tick rate makes online play more precise.
Where you use it
Competitive shooters advertise 64 Hz or 128 Hz servers, and each single update is called a tick. A higher tick rate costs more server power and bandwidth, so teams choose a rate for each game mode.
Examples
We raised the tick rate to 60 for ranked matches only.
With a low tick rate, players get hit after they've already ducked behind cover.
Common phrases
server tick rate · 128-tick server · raise the tick rate · per tick
A virtual waiting area where players gather before an online match starts, to form teams, choose characters or settings, and wait for others to join.
Where you use it
Players create, host, join and leave lobbies; a private lobby needs an invite or a code. Developers talk about lobby systems and the lobby services offered by platforms and backend providers.
Examples
Players can invite friends to a private lobby with a six-letter code.
The lobby closes when the host leaves, which kicks everyone out.
Common phrases
private lobby · join a lobby · lobby host · lobby system · pre-game lobby
A netcode technique in which the player's own device shows the result of their input immediately, before the server confirms it, and corrects it later if the server disagrees.
Where you use it
Used to hide latency so that movement feels instant. When a prediction is wrong, the correction is called reconciliation, and players may see rubber-banding: their character snaps back to an earlier position.
Examples
Without client-side prediction, every step would feel 100 ms late.
The rubber-banding happens on slopes, where our client-side prediction disagrees with the server.
Common phrases
server reconciliation · rubber-banding · lag compensation · input prediction
A server that has the final say on what happens in an online game: players send their inputs, and the server decides the real results, which makes cheating harder.
Where you use it
Network programmers say a game is server-authoritative, or that the server is authoritative over health or position. The basic rule is 'never trust the client'. It is usually combined with client-side prediction to hide latency.
Examples
With an authoritative server, a hacked client can't just give itself more gold.
Damage is always calculated on the authoritative server, never on the player's machine.
Common phrases
server-authoritative · never trust the client · authoritative over · server validation
The way a game earns money from players, for example by selling the game itself, in-game purchases, subscriptions or ads.
Where you use it
A central topic in mobile and free-to-play studios, where whole teams work on it. People talk about the monetization model, aggressive or fair monetization, and monetization design. The verb is monetize.
Examples
Reviewers loved the game but called its monetization too aggressive.
Our monetization relies on cosmetic items only, nothing that affects balance.
Usage note
British English also writes monetisation.
Common phrases
monetization model · aggressive monetization · monetization strategy · ad monetization · fair monetization
Describes a game that anyone can download and play for free, which makes money from optional purchases, ads or a battle pass instead of an upfront price.
Where you use it
Often shortened to F2P. The opposite is premium or pay-to-play. Critics say pay-to-win when paying players get a real advantage in a free-to-play game. Most of the top-earning mobile games are free-to-play.
Examples
We're going free-to-play on mobile and premium on PC.
Most free-to-play players never spend any money, so retention matters a lot.
Usage note
Pay-to-win is a criticism, not the name of a business model; avoid it when you describe your own game to a publisher.
Common phrases
free-to-play model · free-to-play game · go free-to-play · F2P players
A small purchase made inside a game with real money, for example for a character skin, in-game currency or extra lives.
Where you use it
Common in free-to-play games and also found in many full-price games, where it is often criticized. People talk about cosmetic and pay-to-win microtransactions; on mobile stores the same idea is called an in-app purchase (IAP).
Examples
All our microtransactions are cosmetic, so nobody can buy a competitive advantage.
The reviews focused on the microtransactions instead of the gameplay.
Short for downloadable content: extra content released for a game after it comes out, such as new levels, characters, story chapters or costumes, often sold separately.
Where you use it
Said letter by letter: D-L-C. Large DLCs are called expansions. Publishers plan DLC in a season pass or roadmap, and players complain when content seems cut from the main game to be sold as day-one DLC.
Examples
The first DLC adds a new region and about ten hours of story.
We're keeping two artists on the team after launch to work on DLC.
A model in which a game is updated continuously for years after launch with new content, events and seasons, to keep players playing and spending.
Where you use it
Also called games as a service (GaaS). The day-to-day work of running it is called live ops: events, offers, balance changes and community management. Many live-service games are free-to-play with a battle pass.
Examples
A live service game needs a team ready to ship new content every few weeks.
The live service roadmap has a seasonal event every month for the first year.
Common phrases
live-service game · live ops · games as a service · seasonal content · content roadmap
A reward track that lasts for one season: players unlock items by playing and earning experience, and a paid premium version gives extra rewards.
Where you use it
Popular in free-to-play and live-service games. Players buy the battle pass, level it up and try to complete it before the season ends. Designers balance how many hours it takes so it feels rewarding but not like a second job.
Examples
The premium battle pass costs about ten dollars and lasts ten weeks.
Players need around 60 hours to finish the battle pass, which feels too long.
Common phrases
premium battle pass · battle pass tier · level up the battle pass · free track
A virtual box or pack that gives random items when opened. It can be earned in the game or bought with real money, and players don't know what they will get.
Where you use it
Controversial because it resembles gambling. Some countries restrict paid loot boxes, and the major app stores require games to show the odds of getting each item, called drop rates. Similar systems in mobile games are called gacha.
Examples
We replaced loot boxes with a shop where players can see exactly what they're buying.
Legal asked us to publish the drop rates for every loot box.
Common phrases
open a loot box · paid loot boxes · drop rates · gacha
How many players keep coming back to a game over time, usually measured as the percentage who return one, seven or thirty days after installing it.
Where you use it
A key metric in mobile and live-service games, written as D1, D7 and D30 retention. Product managers and designers try to improve retention through onboarding, daily rewards and events. Low retention usually points to a weak core loop or onboarding.
Examples
Day-one retention is 40%, but day-seven retention drops to 12%.
The new tutorial improved retention more than any feature we added.
Short for daily active users: the number of different people who play a game on a given day. MAU is the same figure for a month.
Where you use it
Used in dashboards, investor updates and live-ops meetings. The DAU/MAU ratio shows how often monthly players return, a sign of how 'sticky' a game is. Revenue metrics such as ARPDAU, average revenue per daily active user, are based on it.
Examples
DAU jumped to 80,000 during the Halloween event.
Our DAU is stable, but fewer players are making purchases.
A quick, rough version of a game or feature made to test whether an idea is fun or works, before the team spends time on final art and polish.
Where you use it
Prototypes are often ugly on purpose, with grey boxes and placeholder sounds. You build, test, throw away or greenlight a prototype. It is also a verb: to prototype a mechanic. A paper prototype uses cards or drawings instead of code.
Examples
We built a prototype in two weeks just to see if the grappling hook was fun.
Don't polish the prototype; we might throw the whole idea away.
Common phrases
build a prototype · rapid prototype · paper prototype · playable prototype · prototype a mechanic
A session in which people play an unfinished version of the game while the team watches and collects feedback on fun, difficulty and confusing moments.
Where you use it
Also a verb: we playtested the new level. Internal playtests use team members; external playtests bring in players who have never seen the game. The players are called playtesters. A key rule is to watch quietly and not explain the game.
Examples
In yesterday's playtest, four of six players missed the hidden door.
Let's playtest the boss fight with people outside the team.
Usage note
A playtest is about the player experience: is it fun and clear? QA testing is about finding bugs. Studios do both, but they are different jobs.
Common phrases
run a playtest · external playtest · playtest session · playtest feedback · playtester
A mistake in the game that makes it behave in a way it should not, such as a crash, a character falling through the floor or a quest that cannot be finished.
Where you use it
You find, report, log, reproduce, fix and close bugs, usually in a bug tracker such as Jira. Bugs are ranked by severity, from a minor visual glitch to a game-breaking or blocker bug. Known bugs are often listed in patch notes.
Examples
There's a bug where the player can walk through the wall behind the shop.
We fixed over 200 bugs before submitting the build.
Common phrases
fix a bug · report a bug · game-breaking bug · bug tracker · known bugs
A playable version of the game produced from the project's current code and assets at a certain moment, for example for testing, a demo or a release.
Where you use it
Teams talk about the latest, nightly, debug, release or broken build. You make, submit or send a build, and to break the build means to cause it to fail. Builds have numbers, so bug reports say which build a problem appeared in.
Examples
Can you send the latest build to the publisher before Friday?
Someone broke the build last night, so QA couldn't test anything this morning.
Common phrases
latest build · nightly build · release build · break the build · make a build
Short for quality assurance: testing a game to find, document and check bugs before and after release, and also the team that does this work.
Where you use it
Said letter by letter: Q-A. People say QA found a bug, send a build to QA, or work in QA as a QA tester. Many developers start their careers in QA. Large publishers also hire outside QA companies.
Examples
QA found a crash when you pause the game during a cutscene.
I started in QA and moved into design three years later.
Common phrases
QA tester · send to QA · QA team · QA pass · outsourced QA
An agreed point in development when specific work must be delivered and reviewed, such as a playable demo, alpha or beta; publishers often pay the studio per milestone.
Where you use it
Producers plan milestones and their deliverables. Teams hit, miss, deliver or slip milestones. In publishing contracts, milestone payments keep independent studios running, so a missed milestone can be serious.
Examples
The next milestone is a 15-minute playable demo for the publisher.
If we miss this milestone, the payment is delayed by a month.
Common phrases
hit a milestone · milestone payment · milestone build · miss a milestone · milestone review
The stage of development when all main features are in the game and it can be played from start to finish, but it still has many bugs, placeholders and no polish.
Where you use it
Definitions differ between studios, so check what your publisher means by alpha. People talk about reaching alpha, an alpha build and a closed alpha test with selected players. After alpha comes beta.
Examples
We hit alpha last week: every level is in, but half of them still use grey boxes.
The closed alpha is only for 500 players who signed an NDA.
The stage after alpha when the game's content is complete and the team focuses on fixing bugs and polishing; also a public or closed test of that version.
Where you use it
Usually no new features are added after beta. Open betas let anyone play, test the servers and build interest before launch. American English says BAY-ta; British English often says BEE-ta.
Examples
We're in beta now, so no more new features, only bug fixes.
The open beta crashed our login servers on the first night.
Common phrases
open beta · closed beta · beta test · beta build · beta key
A short but fully finished part of a game, such as one level, that shows final quality in art, sound and gameplay to prove what the whole game will be like.
Where you use it
Studios build a vertical slice to convince publishers or investors, or to test their production pipeline. It is different from a prototype, which is rough and tests only the idea. You build, deliver and demo a vertical slice.
Examples
The publisher wants to see a vertical slice before they commit to full funding.
Our vertical slice is the harbor level with final art, music and two enemy types.
Usage note
Think of a cake cut from top to bottom: one thin slice shows every layer.
Common phrases
build a vertical slice · vertical slice demo · deliver a vertical slice · vertical slice milestone
A period of very long working hours, often including nights and weekends, that a team works to meet a deadline, usually before a milestone or release.
Where you use it
A widely criticized practice in the industry, linked to burnout. People say a studio is in crunch, went through months of crunch or has a no-crunch policy. Also a verb: we crunched for six weeks. It is fair to ask about crunch in interviews.
Examples
We cut the scope so the team wouldn't have to crunch before launch.
How often does the studio go into crunch before a release?
Common phrases
crunch time · go into crunch · months of crunch · no-crunch policy · avoid crunch
The slow, uncontrolled growth of a project as new features and ideas keep being added without extra time or people, which often causes delays and crunch.
Where you use it
Also called feature creep. Producers and leads fight it by freezing features, keeping a 'not now' list and cutting content. To scope down means to make a project smaller on purpose.
Examples
Scope creep turned a six-month puzzle game into a two-year project.
Every 'small' request adds up; this is exactly how scope creep starts.
The exact list of actions in a bug report that someone else can follow to make the same bug happen again, so developers can see it and fix it.
Where you use it
A standard section of every bug report, together with expected result, actual result and build number. Testers say a bug is easy or hard to repro (short for reproduce), and 'can't repro' means the developer could not make it happen.
Examples
Please add steps to reproduce; I can't make the crash happen on my machine.
Steps to reproduce: start a new game, open the map, then press Pause twice.
Common phrases
clear steps to reproduce · repro rate · can't repro · expected result · actual result
A serious failure in which the game suddenly stops working and closes or freezes, usually losing the player's unsaved progress.
Where you use it
Also a verb: the game crashes to desktop (CTD). Crashes are usually top priority. Teams read crash logs and crash reports, and track the crash rate after launch.
Examples
The crash only happens on older graphics cards when you load a save.
Our crash rate dropped by half after the first patch.
Common phrases
crash to desktop · crash log · crash report · crash rate · fix a crash
A review held after a project or release in which the team discusses what went right, what went wrong and what to do differently next time.
Where you use it
Developers often publish postmortems as articles or conference talks, which are excellent reading for learners. Also written post-mortem. Agile teams hold similar but shorter meetings called retrospectives.
Examples
In the postmortem, everyone agreed the art pipeline had slowed us down.
Her postmortem about launching on Steam with no marketing budget is worth reading.
Usage note
In medicine a post-mortem is an examination of a dead body. In game development it is about a project, not only a failed one; successful projects get postmortems too.
Common phrases
write a postmortem · project postmortem · hold a postmortem · what went right · what went wrong
An event where people make a small game from scratch in a short, fixed time, usually 48 to 72 hours, often around a theme announced at the start.
Where you use it
Events like Global Game Jam and online jams on sites such as itch.io bring together thousands of developers, including many in Turkey. People join, enter or host a jam, form teams and submit their game. Some jam games later become commercial titles.
Examples
We met at a game jam and started our studio a year later.
This year's game jam theme is 'roles reversed', and we have 48 hours.
Common phrases
join a game jam · jam theme · host a game jam · jam entry · jam game
A company that funds, markets and distributes games made by a development studio, often also handling platform deals, localization and testing.
Where you use it
The developer makes the game; the publisher brings it to market. Studios pitch to publishers, sign publishing deals and deliver milestones in exchange for payments. Companies that release their own games without a publisher self-publish.
Examples
We're pitching to three publishers next month at the conference.
Our publisher handles the console ports and all the marketing.
Usage note
Do not confuse publisher with developer. In job interviews, be clear about whether a company makes games, publishes them or does both.
Common phrases
publishing deal · pitch to a publisher · sign with a publisher · indie publisher · self-publish
An update released for a game after launch that fixes bugs, improves performance, changes balance or adds small features.
Where you use it
Also a verb: they patched the exploit. Teams release, roll out or roll back patches and publish patch notes that list the changes. A small, urgent patch is a hotfix; a patch ready on release day is a day-one patch.
Examples
The patch fixes the save bug and lowers the price of upgrades.
Can you write the patch notes in plain language, not in developer speak?
The hardware or store that a game runs on and is sold through, such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS or Android, or a store like Steam.
Where you use it
The companies that own consoles are called platform holders. Games can be platform exclusives or multi-platform; cross-platform play lets people on different devices play together. Each platform has its own technical rules.
Examples
We're launching on PC first and bringing the game to other platforms next year.
Cross-platform play was the most requested feature on our forums.
Usage note
In gameplay, a platform is also a surface the character jumps on, which is where the genre name 'platformer' comes from.
Describes games and studios that are independent: usually small teams that make games without the money or control of a large publisher.
Where you use it
Also a noun: an indie, meaning an indie game or developer. People talk about indie developers, indie hits and the indie scene. Many indie studios still work with smaller indie publishers, so the word is mostly about size and creative freedom.
Examples
We're a four-person indie studio in Izmir working on our second game.
Several of this year's indie hits were made by solo developers.
Usage note
Short for independent. Pronounced IN-dee.
Common phrases
indie developer · indie studio · indie game · indie hit · indie publisher
Used for games with very large budgets and teams, made or funded by major publishers, usually with high production values and big marketing campaigns.
Where you use it
Pronounced triple-A and used like an adjective: a AAA studio, a AAA title. AA describes mid-sized projects. Job ads often ask for experience on 'shipped AAA titles'.
Examples
She worked on two AAA titles before starting her own indie studio.
Many AAA budgets now go well over 100 million dollars.
Usage note
Write 'a AAA game', not 'an AAA game', because it is read as 'a triple-A game'.
A way of selling an unfinished game so players can buy and play it while it is still in development and give feedback before the full release.
Where you use it
Best known from Steam Early Access; games usually leave early access with version 1.0. Studios use it to fund development and build a community, but players expect regular updates and honest communication.
Examples
We'll stay in early access for about a year and add a new biome every quarter.
Early access feedback completely changed how crafting works.
Common phrases
launch in early access · leave early access · early access roadmap · early access players
A list on a game store where players save games they want to buy later; the number of wishlists is used to predict how well an upcoming game will sell.
Where you use it
Very important for indie games on Steam. Studios and publishers track wishlist numbers, run campaigns to get more wishlists and end trailers with 'Wishlist now'. It is also a verb: wishlist the game.
Examples
The demo during the festival doubled our wishlists in a week.
Please wishlist the game on Steam; it really helps a small team like ours.
Usage note
In general English it is also written as two words: wish list.
Common phrases
wishlist the game · wishlist count · add to wishlist · get wishlists
When a game goes gold, its final release version is finished and approved, ready to be manufactured on discs or distributed to stores.
Where you use it
Studios announce 'we've gone gold' on social media as a big moment before launch. The phrase comes from the gold-colored master discs that were once sent for copying. Today a day-one patch often follows.
Examples
We've officially gone gold! The game is out on March 3.
The game went gold two weeks before launch, but we kept fixing bugs for a day-one patch.
The process in which a console maker tests a game against its technical rules before allowing it to be released on its platform.
Where you use it
Usually shortened to cert. Teams submit a build to cert, and it passes or fails. The rules cover things like save data, error messages, trophies or achievements and account handling. Failing cert can delay a release date.
Examples
We failed certification because the game froze when the controller was disconnected.
Leave at least three weeks in the schedule for certification and resubmission.
A version of a game adapted to run on a different platform from the original, for example a console game brought to PC or a PC game brought to Switch.
Where you use it
Also a verb: to port a game to Switch. Specialist studios often do ports for publishers. Reviewers judge a port by its performance and controls, and a lazy or poorly optimized port gets bad reviews.
Examples
The PC port has keyboard controls that feel like an afterthought.
We hired an outside studio to port the game to Switch.
Common phrases
PC port · port a game · console port · porting studio · bad port
Adapting a game for players who speak another language and live in another culture: translating text and voice, and adjusting things like fonts, dates, jokes and images.
Where you use it
Often shortened to loc or L10n. Localization teams and vendors work from string tables, and localization QA (LQA) checks the text inside the game. A common problem is German or Turkish UI text being longer than the English and not fitting.
Examples
The Turkish localization made several menu labels too long, so we had to resize the buttons.
Don't hard-code strings; all text must go through the localization system.
Usage note
Turkish has special letters like ı, İ, ş and ğ. Check that the game's fonts support them and that the code converts I and i correctly when it changes letter case.
An official label that shows which age group a game is suitable for, based on content such as violence, bad language, gambling-like features or fear.
Where you use it
Given by rating boards such as ESRB in North America, PEGI in Europe and CERO in Japan; many digital stores use the IARC system. Publishers apply for a rating, and content changes can raise or lower it.
Examples
Adding blood effects would push our age rating from PEGI 12 to PEGI 16.
Check the age rating rules before we add the casino minigame.
Common phrases
rating board · apply for a rating · content descriptors · get a higher rating
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn game development vocabulary
Learn the pairs that are easy to confuse: game loop and core loop, latency and lag, alpha and beta, patch and DLC, developer and publisher. Mixing them up in a meeting or a pitch is noticed immediately.
Read real English texts from the industry: engine documentation, patch notes, developer blogs, published postmortems and the store pages of games you like. Notice the verbs that go with each term: make a build, fix a bug, bake the lighting, nerf a weapon, hit a milestone.
Use your engine and tools in English. Words in menus and error messages, such as Prefab, Collider, Lightmap and Profiler, are exactly what you will search for in forums, documentation and tutorials.
Practise the abbreviations out loud: NPC, QA, DLC and GDD are said letter by letter, HUD is one word that rhymes with ‘mud’, and AAA is said ‘triple-A’.
Write bug reports, task comments and commit messages in English, even in a Turkish team. Short, clear sentences like “Player falls through the floor after loading a save” are exactly what international teams expect.
Frequently asked questions
Do Turkish game developers use the English terms or Turkish ones?
Mostly the English ones. In Turkish studios people say build almak, bug açmak, asset, prefab, playtest, shader and netcode inside Turkish sentences, because that is how engines, documentation and tools name them. Some Turkish equivalents are well established, such as oyun motoru (game engine), oynanış (gameplay), çok oyunculu (multiplayer), kare hızı (frame rate) and yerelleştirme (localization). Knowing both helps you in Turkish meetings and with international partners.
What is the difference between latency, ping and lag?
Latency is the delay itself: the time data needs to travel between a player and the server. Ping is the usual way of measuring it, as a round trip in milliseconds. Lag is the informal word for the effect players notice when latency is high or unstable: characters jump around and actions feel late. Network programmers usually say latency; players and community managers usually say lag.
Does FPS mean frames per second or first-person shooter?
Both, and the context tells you which. With a number, as in “it runs at 60 FPS”, it means frames per second, a measure of frame rate. As a noun for a type of game, as in “we're making a tactical FPS”, it means first-person shooter. Many writers use lowercase fps for the measurement to make the difference clearer.
What do alpha, beta and gold mean in game production?
They are stages before release. At alpha the main features are in and the game can be played from start to finish, but it is full of bugs and placeholders. At beta the content is complete and the team mainly fixes bugs and polishes. When a game goes gold, the final version is approved and ready to be manufactured or published. Exact definitions differ between studios and publishers, so always check what a contract means by each milestone.
Do Unity, Unreal Engine and Godot use the same vocabulary?
Many ideas are shared, but the names differ. Unity builds scenes from GameObjects with components and reusable prefabs, scripted in C#. Unreal Engine places Actors in levels (also called maps), uses Blueprints for visual scripting and C++ for code. Godot builds everything from nodes saved as scenes and uses GDScript or C#. When you read job ads or tutorials, learn the general term and each engine's own word for it.
