Reference

The vocabulary used across this site

Terms are defined once here, in the sense this site uses them, and grouped by where a reader meets them: while playing, while spending, while managing an account, and while dealing with an Australian body. Where a term has a contested or marketing meaning, the entry says so.

While playing

Client

The program installed on your computer that connects to the game's servers. Distinct from the launcher, which is a separate program that installs, updates and starts the client, and which often requires its own account.

Build

A specific compiled version of the client, usually identified by a number. Support requests are easier to answer when the build number is included, and it is normally shown on the main menu or in the settings.

Patch

An update to the client. In multiplayer games a patch is usually compulsory, because the server refuses connections from older builds, which is why a game that was working yesterday sometimes needs a download today.

Matchmaking

The system that assembles players into a match. What it optimises for — skill, connection quality, waiting time, or a balance of them — differs between titles and is rarely documented in detail.

Latency, or ping

The time taken for a message to travel from your computer to the server and back, measured in milliseconds. Distance sets a floor under it that hardware cannot lower, which is why server location matters to players in Australia.

Frame rate

How many images per second your computer draws, measured in frames per second. Unrelated to latency, although the two are often confused: a high frame rate on a distant server still feels delayed.

First-person shooter

A game viewed from the character's own perspective in which shooting is the central mechanic. The abbreviation FPS is unfortunately also used for frames per second, and context is the only way to tell them apart.

Anti-cheat

Software that attempts to detect or prevent cheating, often running with extensive access to the operating system. It is the usual reason a game supported on Windows may not work on macOS or Linux through a compatibility layer.

System requirements

The hardware a vendor states is needed. Minimum requirements describe what will start; recommended requirements describe what will be pleasant. Both are the vendor's statements, published on the vendor's site.

Server region

The geographic cluster of machines hosting matches. A title may let players choose, may choose automatically, or may not disclose the choice at all.

While spending

Free-to-play

An industry term for a distribution model in which the client can be obtained without an upfront payment, with revenue coming from purchases made later. It describes the sales model and says nothing about what a year of play costs. This site never applies the term to a specific title unless the vendor states it without conditions.

In-game currency

A token bought with real money and spent inside the game. The intermediate step matters psychologically and practically: it obscures the real cost of an item and often leaves an unusable remainder in the account.

Cosmetic item

An item that changes appearance without affecting play. Whether an item is genuinely cosmetic is a question of fact about a specific game, not a promise that can be inferred from the word.

Progression

The system by which access to equipment, vehicles or abilities is unlocked over time. Where progression can be bought as well as earned, the commercial design of the game is worth examining before investing time in it.

Randomised item

A purchase whose contents are determined by chance after payment; also sold as a case, crate or box. The cost of obtaining a particular outcome is unknown in advance, which distinguishes it from every other purchase on this list.

Season pass

A time-limited purchase granting rewards for completing objectives within a defined period. Its value depends on how much is played during that period, which is a commitment as much as a price.

Subscription

A recurring payment, usually monthly. Renews automatically unless cancelled, and is worth assessing annually rather than monthly.

While managing an account

Passphrase

A password made of several unrelated words. Longer and easier to remember than a short complex string, and the form recommended in the personal security guidance published by the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Multi-factor authentication

Signing in with something in addition to a password, typically a code from an application or a hardware key. Also written as 2FA when there are exactly two factors.

Backup codes

Single-use codes issued when multi-factor authentication is enabled, for use when the second factor is unavailable. Storing them on the same device that generates the codes defeats their purpose.

Credential stuffing

Automated testing of username and password pairs from one breach against other services. It works only against reused passwords, which is why reuse is the habit worth breaking first.

Phishing

A message or page imitating a legitimate service to obtain a sign-in. In games it usually arrives through in-game or platform chat rather than email.

Australian terms

Classification

The decision made about a film or computer game under Australia's national classification scheme, published by the Australian Classification Board. Not interchangeable with an age label shown on an overseas storefront.

Consumer guarantee

A right that Australian Consumer Law provides to consumers, in addition to any warranty or refund policy a seller offers. The ACCC explains what the guarantees cover and how to pursue them.

Australian Privacy Principles

The principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) governing how entities covered by the Act handle personal information. Administered by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Notifiable Data Breaches scheme

The scheme requiring entities covered by the Privacy Act to notify affected individuals and the Commissioner about a data breach likely to result in serious harm.

Terms this site uses about itself

Affiliate link

A link that identifies the site sending the visitor, so that an advertising network can pay a commission for a defined action. On this site the defined action is a completed registration, and every such link is marked where it appears.

Entry

A page describing one covered title, written only from sources that can be attributed. See the single entry in this edition.

Check

One of the nine questions every entry must answer or record as unanswered. Explained on the entry checks page.

Not stated

A deliberate phrase meaning the designated source was read and is silent on the point. It is not a claim that the information does not exist.