Things Gamers do: The Language of Team Killing and Friendly Fire

As Gamers we have our own culture and like many cultures we have our own language. Now this is a language only understood by us and at times still can be confusing to many who thought they had it mastered. Today many games have mic support and many gamers use mics in order to communicate and create a more social experience in multiplayer. So, as time progresses this old language may disappear into history, but then again sometimes the old ways are best. And honestly the language of Team Killing and Friendly Fire will never go away because it can be pretty dang fun.

That is right! As gamers we speak the language of Team Killing and Friendly Fire. It is simple and yet unbelievable complex. It originated in multiplayer games before mics were used or when people didn’t have them. And now has become an industry standard. Now in order to better understand this archaic language let me give you a few lessons:

  1. You kill if you want something. For example, if I jump on a mongoose in Halo and my friend wants that mongoose then he will come up and kill me.
  2. Warn them. Now it is common curtesy to warn a teammate that you are going to kill them. For example, I pick up a gun my friend wants, so he shoots me a few times to warn me and then he kills me.
  3. The response. Now this is the important part because it is the response interaction that decides the relationship. You have a few options here
  4. Take it! You just take the team killing and friendly fire. Don’t pay the person any attention.
  5. Evade! You avoid the person for the rest of them game if not life and just don’t get in there way. I would recommend this option if the person is scarier and bigger than you in real life.
  6. Retaliation! This is a good option! It sets the boundary. Besides, remember what your parents told you, boundaries are important! For example, someone has killed you a few times or just once and now you find them when you respawn and kill them. Then you do it again and again. You hunt them for the rest of the game and kill them! Then just when they think you have finally come to your senses, you do it again! You even write there gamer tag on a piece of paper and tap it to your front door so every day when you leave for work you are reminded that you need to go team kill them in Battlefield!

There you have it, the basics of video game communication! It is very similar to the way cavemen used to communicate; they hit each other with large clubs or rocks and then occasionally set something on fire. These basic principles can be applied to a variety of situations. For example, if you want to clear a room with someone in a FPS you shoot them to let them know you are going first. Or you stare at them and motion with your gun. Or just stare at them. Maybe someone is sitting in a door way so you cannot get out, just a friendly love (tap) melee should do the trick. Or perhaps you want someone to protect you so you continually hide behind them and follow them around like a small puppy. The sky is the limit! Just remember to always give a warning shot!

Now there are a few unique individuals who you may encounter when trying to Communicate.

The Rabbit (Or The Hopper): These guys like to jump and prefer a non-violent medium of communication. Instead of shooting they just jump. Maybe 2 jumps for yes, 1 jump for no, nobody actually knows. It is an even more confusing version of Morse code. But at least they don’t kill you…all the time.

The Magician: These guys are mysterious. Usually something happens that they don’t like or don’t want and then poof! They are gone never to be seen again! They disappear from the server and all that is left is a simple “blahblahblah” (disconnected from the server).” Imortalized in the virtual void forever.

The Pirate: This is the person who likes to fire a warning shot across the bow (your front). They may be sitting in a tank and as soon as you start to run in front of them he shoots in front of you. Letting you know he does not want you there, because he has a good line of sight into the buildings up a head.

The Reckless Driver: These guys should be avoided, because they generally kill you. They’re the ones who drive where ever they want and don’t care who gets in their way. They have no knowledge of video game traffic laws and instead just prefer to run people over.

 

Now you are partially versed in the language of Team Killing and Friendly Fire. I hope you enjoyed learning about a culture very near and dear to my heart! Communication is everything and it allows all of us gamers to build stronger relationships and friendship. Just always remember to fire your warning shot!

-Ollie

3 Comments:

  1. So thats what a Hopper is! Ha!

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