Farming, camping, NPCs and AFK: this is how video games are talked about when they cross the screen boundary

Aug. 24 (Portaltic/EP) –

Video games are part of the culture of the Spanish, which is reflected in the way they speak, with the use of words and expressions such as ‘farmear’, ‘campear’, ‘NPC’ and AFK, which show the evolution of the language.

In Spain, there are 20 million people who play video games, a fact that highlights the penetration that this entertainment product has in society, and that influences the way they speak on a daily basis.

The ‘IV X-ray of Gaming in Spain’, carried out by PcComponentes, reveals that language is the third area most influenced by video games, after digital art (graphic prints, animation, etc.) and sports (‘eSports’).

“Gaming terms have crossed the boundaries of screens to become part of everyday conversations,” said PcComponentes gaming expert Silvia Sánchez in a press release.

Thus, in the x-ray it is found that ‘farming’ is one of those words adopted directly from video games, and refers to the mechanical execution of an action, repetitively, to obtain extra points or objects in video games.

‘Boss’, on the other hand, refers to the villains that must be defeated in order to complete the game’s levels, while ‘NPC’ (non-playable character) is used for a character that contributes nothing to the story and is merely filler, and is often used to refer to insubstantial or personality-less people, with a negative connotation.

‘Campear’ refers to a practice, specifically, that of staying hidden and static in order to attack enemies in their path, avoiding being shot down. It also has a negative connotation, as it is not considered clean behavior.

‘Cheats’, on the other hand, is the word that openly designates cheating. In video games, it involves the use of codes or external tools that allow you to obtain benefits that are not normally included and that give you an advantage over other players.

On the contrary, GG (Good Game) is an expression used to congratulate someone for something well done, to show respect for another’s efforts.

The term ‘noob’ is used to refer to someone’s lack of experience in a field, especially video games, which is what is called a novice, while ‘lag’ is the word used for the delay that can occur in communication, for example, when audio and video are not synchronized. Added to these are ‘ban’, the action of prohibiting access to a game for having committed an infraction; ‘skills’, abilities; ‘report’, to report inappropriate behavior; and ‘pushear’, a technique that consists of putting pressure on the enemy to gain ground.

Other common expressions in the world of video games are ASAP (as soon as possible) and AFK (away from the keyboard).

These Anglo-Saxon terms, which originally referred to concepts specific to the world of video games, are now used in everyday contexts, both orally and in writing, and are an example of how the Spanish language evolves and adapts to new realities.