Why do gamers use their own form of gaming slang/language?

[Alondite60]

Hey everyone,
I have always wondered why gamers made their own language (such as noob, L33T, to 'farm' lanes and such) and for what purpose it was created for. I would really appreciate it if you guys can give me your opinions on this matter and the reasons behind them.

Thanks again,
Alondite

 

[BustaRhymes]

How else are you gonna tank mobs with a sword and board pally?

 

[Gam3r01]

Most of those either arent used, or are exclusive to mobas...
Some make sense. Campers, someone who stays in one spot, and sets up camp.
l337 is just a shorter and i assume funnier to someone way to say elite.
noob, someone who sucks or is new to the game, who knows.

Pretty much they are just ways to call out someone etc.
I say some because they are funny for our friends (scrubablo is diablo, because he is the easiest boss in the game, and drops no loot), but I dont use them outside my direct friends.

 

[bystander]

A lot of that gamer slang is due to game related stuff. Noob is used in a lot of places. Newbie is not a gamer word, which Noob is slang for and used in other places as well. Some of those started before texting existed, and I guess it didn't take off, but mostly those are just gamer related slang, because games have different concepts than the real world.

 

[ry4n_1337]

My name says it all.

 

[Vynavill]

I honestly think the problem is not the meaning of the word itself, but the context where it's used.
e.g.
- "Farming" can be used in MOBAs as well as in any single player JRPG, and in both cases can be substituted by "grinding". Two different words, same identical meaning, but the context they're used in changes everything; they also come from different cultural contexts, as farming is mostly used in western communities, while grinding comes from eastern ones, and is usually applied to their MMORPGs which require hours and hours spent on killing the same enemy over and over and over and so on...
- Newbie and Professional can be used in anything else not related to gaming; however, in gaming, they usually assume the form of "noob" and "pro/pr0" (that 0 in regard to the same rules that apply for élite/1337, I suppose), which nowadays are used more for mocking rather than for distinguishing someone good from someone new/inexperienced. I, for one, don't see noobs or pros, I see players. This is because, at least IMO, the words themselves have lost their meaning with time, used by the people who knew their true one and literally abused by the rest of the community, which just say those words because they've seen someone else say them...

Otherwise, it's just a way to communicate easier and faster, most of the times, as you minimize the time you spend writing by doing that.
e.g.
- "Farming" can mean "Gain gold until you can afford [item_name_here]", or "Gain experience until you are level [level_value_here]"; 1 word versus potentially 7 to 10 words.
- (strictly MOBA related) "ss", short for "miss", short for "Enemies missing in [lane_position] lane"; 2 letters versus 5 words.

Being widely accepted words amongst the community makes them a nice surrogate for proper language; it allows you to chat less and play more, play faster and play more reactively. Writing a complete sentence in proper english can take time, and even so, not everyone knows english/american perfectly; it's also a easier way to understand each other when language knowledge fails or isn't enough, as you're not forcing someone to go take up an english-[my language] dictionary every single time you write something 😛

And to prove the point about language knowledge up there, just look at me. I'm italian, I bet there are some grammar errors in what I've written, although I deem myself pretty much english-capable.

 

[Rationale]

Slang just pops up out of necessity. There are things in gaming that need words, so words are created or reassigned for them.