Alone in the Dark

Who needs 2D when we've got 3D? 3D, or 3 dimensions, is what we're used to seeing in almost every game these days, letting us do all sorts of awesome stuff like run in circles!

When the wall is coming out at you and you must keep going or it will eat you up.

Gory, bloody games top the sales charts every year. Many games feature buckets of splattery bloody goodness.

In action games, checkpoints are points where a game will autosave and restart the player upon death. In Racing games, checkpoints will add time to a countdown clock and give you information about your race time in comparison to your opponents.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid and watch out for those guys in monk's robes. Cults don't necessarily have to be evil or out to destroy the world, but it seems in video games that they usually are.

Darkness is used in games to restrict access, increase tension, or just to set a mood. Often the player has access to a light source that can mitigate its effect.

Demons are creatures of varying size and shape, usually from hell, known for killing everyone and destroying everything in their path.

Digital distribution method for PC games, anime, comics, and guides. Direct2Drive is maintained and owned by IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc.

It's a little too easy to unlock achievements in some Xbox 360 games.

Something that blows up in a huge firey hell! Usually due to ill placed explosives or general "accidents"

The ability for Fire to realistically spread and burn objects in the world in real time.

Health is a value that gauges how much damage a player can take in a game before they die or pass out. Also known as Hit Points (HP) or Life in some games - not to be confused with Lives.

The use of everyday objects and turning them into death dealing weapons of destruction.

Sudden and final, instant death has tormented gamers for years. Your power bar has no say here...

Placing the player in an environment and making them feel alone. Games often use this for atmospheric effect.

Because you have to cross that ledge, one way or another.

Loud ambient noises are often included in many thriller/horror games. These sounds are associated with panic and terror, and can heighten these feelings. Examples of these sounds would be metal chains clanging, footsteps, knocking, creaking doors, etc.

From Beat-em-ups to fighting games to modern FPS, one dude hitting another has made an enjoyable pastime.

Moral dilemmas presented to the player that often have significant effect on the story or other characters.

An act of Mother Nature that brings hardship on humanity and the world.

A game which does not force the player to play through the story in a particular order, chronological or otherwise. The story is instead split up into skipable chapters.

The ability for players to manipulate objects in the environment and use them as weapons. The most obvious example of this gameplay mechanic is Half-Life 2, in which players make use of a Gravity Gun to launch objects with deadly force.

This is a list of PC games which support connecting an Xbox 360 controller to your computer and using it to play the game.

Do not edit. This already exists as a THEME.

Originating with the LaserDisc game Dragon's Lair, Quick Time Events now show up in all sorts of games as a way to make cinematic cutscenes slightly more interactive.

Rappelling is the act of going down a cliff side or vertical surface with aid from a rope. The rope is attached at the top of the surface and to the climber's body

Sometimes, things are just meant to happen the way they do. Usually triggered by a timer, or by the player crossing a checkpoint.

The ability to slow down time or at least seem so in order to pull off precisely accurate stunts. Bullet time is an enhanced version of slow-mo.

Survival is the name of the game. Eat or be eaten.

Synthesis involves combining items to in order to solve puzzles or gain some other tangible benefit. Common in adventure games, synthesis puzzles often force the player to combine items in bizarre ways in the hope of creating a new item that will help them progress.

It's the developer's go to guy. If they want to steer a player in a given direction they'll lock an in game door and force the player to find a way to either unlock it or find an alternate route.

A viewable map that displays the entire game world. The map also usually shows the player's location in the world.

A term used to describe the walking dead. They feed largely on the flesh of the living, but are sometimes depicted as craving brains specifically. They often move slowly, due to rigor mortis, but are extremely deadly in large numbers. Unfortunately, they're always found in groups. Shotgun time!