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Health is a value that gauges how much damage players can take in a game before they die or pass out. Also known as life in some games. Health is usually represented by a bar or a percentage instead of an exact amount. Found in most non sport games
Invisible or cleverly hidden doors just waiting to be discovered. Logically, Hidden Doors often lead to Hidden Rooms.
Rooms that are either invisible or extremely hidden. Players are rewarded with health, easter eggs, weapons or traps.
A hub is the central location from which a player can venture out into different areas of a game. It is often used as a clever way of masking loading between levels or worlds.
Humans are bipedal, sapient primates capable of abstract reasoning, language, and emotions.
A digital storefront which donates some of its profits to charity.
IGF is the Independent Games Festival, an annual gathering of Indie developers. The term also refers to the associated awards.
A school of game design often associated with Looking Glass Studios, in which the player is free to act as they choose in a richly simulated world. The term was coined by Warren Spector in his Deus Ex post-mortem.
When stuff that always used to work suddenly break down when you need it the most and you either have to fix it or find another way around.
Insanity is a condition whereby the sufferer is of unsound mind. Depending on the condition of the individual, he or she may be prone to fits of uncontrollable violent behavior, hallucinations, or other symptoms.
A situation where the player-controlled character loses their life immediately. The quickness of that demise is often a stark departure from the balance of power, and sometimes the rules, established by the developers during the rest of the game.
A cutscene (usually using the in-game engine) which allows the user to contribute to or modify the action- such as changing camera angle, zooming in and out, or being able to move the player character around actors playing a scripted sequence.
The ability of a player to interact with items or geometry in the game world, whether for story or gameplay reasons or simply for immersion.
A gameplay mechanic allowing players to store their items and freely carry them around.
An invisible enemy is an antagonist that cannot be seen under normal circumstances. Sometimes these enemies are only temporarily invisible or can be made visible somehow.
Placing the player in an environment and making them feel alone. Games often use this for atmospheric effect.
Usually found in adventure games, when players combine two or more items to create one or more new items.
Any object that holds health, ammo, equipment, money, etc. The container must be opened or destroyed in order to procure the items within.
Take an item and throw it at the enemy.
It's arguably the one move that symbolizes the medium to those outside it. The ability to jump, be it onto a building, a platform, or a skull, is one of the all time most important abilities ever put in a video game.
A method of attempting to scare the player by the sudden unexpected occurrence of an event - often accompanied by some sort of audio sting.
Leaning is a concept that allows a character to angle their body. Often used to look around corners. Primarily found in First Person Shooters.
Basically you're given a flashlight and then sent to a dark place.
The opposite of open-ended gameplay, linear gameplay uses scripted events, Quick time events, cut scenes, and a restricted path to tell a story exactly how the writer intends, and control elements of the action.
Loading Screens are specific screens that are displayed while a game is loading resources so that the player has something to distract them while the game loads. Loading Screens can be images, text or even mini-games - and sometimes a combination of all three.
Sometimes, a key just won't cut it. When you really need to get through a locked door or open a sealed chest, you need a certified master of unlocking, complete with a lock-pick.
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.
The concept of affecting the universe through supernatural methods, breaking the fundamental laws of science.
This concept is for games in which at least one of the main characters is male.
Somebody wrote or drew a message on the wall, maybe it was in blood, maybe they had a marker handy; but now here you are, reading it.
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