Concepts

424 Concepts: Grid; Compact

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) is a sub-genre of the Real-Time Strategy genre. The gameplay is characterized by single unit hero strategic combat between two small teams of players, each trying to destroy the opponent's base.

Appears in 22 games

First appeared in S.L.A.I.
Mutants

Nuclear war, frivolous dumping of toxic waste,forced evolutionary virus; sometimes these things go horribly awry. These games all feature some variety of mutant life, formerly human or otherwise, and it's generally not a good idea to trust them.

Appears in 232 games

First appeared in Communist Mutants From Space
Mousers

Baxter Stockman's Rat Killing Machines

Appears in 12 games

First appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Murder

Murder is the act of ending the life of another living thing against its will without the sanction of a higher governmental authority, such as the casualties that result from acts of war. It is generally intentional, at least in a legal meaning, but not necessarily.

Appears in 424 games

First appeared in Wild Gunman
Mugatos

White haired gorilla aliens from Star Trek.

Appears in 1 games

First appeared in Star Trek Online
Magically Imbued Weapons

A weapon that has been forged and/or imbued with mystical energy, magic, or some other supernatural force. It is often required to solve a specific puzzle, or vanquish an impossible foe.

Appears in 135 games

First appeared in The Legend of Zelda
Music Video

A music video is a film that comes with a song. It can be a combination of the music artists performing and/or actors playing scenes and/or other elements. Many games come with a music video related to the game.

Appears in 82 games

First appeared in Rock Star Ate My Hamster
Meme Origin

When the President wants to go for a burger, you know that all your cake is a lie.

Appears in 84 games

First appeared in The Oregon Trail
MacGuffin

A MacGuffin is a plot device, having little importance itself, which exists purely in order to motivate characters and/or advance the story.

Appears in 19 games

First appeared in Equinox
Mini-Boss

An opponent that typically appears around the halfway point in a level. Mini-Bosses are more formidable than the average opponent, though normally not as tough as the end-level Boss.

Appears in 243 games

First appeared in RoboCop
Movement Penalty

Penalties to movement speed. How far/fast you can walk. This may depend upon difficult terrain and what type of gear you are carrying.

Appears in 79 games

First appeared in Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness
Mid-Game Haircut

In fiction, characters sometimes cut their hair to signify a great change or growth in themselves.

Appears in 18 games

First appeared in Samurai Shodown II
Manhunters

The Manhunters were the peacekeeping force created by the Guardians of the universe prior to the Green Lantern Corps. They are often enemies of the Lanterns, and under Cyborg Superman's control they became members of the Sinestro Corps.

Appears in 3 games

First appeared in DC Universe Online
Moth

A nocturnal insect closely related to the butterfly.

Appears in 9 games

First appeared in Astyanax
MAG

In Phantasy Star Online, a MAG is a pet creature that accompanies the player while providing stat and combat enhancements. It has qualities and care requirements similar to tamagotchi, which includes feeding.

Appears in 7 games

First appeared in Phantasy Star Online
Masturbation

Masturbation is the act of self-pleasure.

Appears in 8 games

First appeared in Stroker
Motion Control

Using gestures with the controller to control on-screen actions. Alternatively, these gestures can also be detected by motion-sensing cameras.

Appears in 348 games

First appeared in Heavyweight Champ
Multi-Tier Combat

A fighting area that possess multiple locations, which can be gained by one player striking the other at specific locations with a powerful move. One character proceeds to the next arena unwillingly, and taking damage. The other player follows the first player and does not take damage. Fighting then resumes until the match ends, or perhaps until the next transition into yet another area.

Appears in 27 games

First appeared in Altered Beast
Megaera's Parasites

Enemy type in God of War: Ascension.

Appears in 1 games

First appeared in God of War: Ascension
Motion Capture Animation

Some action-oriented games make use of motion capture technology to make character's movements realistic.

Appears in 77 games

First appeared in Prince of Persia
Manticore

Mythical Creature with the face of a man, the body of a lion, sometimes with wings and a tail that can shoot spikes. Other times it has a snake for a tail or a scorpions tail.

Appears in 43 games

First appeared in Archon: The Light and the Dark
Mou-Ryo

A lesser form of apparition in Japanese folklore. They are said to embody the spirits of those who were unable to ascend to heaven.

Appears in 10 games

First appeared in Shin Megami Tensei
Metroidvania

A style of 2D action gameplay revolving around exploring a labyrinth with the necessity of locating new items and equipment to progress beyond otherwise impassible obstacles. The concept is named for its common usage in the Metroid and Castlevania franchises.

Appears in 67 games

First appeared in Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II
Milk Wars

A war that drove the events of the Conker series.

Appears in 2 games

First appeared in Conker's Bad Fur Day
Mass Effect Field

The titular concept upon which much of the technology in the Mass Effect series is based.

Appears in 3 games

First appeared in Mass Effect
Music Creation

A page that summarizes and list games that allow for music creation, from early titles like Mario Paint, all the way to Guitar Hero World Tour.

Appears in 63 games

First appeared in Music Composer
Machinima

Machinima is the concept of making a movie out of a video game. Popularized by the series, Red vs Blue.

Appears in 48 games

First appeared in Stunt Island
Mascot

A mascot is an iconic character heavily used in the advertising and marketing of a product or a franchise.

Appears in 264 games

First appeared in Pac-Man
Mayor

The head of a city government. The perfect candidate if your game needs a rear end in a top hat.

Appears in 30 games

First appeared in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
Missable Achievements

When an achievement is only attainable at a single point in a game, it is considered a missable achievement. If a player has missed such an achievement, then he must replay the entire game in order to get it.

Appears in 18 games

First appeared in The Secret of Monkey Island
Miiverse Integration

A Wii U-based social network that connects players with friends and similar players. Miiverse will also be accessible through any other internet-enabled device.

Appears in 12 games

First appeared in Resident Evil: Revelations
Molyjam

Molyjam is a Game Jam based on the ideas tweeted by parody character Peter Molydeux. The tagline of the event was the play on words "What would Molydeux?".

Appears in 0 games
Militia

A militia is a group of regular citizens that work, often without pay, to enforce laws and provide defense for a community.

Appears in 14 games

First appeared in Exile
Monster Closet

A small, closed-off area in a game containing enemies that opens at some trigger point. Often used to surprise the player, or as an alternative to spawning enemies out of thin air.

Appears in 68 games

First appeared in Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra
Microtransaction

Small payments made with actual money which result in an in-game bonus, such as an extra item, character, etc.

Appears in 198 games

First appeared in Colony 7
Missing Features

A feature (or features) is advertised on the box or in the game manual, but due to the game being rushed or not tested the feature is not there. Fixed with patches or DLC in newer games.

Appears in 10 games

First appeared in Tegel's Mercenaries
Manakete

Dragonkin from ancient times, these people have the ability to transform into mighty dragons.

Appears in 9 games

First appeared in Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi
Metal Head

The Hora-quan (a.k.a. Metal Heads) are a race of creatures that live outside of Haven City. They have gold gems inbedded in their skulls and need Dark Eco to survive.

Appears in 4 games

First appeared in Jak II
Maid

Maids are female housekeepers or servants. They are also common characters in many Japanese video games, manga, and anime.

Appears in 21 games

First appeared in Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle
Multiple Endings

Multiple endings is a term used to describe different outcomes or conclusions to a game based on the previous actions of the player.

Appears in 768 games

First appeared in Nobunaga's Ambition
Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team that competes in the NBA. They are based in Miami, Flordia.

Appears in 13 games

First appeared in Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs
Monster Infighting

1) When two or more of the protagonist's enemies are tricked into fighting each other. 2) When two or more of the protagonist's enemies belong to different factions and attack each other on sight.

Appears in 92 games

First appeared in Doom
Multiple Gameplay Perspectives

Some games feature the ability to switch the gameplay camera perspective between first and third person, either as an option or as a gameplay element.

Appears in 119 games

First appeared in Space Spartans
Maimed Protagonist

This concept applies to any game protagonist who through the course of the game's story becomes physically and permanently maimed in some way (by losing an eye, an hand or other body part). They may receive an artificial replacement but the character remains physically changed through the course of the game.

Appears in 24 games

First appeared in Bionic Commando

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