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In many games there is a ranking system, the players with the highest point value are listed in a "high score" table.
Games whose titles consist of a single word.
Sure, these days have almost every game sporting the newfangled 3D, but way back when, everyone had to live with plain old 2D. 2D, or two dimensions, limit the game to scrolling backgrounds, but some games even now make use of this basic concept.
Also written "Same Game". A sort of puzzle game introduced in Chain Shot in the 1980s. Blocks are moved around in order to match and remove.
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!
The Virtual Console is a platform service that first appeared on Nintendo's Wii and later on the 3DS and Wii U. Games from past consoles are emulated to run on the new hardware with the added benefits of system-level save states and other features.
Power Ups can be used to give the controlling character, or any other character, temporary or permanent upgrades.
Never Ending Games is a self-explanatory concept in which a game is unbeatable and never ends, due either to the game having no true ending or because the game is not saved (or truly continued) after the last section of the game.
Anthropomorphism is the concept of an object, concept or character that has human qualities or traits, such as speech, a level of intelligence similar or higher than a human's and self consciousness. "Anthro" means "of human" and related to the concept of humanity.
The concept of lives in video games evolved to let the player get a second chance after failing once. The most recognizable symbol is the heart.
Homebrew software is a slang term for unofficial software and games for consoles and handhelds which don't generally support it, such as the Wii or Nintendo DS.
Games released coinciding with new hardware.
A concept found in many puzzle and casual games. Matching blocks of the same color or type to gain points and/or erase the blocks.
Games that make records. Often records like most played game, or critically acclaimed. There have been gaming records since the says of Pong and the Magnavox Oddysey.
A leaderboard is a way for players of any multi-player game to know where they rank within the game's community.
These are games you don't need a console to play. You plug in a controller to the TV and you're ready to play.
Collectibles are items such as coins, rings, gems, packages etc. that can be gathered, usually for some kind of reward, or sometimes to simply beat a level. Often (almost too often) the source of earning achievements and trophies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
A concept where the game must be restarted if you are killed. It is a mechanic found in most arcade games, but the term is usually used in reference to the RPG genre where the mechanic is less common, particularly "roguelike" games as well as strategy games such as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics where characters die if they are defeated in battle. Often used as a significant plot device.
Achievements are extra challenges added into video games that sometimes carry a point value or unlock bonus material, and are sometimes solely for bragging rights.
A two-dimensional image or animation overlaid into a scene. The foundation of early 2D games, making up everything from props to the player-controlled character.
A non-interactive sequence within a game most often used for plot advancement.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
Ever since Pac-Man, games have had us navigating mazes.
Being able to travel off one side of the screen and in from the other side.
Sometimes, for one reason or another, a game will never actually tell you exactly where you are. Usually, this does not negatively impact the gameplay. Usually.
The continue is a classic gaming concept, and usually arises when the player "dies" or fails in the game. Usually some loss is tied to a continue, in a form of a "life" or something of other value.
Typically found in fighting games, combos are a series of strung-together moves.
A digital distribution service owned by Valve Corporation. Originally created to distribute Valve's own games, Steam has since become the de facto standard for digital distribution of PC games.
The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.
A level in which everything is displayed on-screen at once, with no scrolling, flip screen, or 3D movement. Many '80s games consist entirely of single-screen levels.
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