Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria

Animal Petting

When a game allows the player to pet animals encountered in the environment. Some games are all about this.

Banned

Games that have been banned, or refused a rating for one reason or another.

Blood

Necessary to sustain life in organic creatures, the crimson fluid known as blood tends to make appearances when the body's structure is compromised in some way, a very, very common occurrence in videogames.

Cats

Feline animals commonly kept as pets. There are many different breeds and varieties.

Cel-Video

Chapters

Games are sometimes divided by chapters, sections, acts, etc.

Chosen One

A character who is destined to save or destroy the world. Often seen in RPGs.

Cinematic Games

Games that are little more than extensive cinematic sequences in which the player has little interaction with what is happening onscreen. This notion of a cinematic game is epitomized by laserdisc arcade classics such as Astron Belt, Dragon's Lair and Bega's Battle.

Confirm Menu Choices

Games that ask the player whether they are sure about the decision that they have just made.

Controversy

Video game controversy revolves mostly around the psychological effects that games with graphic violence or sexual content in them can have on players. Other sources of controversy can range from racism, sexism, politics, or religion.

Creator's Name on the Box

Games which the creative minds, or rather their marketing departments, saw fit to put their name on the box.

Crying

When characters shed tears - often due to extreme sadness.

Cutscene

A non-interactive sequence within a game most often used for plot advancement.

Death

The main line of distinction between victory or failure in video games, death is the process of a biological being ceasing to be alive.

Developer Cameo

When developers and publishers can't resist putting themselves in their games, either in the title or actually within the game itself.

Dog

A dog is an animal, of which there are estimated to be 400 million of in the world. Said to be man's best friend, they naturally appear in many video games.

Electricity

Electricity is commonly used as a damage-introducing element causing inanimate objects to become harmful (electrified water, floors, cables, etc). It can also refer to a power wielded by characters that generates sparks, is conductive to metal surfaces, forks or branches, and is often blue in color.

Evil Moustache

Mustaches are often found on the evil villain of cartoons to let the audience know just how evil they are, or used in parody of them.

Extreme Violence

Extreme violence pertains to excessive amounts of blood, gore, or violent acts. These include decapitation, mutilation, dismemberment, amputation, defenestration, disembowelment, torture and much more.

Eye Poking

Didn't your mother teach you not to do that?

Female Protagonists

This concept is for games where at least one of the main characters is female.

Fire

In games, fire can be an obstacle, a tool, a weapon, or a solution. Just don't play with it...unless you really want to.

Full Motion Video

FMVs are pre-rendered videos used in place of real-time graphics. Using FMV was an attempt to make videogames look "more like movies", sometimes with CGI animation and others with live-action actors speaking directly to players. The downside is that FMV requires a lot of disk space, and live-action FMV in particular can look terrible by comparison.

Functional Toilets

Toilets that can be used in-game. Neat, but easily abused, which seriously impacts virtual water conservation.

GOG.com

A digital distribution platform that focuses on providing DRM-free computer games, both old and new.

Improvised Bridge

A bridge made using whatever is available at the moment; used as a method to cross obstacles, such as gaps or bodies of water.

Inventory

A gameplay mechanic allowing players to store their items and freely carry them around.

Jump Scare Moment

A method of attempting to scare the player by the sudden unexpected occurrence of an event - often accompanied by some sort of audio sting.

Latin Choir

Any song in a video game that includes a Latin choir singing (faux Latin included).

Live-Action Cutscene

Cutscenes involving real actors on a set or in front of a chroma key screen.