Retention rate

Description

Measure for number of user that keep playing the game with a set timeframe; D1 after a day, D7 after a week, D30 after a month

Use

Monetization term

MUD

Description

Multi user dungeon

MMO

Description

Massively multiplayer online game, a video game that can be played by many people simultaneously

Soak testing

Description

Leaving a game running for an extended period without any user interaction in the various modes. Objective to find memory leaks and errors that manifest over time.

Use

Monetization term

Alpha

Description

Key gameplay is implemented in the game and the game is playable

IPMs

Description

Installs per Mille. It is a metric that is used to track the number of app installs per thousand ad impressions.

Use

Monetization term

IAP

Description

In-app purchases

Use

Monetization term

Pre-production

Description

Idea and concept phase of the development

Easter egg

Description

Hidden jokes, references or items

Casual

Description

games designed to appeal to a larger audience. Typically simpler gameplay and shorter play sessions

Turn base

Description

Game where player play one after another. Usually time based.

First playable

Description

First version of a game that has the essential game play features

Smoke testing

Description

Fast, shallow test i.e. playing through a level to see it can be completed and that there are no obvious bug/issues

Use

Testing

Bug

Description

Error or flaw in the game

DAU

Description

Engagement metric, Daily active users

Test case

Description

Description of a test. A set of action, input and the desired outcome

Use

Testing

Affect modeling

Description

Creating a computational model of affect; affect is the experience of an emotion

Use

Player Experience

CPI rate

Description

Cost per installs

Use

Monetization term

Bug fix

Description

Correction of a bug, flaw in the game

Porting

Description

Converting a game to run on a different platform than it was originally made for.

CVR

Description

Conversion Rate = (Total number of initial event in the app / total number of desired event conversions) x 100

Use

Monetization term

Nerf

Description

Change that reduces the effectiveness or desirability of an game element. opposite of buff

PTR / Public Test Realm or region

Description

Beta testing service open to a large number of player to test new features. Separate part of the game/ specific test servers

Customer Lifetime Value

Description

Average revenue per user X average customer lifespan

Use

Monetization term  

ARPPU

Description

Average Revenue Per Paying User

Use

Monetization term

ARPDAU

Description

Average Revenue Per Daily Active User

Use

Monetization term

ARPU

Description

Average revenue per User

Load testing

Description

Testing the limits of a system.

Use

Testing

Buff

Description

Adjustment where a game element is increased in power. Opposite of nerf

Headless client

Description

A version of the game that can run without graphic used for running fast simulation of a game.

Theory of flow

Description

A theory from psychologist Csíkszentmihályi that views flow as the state of happiness. When in "flow" a person is fully immersed (aka in the zone).

Use

Game Design, Player experience

Game design document

Description

A structured document describing the game design used as a reference point for development

Speed Run

Description

A speed run is a play-through, or a recording thereof, of a whole video game or a selected part of it (such as a single level), performed with the intention of completing it as fast as possible.

Real time strategy

Description

A genre of strategy games in real-time in contrast to turn-based strategy games. Example: StarCraft

Roguelike

Description

A dungeon crawler with procedurally generated levels

MMORPG

Description

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Negative test

Description

Testing with invalid input data / abnormal behavior.

Use

Testing

Positive test

Description

Testing with valid input data / normal behavior.

Compatibility testing

Description

Testing on different hardware and software to see if the game acts the same in different configurations.

Functionally testing

Description

Testing if the game plays as intended. Regular game testing, regression testing, smoke testing, acceptance testing.

Use

Testing

Beta testing

Description

Testing in the first 'publically' available version with players.

Ad hoc testing

Description

Testing (exploratory) without a define plan or documentation, meaningful if the tester already has a good understanding of the game.

Use

Testing

Localization testing

Description

Test focused on ensuring the quality of localization / translation.

Use

Testing  

AAA or triple A

Description

Term used for large scale game studios, no fixed definition sometime it refers to the size of the company, or the scale of the productions, marketing budgets or game type.

Code release

Description

Stage where most bugs are fixed an the game is ready for release or submission to platform holder

Agent

Description

Someone or something that acts. In a game context, this is either a human or an AI agent, that for example plays a game of builds levels.

Multiplayer testing

Description

Testing with multiple player to investigate issue that may occur when multiple players are playing.

Use

Testing

Sim

Description

Simulation game.

Release candidate

Description

Version of the game ready for shipping.

AI-assisted game design

Description

Using AI for assisting the game design process.

Use

Game Design

UA

Description

User acquisition, getting new playing into the game.

Game feel

Description

The tactile sensation experienced when interacting with a game

Gameplay

Description

The implementation of the rules and features of the game.

Exploratory testing

Description

Testing without a set plan of actions, without a formal test plan.

Use

Testing

Crunch time

Description

Working overtime to make the game ready for release.

Compliance testing

Description

Testing to ensure that the game meets the requirements of e.g. game platform holders. Typically based on platform holder's checklists / guidelines.

Noob

Description

Short for newbie, new inexperience player.

MAU

Description

Engagement metric, Monthly active users.

Use

Monetization term

First person shooter

Description

Shooting game seen from first person view.

ROAS

Description

Return On Advertising Spend, calculated by divided revenue by advertising costs.

Regression testing

Description

Retesting unchanged part of the game to ensure functionally still work after changing or building new parts of the game.

RPR

Description

Repeat Purchase Rate = Purchases from existing customers / total purchases

Use

Monetization term

PCG

Description

Procedural content generation. Content like levels or game assets are made algorithmically, making the precise outcome unpredictable for or adaptive to the player.

Code Freeze

Description

New development is stopped and only bugs are fixed. The focus is on making the game ready to ship.