Analog control: Unlike digital control, which simply registers a button push or joystick direction, analog control is highly sensitive and takes into account to what degree the button or joystick is pushed. In 3D games, this allows you to use the same joystick to walk or run.

Anime: Japanese cartoon drawing style typified by short characters with large eyes. In video games, this style in most evident in RPGs, especially those released in the 90s.

Anti-Aliasing: A programming technique (or hardware capability) that automatically smoothes jaggy edges, and is especially useful for making low-resolution images look better.

Attract Mode: Most evident in early consoles like the Atari 2600, this mode causes a game not being played to cycle through colors on the screen. This prevents the possibility of "burn-in", caused by displaying the same image on a television for an extended period of time.

Bit: In the early 90's, this term was often used to indicate the technical capabilities of a console. For example, the NES was 8-bit and the Genesis was 16-bit. The term was originally intended to describe the number-crunching power of the CPU (central processing unit), but unscrupulous PR firms abused the term for their own purposes, expanding its definition and rendering it meaningless.  

Boss: In many video games, each stage ends with an encounter with a creature or robot that is typically much larger and tougher than the normal enemies. Which begs the question: Why do they hire henchmen that are weaker than they are?

Camera: In most 3D games, the player's point of view tends to change, often on-the-fly. For example, in Tomb Raider you view the action from the back of your character, but during certain situations (like death-defying leaps) the angle may change to a side view to maximize the drama. With varying degrees of success, 3D games attempt to keep key characters and objects in full view at all time, and this is quality is referred to as "the camera". Your ability to manipulate the view (swing, zoom) is "camera control".

"Charge" Attack: Typically found in 2D one-on-one fighters, a move that requires the player to hold the joystick in one direction for a few seconds before executing the attack.

Cheats: Special codes that allow you bypass the normal limitations of a game. Typical cheats allow you to gain extra lives, become invincible, access different stages, give players big heads, etc. Some cheats are built into games, while others can only be accessed using devices like the Game Shark.

"Cheated Death": A term used to describe how you miraculously survived a hopeless situation. Often seen in games like Galaxian.

Clipping: A computer science technique for not showing parts of objects that should be obstructed by another object. Clipping problems result in hidden areas being visible, and objects that don't overlap correctly.

Combo: In one-on-one fighting games, a string of moves that can be executed in rapid succession. In some games, these cannot be resisted.

Component Video Cable: Currently the state-of-the-art in console video cables, separates the video into three wires that carry the red, green, and blue signals. These wires have five plugs, including the red/white plugs for audio. Component is a step up from S-Video.

Composite Video Cable: A video cable with a single yellow plug (usually along with the red/white audio cables). Produces better quality than RF but not as good as S-Video.

Console: A system dedicated to playing video games. This does not include PCs or hand-helds.

Cut-Scenes: Short intermissions typically presented between stages to convey a storyline. These can be live or computer-generated videos clips, and are usually non-interactive.

Difficulty Switches: Only available on the Atari 2600, these two console switches allowed you to set separate skill level for both players (A is hard and B is easy). In some games, these switches served other functions as well.

Digital control: Until the mid-90s, most video game controllers were digital, only registering each direction or button push as "off" or "on". Analog controls, which became popular on the Nintendo 64 and Playstation, provide a much finer degree of control.

Double-Jump: In certain platform games, you can perform a second jump after the first while in mid-air, allowing you to reach high platforms.

Easter Eggs: Hidden features inside of video games. The first Easter Egg was a hidden room inside the Atari 2600 game Adventure (1980). These can also take the form of built-in cheat codes.

Fatality: In one-on-one fighting games, the typically gruesome act of killing your opponent after defeating him. Popularized by Mortal Kombat (1992).

First-Person: A point of view which allows you to see the action through your characters eyes. You never see you own body, except for maybe your arms. Was made popular by flight simulators and shooters like Doom.

Flicker: Common in early video game consoles, this problem made the objects look transparent and hard to see, and was the result of system limitations or poor programming.

Frag: A term associated with shooting something in a first-person shooters, usually a human-controlled opponent.

Frame Rate: A term that describes the smoothness of motion in a game. The image on a television screen is really a series of still images shown in rapid succession. A normal television show is broadcast at 33 fps (frames per second). Some games cannot maintain this rate due to system limitations or poor programming, and the result is choppy animation that's hard to watch. Higher frame rates (like 66 fps) results in more attractive, fluid animation.

Full Motion Video (FMV): Popularized by the Sega CD in the early 90s, FMV games allowed the player to interact with live or computer-generated video. Most of these game weren't much fun, and soon FMV was relegated to introductions, cut-scenes, and ending sequences.

Game Genie: A product popular in the early 90's that allowed you to enter "cheat" codes into games.

Game Shark: A product that because popular in the late 90's that let you use "cheat" codes on your games.

"Glory Seeking": Taking a particularly dangerous course of action for the opportunity to score bonus points. For example, pursuing the vegetables in Dig Dug.

Hack: A game that "reuses" code from an older game to create a new game. Usually the hack plays much the like old one (except for some graphical tweaks), although some hacks incorporate extensive modifications to the original game. The Atari 2600 system is the system best known for hacks.

Homebrew: A brand new game designed and programmed from the ground up by one or more classic game hobbyists. Usually these games are created and sold for older systems like the Atari 2600, Vectrex, or Odyssey 2.

Hyperspace: Popularized in Asteroids (1980), causes you ship to disappear and reappear in a random location. Useful to escape dangerous situations, but can sometimes put you in a far worse predicament. Death on re-entry is also possible.

Isometric View: Instead of viewing the action directly from above or directly from the side, an isometric view allows you to look at the action from an angle. This is popular in football games.

Kart Racing: A genre popularized by Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992), involves a group of cartoon characters racing around in tiny go-carts.

Keypad: Many early-80s video game controllers had a 3x4 set of numbered buttons built into them. Some systems, like the Atari 2600, had separate keypad controllers.

Multi-tap: A device that allows you to plug in more controllers than the console has ports for.

Overlay: Included with many older console games, overlays are a thin piece of plastic that slides over the buttons on a keypad, labeling the keys for the functions that pertain to that game.

Pack-in Game: A game that comes packaged with a system. For example, the NES pack-in was Super Mario Bros, and the Genesis pack-in was Sonic the Hedgehog.

Paddle: Atari 2600 controllers that consist of a knob that can turn and a single fire button. These controllers allow for precise side-to-side movements.

Platform Game: A game that requires you to jump on platforms of various sizes. These games also typically involve collecting items and jumping on enemies. Examples include Super Mario Bros (NES), Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), and Jak and Daxter (PS2).

Polygons: Small individual shapes that fit together to form complex 3-D objects. Detailed 3D objects are composed of thousands of polygons.

Power-Up: An item that gives you special abilities or makes you more powerful. Power-ups usually only last for a limited time.

RF (Radio Frequency) Cable: A low quality signal sent over coaxial cable (used for cable TV). These cables were commonly used for old video game systems, and are still available for new ones. Produces the lowest quality video signal, and is susceptible to interference.

RPG: See Role Playing Game.

Rapid-Fire: Allows you to shoot fast and continuously by tapping the fire button, or in some games, simply holding it down.

Real-Time: Normally used to describe combat sequences, the action does not stop to allow you to enter commands. This is the opposite of "turn-based".

Resolution: A term that describes the level of detail in a game's graphics. An image on a television screen is actually a series of pixels strung together. High-resolution images look more detailed and lifelike, which low-resolution images tend to look blocky or jagged.

Respawn: A term oftened associated with first-person shooters, describes the act of returning to the field of play after being killed.

Role-Playing Game (RPG): Lengthy, slow moving game with elaborate storylines that involve going on a quest and developing one or more characters on the way. Although traditionally turn-based, newer RPGs tend to incorporate real-time elements.

Rumble Pack: A device that plugs into a controller to provide vibration feedback.

S-Video Cable: A video cable that produces better video quality than a composite cable, but not as good as a component cable. S-Video improves on composite by separating the color and luminance signals.

Sandbox: Describes an open-ended, go-anywhere style of play employed in games like Gran Theft Auto 3.

Shoulder buttons: Found on the controllers of most modern systems, these can be found on the side of the controller that faces away from the player. These are usually pressed with your index fingers, and are usually analog (touch sensitive). Also known as "triggers".

Slow-down: When more objects are on the screen than a system can handle, the game tends to slow down, often to the detriment of the gameplay. This tends to be a problem with systems that have underpowered processors like the SNES.

Smart Bomb: Popularized by Defender (1981), instantly destroys all enemies visible on the screen. Games that offer these limit the supply.

Sprite: Animated images that form objects or characters in 2D games. These were used in most video games until the Playstation popularized 3-D, polygon graphics.

Survival Horror: A genre popularized by Resident Evil (Playstation, 1996), a survival horror game is typically a 3-D adventure involving the escape from an army of zombies or other monsters.

Switchbox: Used with older video game consoles, this device allows you to switch between game and television signals.

"Tempting Fate": A generally unwise decision involving toying with an enemy in order to gain the opportunity to score bonus items or points. This is often seen in Pac-Man games.

Texture Mapping: The programming technique that draws graphical patterns on polygons. This allows smooth surfaces to look bumpy or shaded.

Third-Person: A point of view that lets you see the character you are controlling. The opposite of first-person.

Track-ball: A special controller that contains a ball the size of a pool ball that you roll with your hand. This provides a fine degree of control, and was made popular in early arcade games like Missile Command and Centipede.

Trigger: See "Shoulder buttons".

Turbo: The ability to speed up for a short stretch, this is common in racing games. In some games, it's known as "nitro".

Turn-based: Normally used to describe the combat sequences in RPGs, pauses the action to allow the user to enter commands between attacks.

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