In a real fisticuffs contest, many of these players and combatants would stand little chance, but with an arcade stick or controller in their hands — preference is debatable — size or strength matter little. No, the only things that speak to your fighting game skills are your god-like hand-eye coordination, reaction speed, mental capacity, and overall moxy in the face of your opponent. There is far more than meets the eye here and the game is as much a testament to your physical abilities as it is your mental.
Getting into anything can be an intimidating task, so fear not, my noobish reader, I am here to help you learn a little bit about competitive gaming’s fastest growing phenomenon and teach you some of the terminology you will be hearing during the many live streams, commentary, or reading in the “too fast to comprehend” chats the stream monsters spew forth. Now, some of this varies by game, so I will break it down where necessary.
Round 1: Universal Terms
GDLK: Stands for “god-like” and is overused as far as I’m concerned. Nevertheless, you will hear and see it frequently. Can stand for anything that is beyond the norm skill -wise. Anything awesome is god-like to the stream monsters.
Stream Monsters: A term that has transformed as a slight due to the overwhelming negativity shown in the stream chats these days, but the term grew from a good place. It represents the life blood of the community. The people who tune in to watch any and all streams for fighting games and comment on them. Good or bad, the viewers are what grow a community and the stream monsters are here to stay.
Salty: Basically a sore loser. Any negative reaction will do to warrant this statement. These reactions can vary from just a look to flat-out smashing controllers after a loss. All this has happened and more. Losing is never a good feeling and there are a lot of years old rivalries that exist here. Remmember, a lot of money is on the line, as well as your reputation.
Bodied: As you would suspect, “bodied” stands for a good ol’ fashion ass whuppin’. Doesn’t matter who did it or what form it comes in; it happens to the best of us. For me personally, it happens all too frequently. You see someone get perfected; they got “bodied.”
Free: Relatively the same as “bodied.” Forgive my use of the the word, but it is used much too “freely” by commentators and chat participants alike. If you are losing and it looks like clockwork, you are “free” to your opponent.
Zoning: A keep-away tactic used mostly in Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom. Can be a frowned-upon strategy to use, but when mastered, it’s an art form. You’ll see a player who has perfected this strategy for UMVC3 this weekend named Chris G. Can also be referred to laming out or even cheap. All that matters is winning!
For the full primer, click here and be enlightened!
