CC BY
159https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2023.01.05 Research article
Gaming Slang: The Influence of Video Games on the Russian Language
Maria Khaibullova (0) and Anna Kozina Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Polytechnicheskaya, 29, 195251,
Russia
[email protected]; [email protected]
Abstract
Computer games are of vast importance. They are both a part of a modern human life and an extensive source of linguistic production. What the article analyzes is specifically the formation of gaming community slang. The aim of the research is a comprehensive study of the origin and formation of new words used by people in the gaming field. Particular attention is paid to the specific aspects of linguistic production in the Russian speaking gaming community. In the context of this work, the data was collected on players' online communication platforms and via interviews with experienced gamers. Altogether 2340 slang words were analyzed. The goal was to trace the origin of new words in the Russian-speaking gaming environment. Given that English is the predominant language in gaming communities, some of the words got into Russian slang via transcription or transliteration. However, borrowing is just one out of many ways of word formation. Another significant phenomenon is the "interlingual homonymy" of words from different languages. The traditional way of forming words according to existing models (lexical derivation) occurs in the game world according to an affixal model (in the form of abbreviation or truncation). Often gaming slang is formed by transferring the name to a new object - i.e. semantic derivation, which can be built on the basis of a metaphor, a joke, or by transferring a proper name into a common noun. The most popular way is the metaphorical transfer of meaning by way of similarity with a game object. However, there are more complex options related to the semantic associations among gaming terms.
Keywords: Gaming slang, Computer games, Gamers, Lexical derivation, Semantic derivation
Acknowledgment: The authors express their gratitude to the translators of this article, Anna Zhukova, Arina Popova, and Alexandra Shestakova. They also wish to express their special gratitude to Andrea Gentili and their supervisor, Daria Sergeevna Bylieva, for their support in writing this paper.
Citation: Khaibullova M. & Kozina A. (2023). Gaming Slang: The Influence of Video Games on the Russian language. Technology and Language, 4(1), 60-74. https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2023.01.05
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
УДК 81'373.43:004
https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2023.01.05 Научная статья
Игровой сленг: влияние видеоигр на русский язык
Мария Викторовна Хайбуллова (И) и Анна Дмитриевна Козина Санкт-Петербургский политехнический университет Петра Великого, ул. Политехническая, д. 29,
Санкт-Петербург, 195251, Россия [email protected]; [email protected]
Аннотация
Компьютерные игры не только являются значительной сферой жизни современного человека, но и активным источником словотворчества. В данной статье рассматривается такое явление как сленг компьютерных игр. Целью работы является всестороннее изучение происхождения и образования новых слов, которые используются людьми в игровой сфере. Особое внимание уделено специфическим аспектам словообразования, присущим представителям русскоязычных игровых серверов. В ходе работы над статьей было проанализировано 2340 сленговых слов, собранных на интернет-площадках общения игроков и благодаря интервью с опытными игроками. В результате было выявлены базовые способов происхождения новых слов в русскоязычной игровой среде. Английский язык играют важную роль в игровых сообществах, поэтому часть слов попадет в русский игровой сленг благодаря транскрипции или транслитерации. Однако часто происходит не простое заимствования, а творческого переосмысления слов в виде, например, "межязыковая омонимия", слов из нескольких частей, заимствованных из разных языков. Традиционный способ формирования слов по существующим моделям (лексическая деривация) происходит в игровом мире по аффиксальной модели или словосложением (в виде аббревиации или усечения). Часто в играх сленг формируется посредством переноса наименования на новый предмет - семантическая деривация, которая может строится на сновании метафоры, иронии, перехода от имени собственного к имени нарицательному. Наиболее популярным способом метафорического перенесение значений является использование сходства по внешнему подобию игровых объектов, однако существуют и более сложные варианты, связанные с семантическими ассоциациями исходных слов.
Ключевые слова: Игровой сленг, Компьютерные игры, Геймеры, Лексическая деривация, Семантическая деривация
Благодарность: Авторы выражают признательность переводчикам данной статьи: Жуковой Анне, Поповой Арине и Шестаковой Александре, а также выражают особую благодарность Андреа Джентили и своему научному руководителю Быльевой Дарье Сергеевне за оказанную помощь при написании настоящей статьи.
Для цитирования: Khaibullova M., & Kozina A. Gaming Slang: The Influence of Video Games on the Russian language. // Technology and Language. 2023. № 4(1). P. 60-74. https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2023.01.05
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
INTRODUCTION
Video games, gamification and gaming culture overall have spread around the world and have been impacting the lives of many. Some use video games as entertainment, others have made it their occupation (Ensslin & Balteiro, 2019). Nowadays, gaming is heavily criticized, discussed and examined by journalists and scientists alike (Ensslin, 2012). As a result, the topic of "gaming slang" has become widespread (Afzali, & Zahiri, 2021).
It is known that any communication between gamers occurs not only by way of common language but specifically via game slang. This is a conventional language with which players of various games share information. It allows gamers to quickly communicate during the game, as well as talk to each other in vocal and textual chat, inside or outside the specific game interface.
We can trace the emergence of gaming slang to the first publication of the role-playing game (RPG) Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. Certainly, even if it was not a digital game, the kind of language that developed around it constitutes one of the earliest and perhaps the most influential sources that would shape the formation of specific gaming slang. The game requires varying numbers of physical players, from 2 and up, and involves long sessions and extensive use of rule manuals. The need to speed up individual interactions and the reference to a technical language specific to the game generated, likewise, the need for fast and precise slang to make communication smooth and unambiguous.
Gradually, gaming slang became more and more popular and eventually turned into a versatile means of communication among gamers from all over the globe. For example, in any game where you control a single entity, it is normal to refer to it as a "character." This reference is most likely borrowed from the technical language of Dungeons & Dragons, the core of which is precisely the interpretation of a fictional character modeled by the player. Even if some words and expressions are universal for all games and seem generally understood by all the gamers, for people outside the gaming community this slang may be completely incomprehensible. For example, the expression "kachat persa" "качать перса" will likely be understood by a non-gamer as "to muscle up the Persian" or even "swing the Persian," where it actually means "прокачивать ("prokachivat") навыки персонажа" (personage) - "to improve the character's skills."
LITERATURE REVIEW
Digital technologies largely determine the development of modern society, including language changes. New phenomena require new concepts that did not exist before. Barseghyan (2013) notes that with the existence of computer- or internet-based communication systems and the readiness of people to meet the new demands of a more technological world, they will continue to modify their language to adapt to the new dimension of communication. Slang is one of the vehicles through which languages change and become renewed, and its vigor and color enrich daily speech. The speech of
people is filled with new words and expressions which are not found in standard language but which are formed in different ways to form modern slang (Alimemaj, 2012).
Tyurina (2005) believes that computer slang is a complex linguistic phenomenon that allows one to observe in English- and Russian-speaking countries the interaction of different layers of vocabulary, language groups, and word formation processes on a phonetic, morphological and semantic level, as well as the use of professional and common vocabulary.
Gaming slang is one of the largest and most interesting families of digital slang. With the growing popularity of online games and e-sports, the language used by gamers is becoming a relevant subject of research. According to Astrid Ensslin (2012), when we talk about the language of video games, we can mean different layers of linguistic reality. There is a language about games and gaming that is used by gamers, industry professionals, and journalists, which is not exactly the same as the one used by politicians, parents, activists and other media stakeholders. Another is then the language used within games themselves, as part of user interfaces, scripted dialogues, instructions and backstories, and language used in manuals, blurbs, advertising and other 'peri-texts' (Ensslin, 2012, p. 6). In this study, we are interested in what Ensslin (2012) calls "ludo logical jargon, gamer slang (or ludolect)" (p. 9). This refers to the specific features of the language used by players when communicating within the game: words are often abbreviated, and short phrases are often turned into acronyms, much like in other contexts of discourse outside gaming (Grange & Bloom, 2007).
The specificity of the gaming slang of non-English-speaking countries is its dependence on the English language. Despite the presence of localizations,1 English is the main language for the gaming environment. Ryu (2013) even states that players often "played games to learn English or they learned English to play games" (p. 292).
Thus, in the Russian-speaking environment of gamers, the language is defined both by 1) the general development of trends associated with the use of abbreviations and acronyms which is common in the widespread of any technical language, and 2) the phenomenon of adapting technical terms from English without translating them properly. Merkulova (2015) argues that the slang of Russian-speaking gamers is a mixture of English words and abbreviations (so-called "digispeak," i.e. digital language) which are sometimes written in Cyrillic to compress information at the lexical level. Volosnova (2010) notes that one of the most common ways of slang formation in Russian is the reduction (abbreviation) of a term, otherwise perceived as too long or too difficult to pronounce in its entirety. Krylova (2011) notes that the addition of Russian affixes to the borrowed root has the result of "russifying" the neologisms. On the other hand, Sklyar (2019) points out the popularity of calquing (borrowing the whole word) in gamer slang, with subsequent assimilation.
As remarked by Ageeva & Dementyev (2021), due to the relative novelty, dynamism and variability of gamer slang it is quite a challenging field for systemic study
1 Localization sometimes involves imperfect translations. Gonzales (2019) notes that Japanese, English and Spanish versions of the RPG series Final Fantasy have little in common and just share the core concepts when it comes to translating the names of the characters' skills and abilities (p. 82).
and categorization, as the general criteria of engagement have not yet been determined. Despite the fact that over the past ten years many articles have been written about gaming slang, none of them appears to be based on a large sample and none claims a general classification of terms, providing only examples for consideration.
METHODS
The methods for obtaining empirical material involved the study of various sources of information (mostly from the Internet), the analysis of the received information, as well as interviewing and polling. During the research, 2340 words were collected from various sources such as game forums and platforms, sites and groups in social networks created to post information on games such as Counter Strike, DOTA 2, Genshin Impact etc. In addition, interviews with players were conducted in which they shared their personal experiences and clarified the meaning of slang expressions.
ORIGIN OF NEW WORDS IN COMPUTER GAMES Origin from the English language
As we mentioned, English is undoubtedly the most important language for the entire digital world. As a shared, common language it provides opportunities to facilitate cross-cultural communication among people (Lifintsev & Wellbrock, 2019). Many gamers from non-English speaking countries play video games in English, and the international servers where gamers from all other the world communicate with each other are in English as well. Moreover, a staggering number of interactions and phenomena that are common in the gaming world lack a matching word or designation in other languages. Thus, in the sphere of computer games there is a tremendous number of borrowings, some of which are universal for different games and in some cases even transfer from gamer-specific slang to the vocabulary of everyday life.
Words in gaming slang appear in a multitude of ways. The first and most common one consists in borrowing from the original language of the game. Those borrowings can happen in a multitude of different ways. The most prevalent are transcription and transliteration.
Transcription is a rewriting of the original word that aims to give as accurate a record as possible of all the subtleties of the pronunciation of a language, regardless of its graphic and spelling norms, because what is important here is to preserve the original sound (Zherebilo, 2010, p. 418). A good example is the transcription of the word "headshot" from English to Russian, in which "headshot" (/'hedjbt/) becames "xegmoT" (x^Tm'oT).
Transliteration is the transfer of the letters of one language through the letters of another, ignoring the phonetic component (Zherebilo 2010, p. 418). For example, the transliteration from English to Russian of the word "damage" into "gaMar." The latter is a letter-by-letter translation, that completely ignores the pronunciation. As a result, instead of |'d^mid3| the word is pronounced |'dAma:g|.
In addition to such direct borrowing, the creative rethinking of a foreign word in the environment of the Russian language is also frequent. Often an English word takes on a form corresponding to the rules of Russian word formation. For example, in the formation of Russian verbs from English words prefixes, suffixes and endings are added: the word "boost," which means climb up a hill in the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), is translated "забуститься" (zaboostit'sya). The word keeps the root word "-boost" ("-буст"), however adds the Russian prefix "за-" ("za-"), the ending and the suffix "-иться" ("-it'sya"). Following the same principle, English words can take the form of an adjective in the Russian language with the help of appropriate suffixes and endings. For example, the phrase "rare item" is translated as "рарный айтем" via adding the suffix and ending "-ный" ("-nyi").
There are also some instances of so-called "interlingual homonymy" (full or partial) where the sound of a foreign word in Russian evokes new associations. Quite often, long foreign words or words with complex pronunciation are not only simplified or shortened in the Russian language, but also phonetically reduced. For example, "cало" ("salo") is a "debuff," that is, an effect that weakens a character or prevents it from performing certain actions, preventing the player or enemy from casting spells or use other techniques which in gaming slang is expressed by saying that the character is now made "silent." The word was transliterated as "сайлент" ("silent") and shortened to "сало" ("salo"). Another example regards the very name of a game, Lineage 2, that is difficult to pronounce for a Russian speaker. As a result, its generally accepted name has become "линейка" ("lineyka") which means "a ruler." In the game World of Tanks, the German model RHM-Borsig Waffenträger ("armored personnel carrier") is simply called "борщ" ("borsh", as the Russian dish).
Associations can also arise when adding affixes, for example, diminutive suffixes, as in the case of the word "милишка" ("milishka," from "melee weapon"). It is formed via adding the suffix "-шк" ("-shk") and is associated with the word "милашка" ("milashka") which means "cutie" ("colloquial").
But the process of word formation can also develop in a more complicated way from the original term. For example, the term "в соляного" ("v solyanogo" which literally translates "in a salty one") is derived from the word "solo," signifying a prestigious victory achieved without the help of other players. Even though the word "solo" is present in the Russian language ("соло"), it was transformed into a derivation of "salt," and it became an adjective and acquired a preposition.
There is also the case where some words are formed from two roots, one of which is Russian and the other is foreign. For example, "самореп" ("self-report") is a term that indicates a specific situation in the game Among Us when a character, acting as an undercover traitor, announces the discovery of a corpse to avert suspicion. It comes from the Russian root word "-само" ("self") and the English "-report" ("-реп").
Lexical derivation
Another notable way in which words emerge in game slang is called derivation. The very term "derivation" (from the Latin verb dürivo, which original meaning is "to lead" or "to deviate") means the formation of a word in a language according to existing
models with the help of affixation, alternation of sounds, compounding contraction, development of new meanings, as well as other means (Zherebilo, 2010, p. 88). In Russian language, there are several models of lexical derivation, but in the context of slang in computer games only two are used.
The first is the affix model of word formation, which can be classified into: 1) words formed only from prefixes, 2) words formed using the suffixes, and 3) words formed from a combination of prefix and suffix (Zemskaya, 2011, p. 25). For example, the slang words "Achivka" (an achievement or bonus that helps the players) and "Fleshka" (a grenade that blinds enemies) were both formed by adding the suffix "- k." In "Donater" (a player who buys items in the game using real world currency) - the suffix "- er" was added. In the word "Guslya" (a tank harp) were added the suffix "- i" as well as the ending "- tb," which results in the word "Guslit" which indicates the action of trying to knock out a tank. And then the prefix "za -" was added and the expression thus became "Zaguslit," to knock down the "gusly," i.e. the tank. A similar example is provided by the word "Prokachka" (the training of a character, which occurs in building up new skills and qualities), that was formed as a result of the addition of the prefix "- pro" and the suffix "- k" to the verb "kachat'."
The second model of lexical derivation is compounding. The most common types of this model in game slang are abbreviation and truncation.
Abbreviation is the addition of abbreviated elements of words integrated into one combination. There are several structural varieties of abbreviation: 1) sound - a combination of the initial sounds of abbreviated words, 2) alphabetic abbreviation - an association of initial letters, 3) syllabic abbreviation and etc. (Zherebilo, 2010, p. 20). Here are some examples: "AVG" is the abbreviation of "average" which is not only a shortening but usually has further meaning, indicating the average number of points scored by the player in the last set of games. Similarly, "AFK" is an acronym that stands for "Away From Keyboard" and is usually used as a warning that the player in the chat is going to leave the game station for a brief time.
Truncation is an affixless word-formation method based on the reduction of the generative stem (according to the type of abbreviation) without taking into account the morphemic seam (Zherebilo, 2010, p. 425). Gamers use this technique to speed up their speech or to make chat correspondence shorter. Words such as "Akk" (that stands for "account") and "Molik" (Molotov Cocktail) are good examples of truncation.
Semantic derivation
Semantic derivation happens when a proper name, already existing in the language, is transferred to a new object. It can also be regarded as a process of expansion where the semantic scope of a word is widened. There are several types of derivation.
Metaphor is a literary technique in which a word or expression is used in a figurative meaning. It is based on a comparison of an object or phenomenon with another by a common feature. Put simply, it is a transfer based on similarity. Metaphorical word formation is the most popular and simplest method of semantic derivation. Commonly, animal names, food, household items and other familiar words are used to create metaphors.
Researchers note that video game developers and players both make use of existing words by assigning them completely new meanings (Susanti, 2022; Zefanya et al., 2019). In its simplest form, metaphor is based on an external resemblance: in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the weapon P90 submachine gun (fig. 1) is normally referenced by players as "Rooster," because of its unusual design with the front part of the gun resembling the comb of a rooster. In the same game, a small, curved passageway in the map is called "Banana" resembling the shaper of the fruit. In the game Apex Legends from 2019 a "Jar" is a large energy shield cell that looks like a container. To activate its in-game effect, the player animation is similar to one of sticking one's hand into a jar to reach for some food. Other eloquent examples of this kind of metaphor are the words "Drop," "Slam," and "Garland." "Drop" in League of Legends refers to an item that improves a character's strength (a simplified name for the item "Goddess Tear" which is similar in appearance to a teardrop). "Slam" in Deep Rock Galactic is a lost explorer's gear (named so because it resembles one of the game's cosmetic elements). "Garland" in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a belt for carrying artifacts and does resemble this decoration in appearance. Elements of external resemblance are often used to simplify the naming of factions that differ in some way. For example, in Warhammer 4000 and in Ingress, some of the factions or armies in the game are called "Smurfs" (from the animated series about creatures with blue skin), because of the color of their uniform. In Ingress the "Smurf" was initially invoked as a mockery, but later it became a kind of unofficial mascot representing the faction.
Figure 1. The P90 submachine gun called "Rooster".
- 100 «4% , 1.JSM «7 П
Figure 2. A map showing the advancement of a division into the territory of the enemy
("Worms").
Another case is that of metaphor tied to the specific in-game function of a character or an object. "Shuttle" is an NPC (Non-Player Character) in Black Desert that can take a player character to one of the archipelago islands or across the ocean. "Sandwich" is a situation where a player is squeezed from two or more sides and happens to be in the center of events. "Turquois Eider" is someone who plays for good statistics and humiliates other players without any reason apart from frustration or a desire to show off.
There are also variants such as similarity of impression and similarity of form, i.e., there is a transfer of meaning from one word to another which are connected by similar characteristics. Such examples are "Herbarium" and "Worms." "Herbarium" in the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. refers to the collection of artifacts. This process is indeed reminiscent of collecting leaves, creating the same impression. "Worms" in the game Hearts of Iron 4 refers to a deep and uneven sinking of unprotected divisions from one side into the territory of the enemy (fig. 2). The word comes from the similarity shown in the game map to the movements of the troops that indeed resembles a colony of worms.
Semantic associations related to the source word may also serve as a basis for metaphor. As Galina Kustova (2001) points out, transferred meanings in this case are hardly predictable, as "semantic associations are not a part of the original meaning, have a pronounced national-culture, etc." (p. 57). For example, "Toad" is one of the strongest characters in Dota 2, his in-game name is "Slark." That the character evidently belongs to the underwater world is shown by his fins, scales, etc. However, despite his 4 limbs, he looks more like a fish of prey than a toad (fig. 3), and the English name is derived from the words "shark" and "lurk." However, unlike a shark, a toad has a derogatory
connotations in the Russian language. In a figurative sense, it signifies an unpleasant, aggressive, and mean-spirited person.
Figure 3. Character of Dota 2, Slark, also known as "Toad".
However, Galina Kustova also highlights the role of non-metaphorically derived expressions, which are constructed either exclusively from components of the reference term or by regular replacement of some types of components with others (Kustova, 2001, p. 56).
Irony, as is well known, is the technique of hiding the true meaning of a word or expression or contradicting its obvious meaning. Because of this, irony can only be defined in relation to its context. The gamers don't use it as often as metaphors, but this technique is quite common. For example, in the game Genshin Impact the character Jun Li, who in the game narrative is several thousand years old, is called "дед" ("ded", grandfather). By so referring to this character the players comment ironically on his age. Another interesting example is "Алеша" ("Alesha"). In World of Tanks "Alesha" is a bad player. Among Russian-speaking gamers that's what you use to call an "idiot", "klutz." In Grand Theft Auto, Oppressor Mk II (a vehicle resembling a flying motorcycle without wheels and with heavy weaponry) is called "Broomstick" where the parallel is not only due to some similarity in use, but is also intended to be a mockery, as the use of the vehicle prevents the player from moving around, and does not require any particular skill.
Another well-known form of semantic derivation is the transition from a proper name to a common name, with the word still being written with the capital letter, but no longer considered an individual name. To create this kind of slang, the community often uses names of both real people and fictional characters of cartoons, fairy tales, and so on. For example, the word "Васик" ("Vasik"), derived from "Basic," in a computer game denotes a basic or automatic attack. The original name is "Вася" ("Vasya"), and as a slang word it is used in a diminutive form of the male name (as well as cat, because in Russia it is one of the most common variants for nicknaming cats).
There is also the case when items in-game are named after real players. For example, "Edward" in Counter-Strike: GO is a specific position found in the Mirage map.
The name comes from John (Edward) Suharev, an Ukrainian "kaeser" (as a player of Counter-Strike: GO is called), who liked to play in this place behind a large column. Due to the popularity of this game strategy, this position has been named after him on the FACEIT platform for players of Counter-Strike: GO.
If we look instead at words derived from the names of fictional characters, such examples can be "Яга" ("Yaga"), "Шрэки" (Shreks), and "Локи" ("Loki"). "Яга" ("Yaga") is a tank E100 in World of Tanks. This name, which draws a parallel with a character of the Russian fairy tales and cartoons "Баба Яга" ("Baba Yaga"), was invented by the players because of the shape of the tank's barrel. Also in World of Tanks "Шрэки" ("Shreks") is the name given to the players of the Horde (an in-game faction) by players of an opposing faction (the Alliance). The name came from the fact that the "Orcs"-character one plays in the Horde looks similar to the character named Shrek from the animated movie of that name, also sharing with him similar habits. "Локи" (Loki) is a character from the multiplayer online game Ragnarok Online that has the peculiarity of borrowing names of people and places from German-Scandinavian mythology. Loki (after whom the character is named) is a god of fire and cunning. The character himself also possesses fire magic, which makes the players see in him a similarity with this deity.
The already mentioned word "Смурф" (Smurf) is used not only as a metaphor of external likeness. In many highly rated multiplayer games (such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, etc.) the word is used for an experienced player who uses an account with a lower rank (or ELO) and therefore fights with less experienced players. The word derives from the names of the players who first used this stratagem in 1996:
It was started by Shlonglor, who is more than a SC player (he works for Blizzard as their webmaster). He was one of the all-time War 2 gurus and was extraordinarily famous due to his War 2 page [...] everyone, hearing his name, would do one of the following things: cower in fear, worship like mad, or repeatedly challenge like a newbie. In the midst of this it was virtually impossible for him to get a game. $о... Shlonglor and his roommate at the time, Warp, came up with a stroke of genius: make up a false name that no one would recognize [.] For whatever reason, the names they chose were "Papa Smurf " and "Smurfette. " (Webster's Timeline History, 2009, p. 101).
Figure 4. The scheme shows the pattern in which a new word is formed.
By way of summary, figure 4 showcases the different patterns in which computer slang is formed from English words: through transcription, transliteration, creative rethinking of words, as well as through lexical (by affixal model or composition) or semantic derivation (metaphor, irony, transition from a proper name to a common noun).
CONCLUSION
Modern technology has quickly and quietly entered into human life. With the rapid development of computer technology and the popularization of digital entertainment, game slang has become a popular subject for study. Many researchers have analyzed both the phenomenon of slang of computer games in general, and its narrower spheres, including the ways of word formation (affixed model of word formation, word complexity) and borrowing (transliteration, transcription).
Equally significant is the fact that the semantic derivation in game slang is grounded mostly in metaphors. The basis for the metaphor can be various features: external similarity, similar functions, forms, semantic associations and the like. The semantic derivation as a transition from proper names to the common ones occurs no less often. As we have shown, there are a large number of examples confirming that Russian players actively use the names of both real people and fictional characters as slang expressions.
In this article, much attention was paid to slang, having a Russian-speaking basis, as well as unusual and rarely encountered terms with interesting origins. So, the findings can be refuted in the future or be changed, as game slang is constantly replenished with
new words and expressions, and the number of computer games and gamers is increasing. These processes will likely continue, as well as in general the development of modern technologies.
What is being analyzed in video games is in fact only one aspect of a general linguistic phenomenon. On the one hand, there has always been a need to resort to operational simplification of technical language, especially in the performative sphere. During a sports competition it is normal to use simple gestures that refer to complex patterns, just as in an operating room it is normal to refer to tools and tasks with abbreviations. The same instance occurs in gaming, especially multi-player and competitive gaming, where speed and simplicity of communication become pivotal in assuring a satisfactory result.
On the other hand, the wide circulation of video games, more and more omnidirectional in regard to countries and demographics, makes the study of the slang that develops within the singular communities (usually devoted to just one game or a series of similar games) of transversal interest. Indeed, not only does the most widespread slang extend to other gaming communities and become a kind of common language that applies to video games in general, but it extends all the way to society. The use of video game slang terms in everyday informal communication is indeed increasingly common to notice, especially in the younger generation. This is also starting to be evident in work and recreational language, where it is increasingly common and universally accepted to refer to one's duties as "tasks," to one's goals as "stages," and to the achievement of them as a "level step. "
For these reasons, the study of the specific language that is formed and transmitted through the medium of the video game appears especially important today, calling for detailed, in-depth investigation.
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СВЕДЕНИЯ ОБ АВТОРАХ/ THE AUTHORS
Мария Хайбуллова. [email protected] ORCID 0000-0002-7486-9812
Анна Козина, [email protected], ORCID 0000-0003-1486-2085
Maria Khaibullova, [email protected] ORCID 0000-0002-7486-9812
Anna Kozina, [email protected], ORCID 0000-0003-1486-2085
Статья поступила 4 декабря 2022 Received: 4 December 2022
одобрена после рецензирования 15 января 2023 Revised: 15 January 2023
принята к публикации 15 марта 2023 Accepted: 15 March 2023
