Gaming and Linguistics

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  1. In this project, I have decided to focus on the shorthand/gamer speech that is used in two different games. These two games, World of Warcraft and Team Fortress 2 are both online games. Each have their own unique set of linguistic features that they incorporate into game play. These shorthand or codes such as leet speak has crossed the boundaries of language in each game. The players who use these linguistic features to show their emotion, connection, and power during game play.
    This way of communication allows for a player to quickly get their message across to their desired audience of teammates. The use of these features can be evidence of the individual’s reaction to the game itself or other players. They use this also to build an understand of the game and a community in which it becomes easy to identify those in the community that have long standings with the game itself. Many gamers can understand the use of “gg” at the end of a game, this implies a mean of appreciation and thanks for a good game. Other features can take some time to learn such as game specific slang. In WoW some gamers user the names of specific gear or a specific place in this online world. For example, someone could say meet me in “dala” which is Dalaran which is a neutral zone where either of the two groups in the game can interact. In the mmorpg there is a long list of codes that a play can use in many ways. But other games like Team Fortress 2 have some features such as a call out that are hotkeyed into the setup of the game.
    These codes that are already incorporated into the game such as the use of “SPY” or “Medic” in Team Fortress 2 allow for quickly inform your team of the current situation. These codes allow for a gaming to continue to play while communicating the current problem to others to change the game in their favor. These codes along with slang such as “Nerf”, which is to let someone know that a weapon or item has been severely downgraded for balancing the gameplay. This could lead to not wanting the item because of its capabilities.
    These features are important; without them it would be hard to communicate quickly and efficiently. With this project, I hope to identify these features and how they relate to the community in which they are used or created to show how a gamer can express their emotions, identity and power in short communication.