A Guide to Video Game Lingo 7

1. D.P.S. (noun) - an acronym that stands for Damage Per Second. "It refers simply to the amount of damage a player or group of players can inflict on the enemy in one second. It's not usually an exact figure unless it is used to rate something like a weapon or spell. Melee and caster classes typically do high DPS, while healer classes most often do much less." (About.com)

2. Tank (noun) - "A player-character, typically in a MMORPG, that is able to occupy an agressor and take the brunt of the aggressor's attacks while the other players deal damage, heal, or perform some other action. The "tank" can survive longer while taking damage than the other characters. Typically, the tank has higher hitpoints (health) and a higher armor rating than the other characters. Less commonly, a character with a lower armor rating can perform the actions of the tank by using avoidance abilities. Ultimately, the tank needs to be able to occupy the agressor without dying. The method employed, whether avoidance or absorption, does not matter, as long as the tank can mitigate damage in some way." (Urban Dictionary)

3. Caster (noun) - a character who, to put is simply, "casts" spells. Casters tend to use magical abilities rather than physical abilities and often do so from a distance.

(Immediately after publishing each episode of "A Guide to Video Game Lingo," I usually encounter someone who wants me to tackle a word or words that he/she is familiar with in the video gaming world. I want to take a moment to say that I wish all of you would think of words and phrases that are specific to the world of video gaming, be it PC, console or otherwise, and feel free to list them. I keep a master list and I hope to get to every single term in the near future.)