“We’re in a whole new ballgame”: Gen Z Creates New Video Game Based Etymology

There is no doubt that Gen Z is very influenced by video games as it has been an integral part of their childhoods. In the modern age, where almost everyone is well-versed with the concept of online gaming, video games have proved that they has some positive elements as well, and are also a way to connect with friends online, share experiences, and even learn new things.

Now, it seems like video games have not only affected people’s lifestyles but also their vocabulary. An Etymology expert on Instagram, recently highlighted how Gen Z uses video game terms in real life, concluding that this has created a new etymology category, which was created using a mutual interest, which is video games in this case.

Etymology expert believes Gen Z has created a new video game etymology category

Adam Aleksic, an Etymology expert, recently posted a video on his Instagram account highlighting that Gen Z’s video game addiction has birthed a new etymology category. With examples like “NPC” and “going on sidequests,” Aleksic explained this new category,

“We’re in a whole new ballgame of people having shared cultural knowledge of video games, so we’ve stated drawing on that as a way to express our reality and studies show that societies consistently create metaphors out of shared traditions because that’s how people best understand each other.”

In recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown, many people turned to video games in order to kill time.

As more and more people hopped on the bandwagon, using terms like AFK, OP, GG, and even phrases like, “Where we dropping?” became common.

Even the shared interest in Baseball created a new etymology category

Aleksic further compared this new category to the etymology category that was created because of Baseball. Being one of the most popular sports in the United States of America, a lot of terms and slang were being used in real life such as “On the deck“, “Swing and a miss“, and “Out of left field.” All these terms derived from Baseball eventually became an essential part of people’s lives and their daily conversations.

Similarly, Aleksic believes that in the future, using terms that are derived from video games in day-to-day life will become more and more common. To solidify his point, Aleksic also talked about the cultural significance of Chess as the game also influenced people into saying terms like “Pawn“, “Gambit” and even “Check” in real life.