The Bottom Line

In ENGL 306, Introduction to Linguistics, we were supposed to tell the class about an interesting linguistic incident that we witnessed recently. When it was my turn, I explained how sometimes people will replace the -er ending with -zor on certain words. The rest of the class had absolutely no idea of what I was talking about. Such a linguistic change is found in the world of the gamer rather than in random instant messenger conversations. There are many words and phrases that have been taken from the English language, changed, and then combined with other modified words to become what gamers now refer to as "Leetspeak", or, for you gamers, "133+$P3@/< ."

The word "n00b" derives from the common word, "newbie," which means, someone who is new to something. "Noob" on the other hand, usually pertains to someone who is obnoxious, annoying, or someone who breaks the rules. While the word is often used out of context, such use ends up in a changing of its definition. Gamers who commonly use Leetspeak, a form of online communication involving the mixing of letters and numbers, will use the word n00b to fit almost any situation. It is considered to be a type of insult to most people, yet it is less harsh then words such as idiot and moron.

Since I play first-person shooters online, I come in contact with the word "n00b" on a daily basis. I have seen it used in dull ways and I have seen it used in more creative ways. It isn't uncommon to find that the best player in an online server is labeled as an "n00b." Of course, the Leetspeak variation of the word isn't always the ones preferred by gamers abroad. Players of games such as World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Final Fantasy XI, and other Massive Multiplayer games, tend to use the more common term,
"newbie." I think it is safe to say the reason is because most MMO players are older, more mature people who are more likely to help out the "newbs" rather than lead fifty "agro mobs" towards them and shout, "Take that n00b lol!"

In the first issue of my column last semester, I used the word "noob" on several instances. Unfortunately, there are always those who believe that the word is too derogatory for casual use and, believe me, they made sure I knew. They believe that by simply using the word "noob," you become a noob. The truth is that the word noob is so uncommon in regular day-to-day life and so fun to use, that anyone who doesn't use it is, dare I say it, a noob. Whether you are a hardcore or casual gamer, whether you use Leetspeak casually or conservatively, it is important to understand how such words as "n00b" came into being. Gamers from all over are united by their common phrases, word choice, and language use. It is what makes gamers unique and it is what made me unique from the rest of my linguistics class. Welcome back to another semester at Frostburg. I'm g1@d +0 h@v3 j00 n00bz b@x0r. GG.

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