Talk the (online gaming) talk

If the tank can't hold the aggro, then things are going to get nasty for the squishies back with the DDs. If an add joins the mix as well, then it's going to be a wipe.

Experienced online gamers will process these statements with an unconcerned nod of their heads. It's probably no better than gibberish to everyone else. Online games are more than just a hobby for millions of people. They're also a petri dish for entire insider languages between gamers who want to communicate specific information fast. Newcomers to this world will find it a bit easier once they learn at least a few basic terms.

Among the many different kinds of online games, the most successful are the "MMORPGs," or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. These are games in which a multitude of players control virtual characters - known as "chars" or "avatars" for short - through adventures in fantasy worlds. It's certainly possible for a gamer to go it on his own, but much of the fun comes through playing in groups. To find those players to make group quests happen, the games all provide some form of chat function.

To those versed in the lingo, "4/6 LFM tank and DD" is a more scientific notation than lazy shorthand. It represents a want ad with very specific information. The first part of this seeming jumble of letters and numbers, 4/6, indicates that four characters have already come together for what is to be a six-member group. They are looking for two more members to fill out the group (LFM - looking for more). Specifically, they are looking for either tank or damage dealer (DD) characters.

Tank and DD - these refer to the different classes of characters that can be created. It's important to remember that online games usually involve chasing down nasty monsters (usually dubbed "mobs," short for mobile object).

To make the hunt successful, most groups feature a warrior in heavy armor capable of absorbing punishment from the monster - in short, a tank. Each group usually includes at least one healer in the second row to help keep the tanks fresh, using magic or medicine to keep the front line's health points (HP) in the green zone. The DD are responsible for creating high damage-per-second (DPS) numbers to keep the monster's HP headed downward.

The tank's job is to take the aggro - lure the monster into applying its aggression exclusively to the tank's armor. If one of the characters wearing only thin cloth robes - a "squishy" - ends up "drawing aggro," that is, ends up the target of the monster's blows, then that character is likely to end up lifeless on the floor in a hurry.

And then there is the "add," or additional, which is what happens when more monsters join a battle after the fighting has begun.

But adds aren't the only thing that can disrupt a game. Behind each avatar is a real-life person, with real-life concerns. Typing "bio" into the chat window freezes a character within the online world and marks the player as "AFK" (away from keyboard) while the player takes care of urgent biological needs. Upon returning, a "re" notice will usually bring in several "WBs" (welcome back messages) from polite players.

With luck, a party will not have been completely demolished by a tough fight, because the returning char was parked in a safe state. With even more luck, that char possesses the ability to resurrect, or "rez," other players. If the members of a group finish a quest, they can then return to the non-player character (NPC, a character not controlled by players) who assigned them the quest.