eSports terminology for Go

Some of the terminology used in eSports games like League of Legends or Starcraft corresponds to concepts in Go.

  • aggro: playing more aggressively; pressuring your opponent.
  • build: fuseki
  • cheesing: “repeatedly performing the same moves in order to win”. Maybe like just cutting and attaching everywhere. Similar to a “one-trick pony”?
  • flaming: harassing the opponent, usually in chat.
  • ganking: surprising an opponent, trying to take an advantage while they are unprepared.
  • gg: (short for “good game”) resigning. Also showing sportsmanship when the game ends.
  • glhf (short for “good luck have fun”): sometimes said at the start of a game.
  • gosu control: “gosu” (고수) is a Korean term used to refer to a highly skilled person, someone who dominates the game.
  • griefing: trying to annoy or anger the opponent.
  • inting (short for “intentional”) intentionally trying to lose the game.
  • macro: strategy
  • micro: tactics
  • metagame, meta: adjusting to the current main strategical and tactical trends in order to counter their opponent. The natural evolution of the main winning strategies. Presumably refers to the opening, not the middle game or endgame.
  • salty: someone who is agitated, upset or annoyed at something.
  • scrim: An unranked practice match. The word “scrim” comes from “scrimmage”.
  • smurfing: sandbagging
  • spamming: always using the same fuseki or tactic or whatever (“spamming nirensei”), but also “spamming games”, i.e., playing a lot.
  • turtling: a strategy emphasizing defending, without almost any offense. Turtling minimizes one’s own risk while trying to lure opponents into taking risks in order to overcome the defenses.