Entry 08

Glossary of terms

The vocabulary used across online horse and stable games, defined once and linked to the entries that explain each idea at length. Games in this category use different names for the same handful of mechanisms, and the names are often what makes a pricing page hard to read.

Terms are grouped alphabetically. Where a definition touches something covered properly elsewhere on this site, it links there rather than repeating the explanation.

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• I
• L
• M
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V

A

Account

The record held by the game operator that owns a player's character, horses, items and purchase history. In a persistent online game nothing of value is stored on the device, so losing access to the account means losing the progress. See accounts, sign-up and activation.

Activation

The step that confirms the email address used at registration is real and controlled by the registrant, usually by following a single-use link sent to it. Most titles will not let an account play until this is done.

Age gate

A check at registration, normally a date of birth, used to decide which features an account may use. Entering a false date removes protections rather than unlocking a better version of the game.

Avatar

The character a player controls and customises. The avatar's name is generally visible to other players, which is why it should not identify anyone offline.

B

Bandwidth

How much data a connection can carry per second. It governs how quickly a game client downloads, and it is not the property that determines whether the game feels responsive.

Breed

A category of horse in the game's collection, usually tied to appearance and sometimes to in-game statistics. Breeds give the collection a hierarchy, and that hierarchy is what the game's economy runs on.

Bundle

A quantity of premium currency sold at a set price. Bundle sizes rarely divide evenly into item prices, which is why a balance is usually left over after a purchase.

C

Chargeback

A dispute raised with a bank or card issuer to reverse a transaction. It is the right tool for a genuinely unauthorised charge and a blunt one for a disagreement, since operators commonly suspend the account it relates to.

Chat filter

Automated blocking or replacement of words in player communication. Filters are routinely evaded, which is why a reporting tool matters more than a filter does.

Classification

The marking given to a computer game under Australia's National Classification Scheme. Decisions are recorded in the national classification database at classification.gov.au.

Client

The program installed on a computer or device that connects to the game's servers. On desktop it is downloaded from the operator; on mobile and tablet it arrives through an app store.

Consumer advice

The short line accompanying a classification that names the content producing it, such as online interactivity or in-game purchases. It describes what a player will meet far better than the marking alone.

Consumer guarantee

A statutory right under the Australian Consumer Law that a product or service will match its description and be fit for its ordinary purpose. It applies to digital products and cannot be excluded by a seller's terms.

Cosmetic

An item that changes appearance without changing capability. Cosmetics are the backbone of premium currency economies because they can be sold indefinitely without altering the balance of the game.

Credential stuffing

Automated attempts to log in using username and password pairs leaked from unrelated services. It is the main reason a reused password is a larger risk than a simple one.

D

Daily task

A small objective that resets each day and rewards returning. Daily tasks exist to make a session today worth more than a session next week, which is worth recognising when discussing screen time.

Drop rate

The probability that a particular item results from a randomised purchase or reward. Where it is not published, the cost of obtaining a specific item is not knowable in advance.

E

EULA

The end-user licence agreement: the contract between the player and the operator covering what the account may do. It cannot remove consumer guarantees that apply under Australian law.

Emote

A gesture or animation used to communicate without text. Emote-only communication is sometimes offered as a restricted alternative for younger accounts.

F

Free-to-play

A distribution model in which the game can be installed and started without payment, with revenue collected afterwards through memberships, currency or items. It describes how the game is distributed, not how much it will cost.

Frame rate

How many images per second the game draws. Low frame rates on older hardware are usually addressed by reducing graphics settings rather than by anything the operator can change.

G

Grind

Repetitive play undertaken to accumulate in-game currency or progress. The pace of the grind is tuned deliberately, and it is the mechanism that makes paying feel like a time saving.

Club

A player group with a shared name and often a private chat channel. Group chat is frequently less visible to a parent than general chat, and it is covered by the same reporting tools.

I

In-app purchase

A purchase made inside a mobile application, billed through the app store rather than by the game operator. Where a purchase is billed determines where it is cancelled and where a refund is requested.

Instance

A private copy of an area generated for one player or group, so that several groups can use the same location without meeting. Instancing is why a world can feel both busy and uncrowded.

L

Latency

The time a message takes to reach the server and return, usually measured in milliseconds. It determines how responsive the game feels and is not improved by a faster download speed.

Live service

A game run as an ongoing service with content added after release. It explains both recurring payment and the fact that any written description of such a game, including this one, ages.

Randomised item

A purchase whose contents are drawn from a pool rather than chosen, so the cost of obtaining one specific item is not a published figure. This mechanism has drawn sustained regulatory attention in Australia; see payment models and in-game purchases.

M

Membership

A paid status, usually recurring, that unlocks areas, quests or items for as long as it is active. Cancelling a membership's renewal is not the same as deleting an account.

Microtransaction

A small individual purchase made inside a game. The term describes the size of each payment rather than the total, which is the point at which it becomes misleading.

MMO

Massively multiplayer online: a game where many players share one persistent world. The persistence is what makes an account necessary.

Moderation

Review of player behaviour and communication by the operator, through automated systems, human reviewers, or both. Human review happens after the fact, which is why reporting is the active part.

Mount

A rideable animal. In this category the mount is the central progression item rather than a means of travel.

P

Patch

An update to the game, delivered through the client or the app store. Patches change content and sometimes pricing, which is why the operator's own pages are the only current source for either.

Paywall

The boundary between what an open account can reach and what a paid one can. Its position, rather than its existence, is what a household should establish before starting.

Phishing

An attempt to obtain credentials or payment details by imitating a legitimate page or message. In this category it most often appears as a free currency offer or a fake support contact; report it at scamwatch.gov.au.

Premium currency

A token bought with real money and spent on items inside the game. The indirection makes prices harder to read, which is why converting back to Australian dollars before purchase is worth the moment it takes.

Q

Quest

A structured objective with a defined reward, forming the backbone of progression. Quest lines are commonly the content most affected by a paywall.

R

Rarity

A tier assigned to an item or horse, controlling how readily it can be obtained. Rarity is the instrument that converts a collection into an economy.

Renewal

The automatic continuation of a subscription at the end of a period. It continues until cancelled, and a period of no play does not pause it.

Reporting tool

The in-game control used to send another player's behaviour to the operator for review. It is usually reached from a player's name, profile or message, and it is separate from blocking.

S

Season

A time-limited period with its own content and rewards. Seasons create a recurring reason to return and, where a paid pass is attached, a recurring purchase.

Server

The operator's computers that hold the world and every account in it. The server's location relative to the player is one of the things that determines latency.

Soft currency

Currency earned through play rather than bought. Games generally tune soft currency so that the slow route to a desired item exists but is long.

System requirements

The hardware and operating system a game states it needs, published as minimum and recommended figures. See devices and system requirements for what each column actually promises.

T

Tutorial

The guided opening area that teaches the controls. It is almost always open to every account, because asking for payment before a player has learned the game converts very few people.

Two-factor authentication

A second credential required at login in addition to the password, usually a code from an app or a message. Where an operator offers it, it is the single most effective protection available for a game account.

U

Username

The public name attached to an account or character. It should contain no surname, school, suburb or birth year, and it is often difficult or costly to change afterwards.

V

Vocabulary chat

A restricted communication mode offering a fixed set of approved phrases instead of free text. It is commonly applied to accounts registered with a younger date of birth.

Two worked examples

Related entries

• Online horse and stable games — the category these terms describe.
• Payment models and in-game purchases — where most of this vocabulary originates.
• Accounts, sign-up and activation — the terms around registration and recovery.