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Video Games

Boss fights, side quests, final bosses — gaming vocabulary has quietly become a primary metaphor layer for anyone under forty.

9 entries

A hidden joke, message, or surprise tucked inside a piece of software, film, or product.

The hardest enemy at the end of the game — and, by metaphor, the ultimate adversary.

To gain a discrete jump in skill, status, or capability.

Originally a background character controlled by the game; now an insult for someone seen as predictable or unthinking.

A digression from your main objective — an interesting one, usually.

An especially hard test that determines whether you advance.

A famous cheat-code button sequence — up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.

To come back to life — usually right where you died, ready to try again.

To complete something as quickly as possible — usually with optimized, often unintended, tactics.