Gaming language stratification

Genre-based vocabulary specialisation

Abstract

This pilot, exploratory study investigates whether English-language gaming jargon is a single, homogeneous register, or is stratified into partially distinct, genre-specific jargons. We collected comprehension judgments for lexical items from six game genres using a semantic-component questionnaire and a canonical “answer key” developed with domain consultants. Agreement among respondents was quantified using Fleiss’s κ to assess within-group consistency and Cohen’s κ to compare group consensus to the canonical key. Complementary mixed (repeated-measures × between-subjects) ANOVAs tested comprehension variance by genre and by reported genre experience. Results show systematic differences in comprehension across genres and a consistent pattern of higher mean comprehension among self-identified players for four genres; two genres did not show a player advantage. The canonical key was experimentally validated by player consensus. Given the exploratory design, conclusions are tentative; findings nonetheless provide preliminary evidence that gaming language displays genre-based stratification and warrant follow-up studies.