January 2011:
The inaugural run of the "Dorktionary" doesn't have a lot to see. But as time goes on and more terms are added, it will be a more comprehensive look at some of the nerdish terms used on the blog that have no simple explanation. If there are more items you'd like to see included and defined, please don't hesitate to ask in an e-mail.
Anime
Effectively, Japanese animation, either in television or movie format. It has achieved some popularity around the world, resulting in it being translated to other languages for viewing in other countries. While this has made it somewhat more mainstream in recent years, language isn't the only consideration when it comes to dubbing - even if you understand what's being said, the situations don't always translate.
Some notable anime series include "Cowboy Bebop," "Dragon Ball Z," "Fullmetal Alchemist," etc. These run the gamut from amazing to watchable to painful. When in doubt, please consult an expert before viewing.
Cha-Cha
Your masked Shakalaka companion in "Monster Hunter Tri." He is particularly noteworthy for dealing almost no damage, healing you only when you don't need it, picking fruit in the middle of huge fights, chattering on about how awesome he is in gibberish language and (repeatedly) dying. Many players choose to vent their frustrations by kicking him for fun.
His masks can be changed to make him marginally more or less useful.
Cloud Strife
The main character of the video game "Final Fantasy VII" and follow-up movie, "Advent Children." He is characterized by spiky blond hair, an enormous sword and seven or eight ovaries. While he's an amazing fighter, his constant internal struggles and wishes to avoid fighting can make him a bit grating in large doses.
"Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Z Kai/GHQ/PCP/IOU/etc."
Arguably, the most well-known anime series (or ten of them). Also arguably among the best or worst, depending on who you ask. Fans of nuanced plot, character development and meaningfulness tend to view it negatively. Fans of fights that span twelve episodes and random monkey screaming while powering up attacks find it to be a good watch.
"Final Fantasy VII"
Non-arguably, the best role-playing game of all time and probably the single reason for the success of the genre in Western culture. (It's on the page now - it's officially true.) Less meaningfully, it's also a nice way to kill 200 hours if you're bored.
Link
The recurring hero from the "Legend of Zelda" series. While his heroic exploits are legendary, many people are equally interested in his foibles and moral vices. He is known for wearing only tunics - typically green - and a cap. He is, sadly, also known to fits of rage and kleptomania where he cuts down entire areas of lawn and shrubbery in search of money. He has been known to rummage through random homes without permission looking for items and cash, often while the owners are still there.
Manga
A style of comic artwork that emerged from Japan. (Yes, lots of good stuff comes from there.) If someone is reading a comic book backwards, it's probably manga. Either that, or they're an idiot.
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG)
An enormous scale game in which you take on the role of a character to interact with other characters in a game world. Depending on those you interact with, your experience can be pleasant or horrific. Good interactions involve talking, questing and making lifelong friends. Bad interactions involve people asking you for gold because "you have plenty" or repeatedly killing your character out of spite (or boredom) and pretending to hump your corpse.
Examples include "World of Warcraft," "Everquest," "Lord of the Rings Online," etc. Effectively, "World of Warcraft" is the only one that counts. You might qualify that as opinion, but quite a few sales charts would agree with that assessment.
"Monster Hunter"
A somewhat open-world game in which you take missions, track down monsters, kill them, make them into better equipment and then kill more monsters. The series is famous for a somewhat punishingly sharp learning curve and difficulty level, making it unapproachable to some players. Setting it apart from other games is a lack of enemy health bars, almost no shop-purchased equipment, taking way too long to drink potions and the ability to die in one to two hits from enemies.
The first boss, however, "Great Jaggi," is known more for being hilariously easy compared to the next 100 hours or so you'll spend on the game. Also, you have a pet Piggie. Snuggling him prior to missions may or may give you better luck.
Pwn
To be owned by someone so hard in a game that a new word is required. In the past tense, the word becomes "pwn3d." As far as I can tell, it's the only word to gain a number when conjugated.
Role-playing Game (RPG)
A game where you take on the role of another character. While this definition tends to include every game ever, it is further defined by a customization of skills, statistics, equipment and other common themes. It should not be confused with LARP (Live Action Role-playing), also known as "those weird people you avoid in the park." Yes, there is a nerd hierarchy - those guys are on the bottom.
"World of Warcraft"
A fantasy online role-playing game set in the world of Azeroth. In its genre, it is effectively on top with some 12 million active users. The world is literally too enormous to really go into, but a simple explanation is that you get quests, gather and kill things and win stuff.
Common themes involve boar-killing, people dancing in their underwear in cities, people saying extremely racist or homophobic things in chat, corpse-humping as a form of humiliation, Worgen (basically werewolves) and people standing in fires for no reason.
