Static Recruitment

This screenshot illustrates an example of the everyday writing present in an online game community. It’s filled with slang terms, and abbreviations that might make it near-indecipherable to someone not inside the community (with “static” and “Para3” as respective examples). In this listing, they’re looking to recruit someone to meet with them and play as a consistent group multiple times a week. The “translated” listing looks something like this:

“Mid-casual” - Denotes the commitment level. They’re mostly just in it for “casual” fun, but the “mid” prefix means that they’re looking to take it a bit more seriously.

“Static” - name for a group that meets at set times on certain day(s) of the week.
“7/8" - they already have seven people and are looking for one more

“LF” - Looking for
“Phy Range DPS” - Physical ranged DPS class (DPS is damage per second). The in-game role of player that they’re looking for.

“PERM Position” - they’re looking for someone to stay!
“Para3 Prog” - "Para3" is short for “Paradeigma 3," a mechanic in the fight "Anabaseios: The Twelfth Circle (Savage)." "Prog" is shorthand for "this is the point of the fight that the group is currently practicing," and denotes the expectation that applicants understand the fight up to that point.

The last bit is the times they meet.

This is a good example of the ways that everyday writing can be something very unique within a certain community, and that the ways everyday people communicate with each other can be as complex as the ways academics do.

FFXIV player Seraphina Solara

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Final Fantasy XIV

All assets from Final Fantasy XIV belong to Square Enix.

English

2000-2024