• Finnish: noviisi, aloittelija, vasta-alkaja, tulokas
• Latvian: jaunatnācējs
• Swedish: nykomling

• Finnish: noviisi, aloittelija, vasta-alkaja, tulokas
• Latvian: jaunatnācējs
• Swedish: nybörjare

Newbie is a slang term for a newcomer to online gaming or an Internet activity. Newbies may be bullied by more experienced players of some games. The term is also used more broadly for newcomers to any activity where their inexperience puts them at a disadvantage. Although it is often derogatory, it need not be so and is sometimes used neutrally, without implying a value judgment. Not to be confused with "Noob" (see below).

Origin

"Newbie" had a limited usage among U.S. troops in the Vietnam War as a slang term for a new man in a unit before entering popular discourse by way of the Internet.

Alternative spellings

"Newbie" can be used as a term to identify newcomers to a game, place, or organization. The variant spellings of "newbie" are also used, especially in online games and gaming forums, as a catch-all insult regardless of the recipient's actual skill or experience. Someone who acts like a "newbie," but isn't one would be referred to as one of the variant spellings. The variant "noob" has become common in spoken English by juveniles. Alternate spellings include "newb", "n00b", "noob", "nooblet", "nub", "nib", and the recently popular "nublet" and "nubcake". These alternate spellings of the term, other than "newb," inherit the definition of "newbie" but are generally used in a derogatory manner to indicate uselessness because of the ignorance associated with being a newcomer.

In some online games, usually MMORPGs(massive multiplayer online roleplaying game), a greater distinction may be made between a "newb" and a "noob." The common consensus is that a "newb" is someone who through their very nature of being a new player is inexperienced and naive to particular gaming mechanics or etiquette, whereas a "noob" usually refers to an experienced player who blatantly disregards rules and etiquette. This could be for passing unwritten rules in a game, or using a "noob gun," a gun in a FPS that is considered too powerful for a player with experience to use and still remain honorable. Sometimes it can mean a player that is generally considered to be experienced, yet often makes mistakes or solecisms that would more likely be attributed to a "newb."

There are a multitude of words that have emerged from the original "Newbie", each with their own meaning and origins. There are such terms like "nubcakes" or "nubotron" which emerged from generally gamers expressing their anger of success with their fellow players. The general rule is to use the nub- or noob- stems in order to create specific insults or expletives, as in "nooblet," or "nubcracker."

The Korean term chobo (초보) has roughly the same connotations as "newbie", and has been popularized in the English speaking world via the presence of large numbers of South Koreans in some online gaming communities. The antonym of chobo is gosu (고수).

Meanings

Newbie and the alternate spellings are often used for one of two different meanings. Newbie is usually used to refer to a new person who has recently joined the group or board, and is a rank default on InvisionFree forums. Several alternate spellings and occasionally the original word, are used to refer to a member who is generally unwanted or disliked in the community, and is often used as part of Trolling or Flaming.

Internet Relay Chat

In IRC, newbies may be either discouraged or encouraged, depending on the particular channel. There are channels on any of the major networks dedicated to catering to newbie questions and getting into the IRC community. However, beyond the scope of these introductory rooms there are many channels where common newbie mistakes are not tolerated. This may include repeating the same sentence, begging for operator rights, insulting other users, attacking an operator, overuse of colour, and the use of channel bot search and file list commands (such as !find or @search). Most channels have rules that are posted as a link in the topic or sent to the user as an on-join message. Breaking the rules or established policy can result in an instant kickban.

Usage in popular culture

• Doctor Cox in the TV show Scrubs continuously refers to his protégé John Dorian (J.D.) as "Newbie" as a way of breaking his spirits and constantly reminding him who's in charge. (This has been going on since the series began in 2001.)
• In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the character "Noob" Saibot's weapon is the "Troll Hammer", a joke on the fact that many people who troll message boards are noobs.
• In The Sims video game, the tutorial family with which the player learns how to play the game are named Bob and Betty Newbie.
• In the webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del, the strips "Glossary:Newb/Noob" and "Real Life" describe the behaviors of "newbs" and "noobs".
• In the internet TV series, Pure Pwnage, the main character Jeremy says the catchphrase, "I pwn noobs", meaning he dominates lower ranking players.
• In the online game Kingdom of Loathing (KoL), one enemy that the player may face in the Valley of Rof L'm Fao is a "Lamz0r N00b." Their attacks include "omgwtf"ing the player and asking "how u mine 4 fish?," http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=155 a reference to noobspeak. In the same game, the area where new players are taught the basics of gameplay is called Mt. Noob.
• In the game Baldur's Gate, there is an NPC called Noober (obviously from noob), who talks to the party for a while before running out of things to say. His purpose in the game is to annoy the player (he also gives experience if the player waits long enough). There is also a character in the sequel, Baldur's Gate 2, named Neeber (variation of newb), who is commonly thought of as the brother of Noober. Both characters can be killed by the player without fear of provoking the town guards or citizens.
• In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl an NPC in Oreburgh City encourages the player to advance in the game to avoid being like a "total noob".
• In the webseries Red vs. Blue is a group of background characters called the rvbchar Grunts who parody stereotypical Halo gamers, and "noob" is one of the terms commonly used by the group.

References

External links

• Newbie.org
• Merriam Webster on Newbie

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