Language of the gamer: acronyms and other useful information

I was fairly young when I subscribed to Nintendo Power magazine. They should have supplied a pamphlet or something with all of the terms and abbreviations that I would be introduced to by reading it. RPG? FPS? Platformer? Well, I've decided to post this guide to help you understand better the language of the gamer:

Common Acronyms

• RPG = role-playing game
• FPS = first-person shooter
• RTS = real-time strategy
• MMORPG = massively multiplayer online role-playing game
• NES = Nintendo Entertainment System
• SNES = Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• N64 = Nintendo 64
• GCN = Gamecube
• GBA = Gameboy Advance
• N3DS = Nintendo 3DS

Video Game Genres

• Role-Playing Games. In short, RPG's have the player control a party of fighters in turn-based or real-time battles. Characters can level up in one or many skills, some kind of currency exists in the game world, and items with various qualities can be collected and used. 
• First-Person Shooters. FPS's put the player in direct control of a character with at least one projectile weapon at his/her disposal. The player sees as if from the character's eyes.
• Platformers. Super Mario games are generally platform games. The player moves the character to avoid enemies and obstacles by jumping and dodging.
• Real-Time Strategies. Think Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, or Battle For Middle Earth. In RTS's the player builds a civilization by directing people to construct buildings, training troops to lead in battle, and advancing offensive and defensive technologies. 
• Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Ever heard of Runescape? MMO's can combine with other genres. As you might expect, they just add thousands of other players into the mix. Usually, the ability to communicate and interact with other players is a key feature of MMO's.

Obviously there are many other video game genres, but these were the most confusing to me initially. Still have questions? Or do you want to add to the knowledge? Use the comment form below to share your thoughts.