Gaming
lag
What does lag mean?
A delay between your input and what happens on screen, usually caused by a slow internet connection. Lag makes the game stutter or respond late.
"I shot first but the lag killed me, my screen froze for a second."
Origin
From the ordinary word 'lag' meaning to fall behind. Became core online-gaming vocabulary in the late 1990s as multiplayer over the internet exposed connection delays.
Frequently asked questions
What does lag mean in gaming?
It's the delay between your action and the game responding, usually caused by a slow or unstable internet connection.
What is a lag spike?
It's a sudden short burst of severe lag that freezes or stutters the game for a moment.
Is lag the same as low FPS?
Not quite — lag is a network delay, while low FPS is your hardware struggling to render frames, though people use 'lag' for both.
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