One of the invisible barriers in any company is language. Not spoken languages but the shorthand, acronyms, jargon, and terminology we use every day.
Different studios and companies often use different terms for the same thing. Even in games where many phrases are industry-wide, each company has its own preferences. From job titles to system names to KPIs the lack of shared language can make things harder than they need to be.
That’s why I love having a shared glossary of terms. It’s especially important for new employees but it helps everyone. It’s a simple but powerful way to help people onboard, reduce misunderstandings, and create alignment.
Why a glossary helps
New hires already have a lot to take in. They are trying to fit in. A glossary gives them a quick way to decode the shorthand their colleagues are using in meetings or Slack.
Teams move faster when everyone means the same thing by the same words. (My wife is also keen on this. “But what do you mean by ‘thing’?” she is always asking.) Misalignment on terminology can mean misalignment on goals.
Agreeing on definitions is part of agreeing on how we work together. Like local dialects or region-specific slang. Shared language is shared culture.
Example: KPI glossary for games
Let’s take KPIs as an example. Because everyone loves KPIs. Don’t they? But every game team talks about KPIs… just not always in the same way. Here’s a mini-glossary of some common terms, as I’d use them in a studio context:
DAU (Daily Active Users): The number of unique players who engage with your game in a single day.
MAU (Monthly Active Users): The number of unique players active over a 30-day period.
Retention (D1, D7, D30): The percentage of players who come back to the game 1, 7, or 30 days after installing.
ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User): How much revenue you earn per daily active user.
ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): Total revenue divided by the number of users (usually over a month).
LTV (Lifetime Value): The total expected revenue from a user over their full time in the game.
Churn: The percentage of players who stop playing over a given time period.
Conversion: The percentage of players who spend money (from free to paying users).
These terms are widely used in the industry but often only fully understood by a handful of roles within a team. Usually product managers, analysts, or senior leadership. I believe every team member, no matter what their role, should have at least a basic understanding of these KPIs. Or be able to understand them if they want to.
Every designer, artist, engineer, and producer contributes to how a product performs. If everyone understands what DAU, retention, or LTV mean, they can see how their work connects to the bigger picture. Every team member should care about the health of the product.
Beyond KPIs: more examples
It’s not just KPIs where language can create confusion. Even something as simple as an in-game message can have a dozen different names depending on the studio.
At one company I worked at, we called it Message of the Day (MOTD). At another, it was In-Game Message (IGM). Other places might say “full-screen takeover” or “event banner.” None of these are wrong but without alignment you end up with confused people talking past each other.
The same goes for roles and titles. What one studio calls a “game designer” another might call a “content designer” or “systems designer.” A “producer” in one company might be a “project manager” in another. Without shared definitions, confusion is inevitable.
That’s why glossaries shouldn’t just cover KPIs. They should cover the everyday terms your team uses for systems, features, tools, and roles.
Where and how to maintain a glossary
A glossary only works if it’s easy to find and stays up to date. That means:
Put it somewhere central and accessible like a Confluence page, Notion doc, or wiki. Somewhere every team member can reach quickly. It could even be built into your communication tools. Like a Slack plugin where a team member can type “What does DAU mean?” into a channel and instantly get the glossary definition. That way the knowledge is never more than a quick message away.
Ideally ownership should sit with producers or operations but the glossary should be a living document. Everyone should feel able to suggest additions or edits. Especially new members of the team - they’ve got the freshest perspective after all. It might be nice to actively check in with them about it, once they’ve found their feet. Ask if there was any language they took a minute to understand or was different from their old job or not what they expected.
Changes should be transparent. A short process (maybe a Slack channel or lightweight review) ensures new terms are added consistently without turning it into chaos.
Importantly, a good glossary doesn’t lock down language - it creates alignment around it. It’s not about being prescriptive. It’s about helping people understand one another.
What could be in a glossary?
Here’s how you might structure a team glossary:
KPIs and Metrics: DAU, retention, ARPU, churn.
Systems and Features: In-Game Message, MOTD, battle pass, quest hub, economy sinks.
Roles and Responsibilities: Game designer vs systems designer, producer vs project manager.
Tools and Pipelines: Build server, CI/CD, Jira workflow, “soft launch” vs “beta.”
Culture and Shortcuts: Internal nicknames for projects, shorthand for milestones, studio-specific acronyms. Memes. There’s always memes.
The exact content will vary by studio, but the goal is always the same: make it easier for everyone to understand and participate in the conversations that matter.
She’s going to talk about building culture again
Yeah I am. Shared language is alignment, clarity, and culture. Whether it’s defining job roles or agreeing on what the in-game message is called, a glossary of terms is a simple tool that helps everyone pull in the same direction.
If your company doesn’t have one I’d really recommend starting one. Even if it’s just a doc on Confluence or Notion it can save new team members weeks of confusion and help experienced ones stay aligned.
Making great games is already hard enough. Clear language shouldn’t be the thing that slows us down.