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Newbie,
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List of pre-made characters in The Sims,
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Internet slang,
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newbie is a
newcomer to a particular field, the term being commonly used on the
Internet, where it might refer to new, inexperienced, or ignorant users of a
game, a
newsgroup, an
operating system or the Internet itself. The term is generally regarded as an
insult, although in many cases more experienced/knowledgeable people use it in purposes of
negative reinforcement, urging "newbies" to learn more about the field or area in question.
Variant spellings, such as
newb,
nub,
noob,
nooblet,
foob,
nubcake,
noobtard,
noobstain and, in
Leetspeak,
n00b are numerous and common in Internet use. The term
newb itself is usually used to refer to a person who is new to the field in question, whereas
noob is used as an insult. For example, in the internet show
Pure Pwnage, the main character regularly says, "I pwn noobs," in this case, meaning he beats people of lower skill than himself.
Social rejection
In some contexts, such as on
Usenet and in online multiplayer video games, newbies are discouraged from the group. Newbies may ask questions that seem extremely simple to experienced users, or disrupt normal order with their lack of skills or etiquette in a certain type of technology. For example, video game players may dislike newbies because they think newbies will hurt or bring down the collective efforts of a team game. Usenet posters may dislike newbies for bringing up off-topic discussion or violating
netiquette. Noobs also ask questions with answers that can easily be found in the options menu of the game they are playing.
In some groups, the term "newbie" is used by experienced users to refer to any newcomer, whether the newcomer acts ignorantly or not. In this case, the regulars assert their position with a sort of
hazing (sometimes called
pwning in video games). Even if a newbie is actually a
veteran of a particular game and has just started to play online, he may still be considered a newbie.
In some
MMORPGs a newbie is anyone who is lower-leveled than the person making the remark, regardless of actual time spent playing the game. (For example, a level 80 player in
RuneScape may consider a level 30 player a newbie, while a level 126 may consider the level 80 in turn as the Noob.) However, many 'noobs' are judged by their actions and obeyance of rules,(For example, people who "report" players) especially in more realistic games. Some forums and
MMORPGs have banned some of the more common spelling variations ("newb", "n3wb" "newbit", "knob", "noob", "no0b", "n00b", "nib", "nibblins", "Frodo Nooblins", "fruity noob", "newblet(s)", "nub sauce", Noobzors, "nubz", "nubcakes", "nublich", "nubzorz", "Niblit", "nob", "nab", "naab", and "nublets") in an attempt to reduce
flame wars. This has, of course, led to more variations, such as "s00b", "ch00b", "fr00b" and "gl00b". It has also led to numerous character-swap versions such as "n()()b", "n|_|b" and "n@@b", all of which are used to bypass a swear filter. Another form that has been developed is the term "n00baloid", meaning one who runs in circles. As a recent addition, the verb "nubulate" (used when a player does something deemed unintelligent by observers, usually resulting in said player's death) has gained popularity on
Battle.net
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