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Active: 1252 users

The definition of "Zerg"

Forum Index > SC2 General
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1 2 3 Next All
irninja
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States1220 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-21 01:18:02
March 20 2011 20:11 GMT
#1
"To zerg" or "a zerg", used to describe with more detail a given scenario, is starting to become quite commonplace around the web, and especially in games. Whether being swarmed by a mass influx of players in a shooter, or being outnumbered by a giant mass of pvp characters in an mmo, it is often used as both a noun and a verb.

Strategy games have obvious taken the brunt of this new meaning, and even now you can find it being used regularly on Total War and other new and popular strategy games to describe a mass or blob of a paticular unit or set of units.

Examples:
As a noun:

(in a shooter; example; describing a large number or enemies moving together)
"I'll keep these guys here pinned with mg42 covering fire, you all move out." "I should be fine unless I spot a zerg or something, I don't have the aummunition for that"

As a verb:

(im an mmo type setting; example; A group of players about to attack a castle)
"What do you mean they have an upgraded castle defense? Who cares? We'll mass recruit from the main chat channels/cities and zerg them"


My question is, if the popularity of the term expands further, and we find it being used outside of gaming, what would be your official definition of it? How would you find it defined in a dictionary?

Mine would be:
To overwhelm with extraordinary numbers.

I'll post the best ones here.

Zerg (Verb): To quickly overwhelm, surround, infiltrate and corrupt.
The enemy zerged the base, taking it as their own, leaving left only burned flags.

www.teamlegacy.net | MMO junkies
Moda
Profile Joined October 2010
Norway60 Posts
March 20 2011 20:15 GMT
#2
To put a large amount of preassure on something or someone.
dat microwave
Kipsate
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Netherlands45349 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-20 20:18:01
March 20 2011 20:17 GMT
#3
I remember from my WoW days,(if anyone here played it). In the WoW arena, where (especially) with 2 melee characters would basically tunnelvision a single character all game long to kill them, was called zerging.(Just zerg the priest ,for example). Then again, Zerg is also used to describe overwhelming numbers.
WriterXiao8~~
okrane
Profile Joined April 2010
France265 Posts
March 20 2011 20:20 GMT
#4
In fact all these terms were derived from the philosophy of the Starcraft 1 race with the same name: lots of swarming units overwhelming the opponent with their pure numbers and strength.
Really disappointed with Starcraft II Zerg! :(
Xova
Profile Joined November 2010
United States342 Posts
March 20 2011 20:21 GMT
#5
On March 21 2011 05:17 Kipsate wrote:
I remember from my WoW days,(if anyone here played it).


Lol
If you're a Starcraft fan, you're an Lim Yo Hwan fan.
TheGrimace
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States929 Posts
March 20 2011 20:22 GMT
#6
In my mind it will always simply mean overwhelming numbers. Your definition is pretty much the only one I can imagine. Lots of cheap or quick units/people moving towards a single goal. Zerg would be a synonym for swarm, you can swarm a position and you can be part of a swarm. Zerg is just a gaming term meaning the same thing.
KillyKyll
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States267 Posts
March 20 2011 20:23 GMT
#7
Zerg (Verb): To quickly overwhelm, surround, infiltrate and corrupt.

The enemy zerged the base, taking it as their own, leaving left only burned flags.

That's the best I could come up with, for now anyways.
Seriously?
buzzbin
Profile Joined May 2010
12 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-20 20:24:33
March 20 2011 20:23 GMT
#8
On March 21 2011 05:17 Kipsate wrote:
I remember from my WoW days,(if anyone here played it). In the WoW arena, where (especially) with 2 melee characters would basically tunnelvision a single character all game long to kill them, was called zerging.(Just zerg the priest ,for example). Then again, Zerg is also used to describe overwhelming numbers.


that training
Juddas
Profile Joined January 2011
768 Posts
March 20 2011 20:28 GMT
#9
to swarm, surround, and overrun with sheer numbers
Amber[LighT]
Profile Blog Joined June 2005
United States5078 Posts
March 20 2011 20:30 GMT
#10
On March 21 2011 05:23 Killykill wrote:
Zerg (Verb): To quickly overwhelm, surround, infiltrate and corrupt.

The enemy zerged the base, taking it as their own, leaving left only burned flags.

That's the best I could come up with, for now anyways.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zerg


Originates from Blizzard's game Starcraft where zerg were one of 3 playable races, aliens like appeareance, zerg were characterized by using large numbers of weak units to swarm the enemy, also another charasteristic of zerg were that everything was organic, ie, zerg didnt used machines or any artifacts, they would mutate their own buildings from special kind of larvae and advanced units were created by mutating basic ones. Units were cheap to make and it was possible to make extreme numbers in short period of time.

Nowadays term zerg is used in mmo games to describe force consisted of large group of lower level players (often with only basic equipment) who use numbers rather then strategy to defeat the enemy, therefore requiring no skill. This tactics is commonly known as zerging


To make oneself at home in a friend's place and lay waste there.
Originally from the game Starcraft where Zerg are an alien playable race who tend to expand through the map using their creep.


when a bunch of talentless noobs get together and try to use large numbers against one target, instead of skill and tactics.
"We have unfinished business, I and he."
Disciple7
Profile Joined August 2010
United States198 Posts
March 20 2011 20:30 GMT
#11
"My girlfriend bitched and zerged about how I never talk about feelings, 'how am I supposed to make this relationship work if you have such a range of emotions and it's impossible for me to decipher them and respond before the 7PM mark?'"
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. -Winston Churchill
Floobie
Profile Joined February 2011
England296 Posts
March 20 2011 20:33 GMT
#12
My definition would be:
To be weaker then the opponent
e.g "That guys a zerg, you got this easy"

User was warned for this post
chenchen
Profile Joined November 2010
United States1136 Posts
March 20 2011 20:37 GMT
#13
On March 21 2011 05:33 Floobie wrote:
My definition would be:
To be weaker then the opponent
e.g "That guys a zerg, you got this easy"


I don't know if this is inappropriate.
powerade = dragoon blood
Floobie
Profile Joined February 2011
England296 Posts
March 20 2011 20:49 GMT
#14
Seemed like it fit in with the whole swarm idea, the many is greater then the few makes me think of zerglings which are weaker without numbers.

In hindsight it does look like im talking about sc2 balance. Ah well.
aka_star
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United Kingdom1546 Posts
March 20 2011 21:16 GMT
#15
On March 21 2011 05:37 chenchen wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 21 2011 05:33 Floobie wrote:
My definition would be:
To be weaker then the opponent
e.g "That guys a zerg, you got this easy"


I don't know if this is inappropriate.


Perhaps its not appropriate, however it does capture some of the sentiments a lot of zerg players feel. to me Zerg is a feeling of oppression that must be over come by intelligence, timing and persistence.
FlashDave.999 aka Star
Moja
Profile Joined July 2010
United States313 Posts
March 20 2011 21:36 GMT
#16
It's basically a synonym of "swarm", both in noun and verb form.
rasdasd
Profile Joined June 2010
United States82 Posts
March 20 2011 21:36 GMT
#17
Zerg: The galaxy's most evil emperor.
Stuck in traffic? Use a Reaver.
Varpulis
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
United States2517 Posts
March 20 2011 21:51 GMT
#18
On March 21 2011 06:36 rasdasd wrote:
Zerg: The galaxy's most evil emperor.


this ^ i hope everybody else gets the reference
For he is the Oystermeister, lord of all the oysters.
CosmoSagan
Profile Joined August 2010
3 Posts
March 20 2011 21:51 GMT
#19
On March 21 2011 06:36 Moja wrote:
It's basically a synonym of "swarm", both in noun and verb form.



This. Point Set Match.
Johnranger-123
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
United Kingdom341 Posts
March 20 2011 21:54 GMT
#20
On March 21 2011 06:36 rasdasd wrote:
Zerg: The galaxy's most evil emperor.

Ahaha so awesome and true xD
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