The term nerf for the attenuation of elements in games should be known to each gamer rudimentary. But many wonders where the word comes from and what the origins are. We from Mango have researched and explain the background to the Nerf.

What does Nerf actually mean? The term Nerf is feared and celebrated by Gamers alike. Because he simply means that an element is reduced and attenuated in a game in his effect.

Particularly often one hears of Nerfs in MMORPGs and shooters when it comes to weapons or certain skills. In the case of one Nerfs, they are then more or less weakened or otherwise reduced.

Depending on whether the Nerf in the eyes of the players then returns a rightly exaggerated feature into the right lot or a perfectly passable weapon unnecessarily weakens, a nerf is positive or negative in the communities.

But what exactly is behind the term? Does it have to do that that Nerf is often annoying ? Or is there a relation to the Toy Weapons of the same name?

Nerf in gaming actually has to do with toy guns

Where does the term really come from? In fact, the term comes from the original time of online gaming. In the MMORPG virgin Ultimo online, the swords were far too powerful in 1997 at that time. Everyone used them, as all other weapons just did not have so hard.

Therefore, the developers had to improve here and to play a patch that sees the swords pretty verb. This practice to radically change a running game from one day to the other was completely new.

At that time, games were usually delivered in completed condition and when there were serious bugs, the developers were almost a completely new version of the game.

With Ultimo Online, however, the devs simply patched the client and suddenly the swords were no longer the OP super weapons from a moment to the other.

The player’s players quickly and full unbelief compared them to Message Boards and Chats their custom blades with harmless toy weapons of the brand Nerf. Fight now feel like beating with Nerf foam swords was probably the wording of this time.

What are Nerf weapons ? The term Nerf (capital written) stands for non-expanding recreational foam (in German in about form-resistant toy foam). He describes the material from which the ammunition is the popular Nerf Blaster. These are sophisticated toy guns that have been distributed since 1969 by the US Toys Company Hasbro.

Since the so-called darts are made of a soft foam material, one can easily bombard with it without causing violations.

In addition to the Nerf Blasts, there are also various melee weapons, such as swords, which also consist of the Nerf foam and with which one can safely clip each other.

The term Nerf is therefore for certainty against injury and was therefore applied to the reduced damage effect of swords in Ultimo online. From there, the term a little nerve became a winged word for the attenuation of features in (online) games.

Incidentally, E gives various, Games-inspired Nerf Blaster, like this Overwatch Nerf Collection.