Gosu
Encyclopedia
Gosus is a Korean
term used to refer to a highly skilled person. In computer gaming the term is usually used to refer to a person highly skilled in multiplayer games like StarCraft
, Warcraft III (RTS
/RPG
- DotA
), Diablo II
(RPG
), Counter-Strike
(FPS
) and others. The term was adopted by gaming communities in many countries because of a large South Korea
n presence in online gaming
communities.
. In hanja
: 高手, literally "high hand" in Mandarin also meaning pro or highly skilled at something is used for a person with skill, usually in martial arts
or in baduk
(the game of Go). In the dialect of the Gyeongnam province, gosu also has the meaning of "leader".
There are several English backronym
s of the word, mostly originating in the StarCraft
community, including "Graduate of StarCraft University", "God Of StarCraft Universe" or "God of StarCraft Units".
: 중수, hanja
: 中手, literally "middle hand") stands for "a moderately good player", hasu (hangul
: 하수, hanja
: 下手, literally "low hand") for "a mediocre player" or "a person with no skill" and chobo (hangul
: 초보, hanja
: 初步, literally "first step") for "a novice player". Hasu and chobo are the same skill level, but chobo is disrespectful or derogatory (whereas hasu is not). The English equivalent to hasu would be "newbie
" and chobo would be "noob" or "lamer". Chobo is sometimes used by English speakers in the above disrespectful or derogatory manner, especially in the StarCraft 2 community.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
term used to refer to a highly skilled person. In computer gaming the term is usually used to refer to a person highly skilled in multiplayer games like StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
, Warcraft III (RTS
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
/RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
- DotA
Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
), Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
(RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
), Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
(FPS
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
) and others. The term was adopted by gaming communities in many countries because of a large South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n presence in online gaming
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
communities.
Origin
The origin of the term is from Chinese languageChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. In hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 高手, literally "high hand" in Mandarin also meaning pro or highly skilled at something is used for a person with skill, usually in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
or in baduk
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
(the game of Go). In the dialect of the Gyeongnam province, gosu also has the meaning of "leader".
There are several English backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
s of the word, mostly originating in the StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
community, including "Graduate of StarCraft University", "God Of StarCraft Universe" or "God of StarCraft Units".
Related terms
Though not as popular, there are also several other commonly used Korean words for describing gamers with various skill levels. Joongsu (hangulHangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 중수, hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 中手, literally "middle hand") stands for "a moderately good player", hasu (hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 하수, hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 下手, literally "low hand") for "a mediocre player" or "a person with no skill" and chobo (hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 초보, hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 初步, literally "first step") for "a novice player". Hasu and chobo are the same skill level, but chobo is disrespectful or derogatory (whereas hasu is not). The English equivalent to hasu would be "newbie
Newbie
Newbie or noob is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in any profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet activity, such as online gaming or Linux use...
" and chobo would be "noob" or "lamer". Chobo is sometimes used by English speakers in the above disrespectful or derogatory manner, especially in the StarCraft 2 community.
See also
- List of English words of Korean origin
- History of GoHistory of GoThe game of Go originated in China in ancient times; by the 4th century BC it was a worthy pastime for a gentleman, as described in the Analects of Confucius. It reached Korea by the 5th century, in the 7th century it had reached Japan...
- Gosu (programming language)Gosu (programming language)Gosu is a general-purpose Java Virtual Machine-based programming language released under the Apache License 2.0. This general-purpose programming language is used in some open-source software projects, including the web application framework and the build-tool , as well as in Guidewire Software...