Splash damage, also known as radius damage, is a term used in several types of game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

s, most notably in first-person shooter

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 real-time strategy

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....

 computer games, to refer to damage taken by players or objects in the area surrounding a point of weapon impact. Splash damage is most commonly dealt by explosive weapons such as grenade

Grenade

A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...

s or rocket

Rocket

A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...

s, or magic damage from the casting of spells in fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 games.

Splash damage weapons are effective against a group of enemies: dealing splash damage is easier than damaging all of them directly. They are also useful against moving targets at medium range—experienced players often fire at the ground near the opponent's feet, ensuring that the target is hurt even if the munition does not score a direct hit. A player using splash-damage weapons up close may take damage from his or her own shots (depending on the game being played). Damage usually decreases based on distance from the point of impact, and splash damage attacks generally do less direct damage than direct attacks.

In strategy game

Strategy game

A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...

s, a melee splash damage attack means that units around the target will also be damaged (this is known often as trample damage as it is often used by quadrupeds); while a ranged splash damage attack implies the attack will deal damage over an area surrounding the point of impact. This will or will not damage allied units, depending on the game played. The term is also used in table-top role-playing game

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...

s and wargames

Wargaming

A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...

.

Splash damage is distinguished from area of effect

Area of effect

thumb|Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing Area of Effect.Area of effect is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that affect multiple targets within a specified area....

 damage in that typically splash damage deals increased damage to the target at the center of impact and decreased damage (splash damage) to all players/units caught in the radius of the blast whereas AoE damage is usually distributed equally across the area of effect. In addition, in many RPGs

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...

 and MMORPGs, spells dealing splash damage must be centered around a target, whereas area of effect spells may be used anywhere. These distinctions are not universal, though in most MMORPGs, the term area of effect

Area of effect

thumb|Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing Area of Effect.Area of effect is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that affect multiple targets within a specified area....

(AoE or AE) is far more commonly used.