Pwn
 |
The slang term pwn (past tense pwned, pwnd or pwnt, various pronunciations) as used by the Internet gaming culture, means to dominate an opponent. In this context, to be pwned can be defined as “to be defeated,” with the strong connotation of also having been “made a fool of.” It is generally used for “friendly taunting” of a player’s in-game enemies, and gently “rubbing in” any victories, no matter how fleeting. While the term probably originated as a typographical error of the word own [1], it is now used intentionally by many members of the culture. The term has become so ubiquitous in Internet circles that it is often used outside of gaming contexts. For example "We Pwned them hardcore in that basketball game"
Origin
The word “pwn” is an Internet variation on the word “own.” There are several possible origins for the word, all of which rely on a pre-existing emphasis by computer users of the word “own.” Originating on the computer scene, it is most often seen in online gaming sessions today.
The likely beginning of the meme is from the hacker scene on EFNet IRC circa 1994. “Owned” or “Own3d” referred to getting administrative privileges on someone’s computer by exploiting a security vulnerability. [citation needed] The use of the word own in terms of victory over another predates its use in the gaming subculture. This accounts for the pre-existing proliferation of the word, which may then have been morphed into “pwn” through any of the following possible means.
- The term could have simply been derived from a common misspelling, with no significant event proliferating its use [1][2]. Instead, it is assumed that it simply began to spread as a result of fast typing, due to the proximity of the P and O keys on most modern keyboard layouts, and the tendency of gamers and net users to create and expand internet memes.
- Another way of deriving “pwn” from “own” is by jokingly stating that P is the next letter after O, alphabetically, and in that way poses as some sort of higher level—so “pwn” is a kind of superlative “own.” This is the origin of other web slang expressions, such as “raising” the slang spelling “gr8” (for great) to “gr9” because 9 is the next step up from 8. Compare this with Victor Borge's inflationary language.
- Yet another possible proliferation pwn, and common use, is the circumvention of pwn language filters. Some game and chat servers began to ban the word “own” and its variants, as it was frequently being used in a verbally abusive manner when players achieved victory. Sometimes the message would be blocked; other times the user would simply be banned from the server. Some of these players have used “pwn” as a substitute word in order to bypass the filters.
Uses
Pwn is widely used in online gameplay. It is usually said when a player defeats an enemy, especially when the round is won by a large margin. For example, one player may "pwn" another by scoring a dramatic kill, or several kills, in a video game shooter (See First Person Shooter). Similarly, to "get pwned" means that a more skilled player in a game has scored a convincing or humiliating victory against the user. In this sense, "pwn" is used as a verb; rarely is it seen in a noun form, such as "you are a pwn" owing mainly to the word it was derived from.
Pronunciation
Given the recent development of the word, and its primary use in written form only, there is no single accepted pronunciation of the word “pwn.” There are many different ideas on how “pwn” is properly pronounced, although pronunciation is mainly based on personal preference. Some of the common variations include (IPA pronunciation) [oʊn], [pəʔˈoʊn], [piˈoʊn], [pən], [pwin], [pun], or, most commonly, [poʊn], as rhymed with the original “own” ([oʊn]). It can also be pronounced phonetically, as [pwəʔˈn̩] (“pwən”).
Another pronunciation, [pɔn], is used by many other players, although many online gamers believe it to be a false pronunciation. The main argument against that is that since “pwn” is just in fact a purposeful misspelling of its parent “own,” that it should still be pronounced as [oʊn] or [poʊn].
See also
References
- ^ Spohn, Dave. "pwn - own". Internet Gaming Glossary. Retrieved 2006-01-01.
- ^ "A parent’s primer to computer slang". Microsoft Security At Home: Child Safety. Retrieved 2006-01-01.
- "Pure Pwnage". Canadian mockumentary about computer gaming culture. Retrieved 2006-01-04.