Strafing

From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia

Strafing (adaptation of German strafen, to punish, specifically from the World War I humorous adaptation of the German catchphrase "Gott strafe England"), is the practice of firing a weapon on a static, or mobile targets of opportunity on land, sea, or air from a flying platform. The term is usually applied to machine gun or cannon fire from a variety of aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, or unmanned aerial vehicles.

Gaming

This term has been adopted by gamers with the meaning "sidestepping", primarily in first-person shooters (FPS); it refers to the movement alone, even when no weapon is being fired. The origin of this usage is uncertain, but is most likely derived from either a misunderstanding of the military term, or from the Greek word strephein, meaning "to turn". The word "strafe" was used in game menus at least as early as the popular FPS Wolfenstein 3D, indicating the first use was most likely by video game developers. Sidestepping is an integral part of any first-person shooter as it allows the player to dodge incoming fire while keeping their view aimed at their target.

It should, however, be noted very few modern first-person shooters use the term "strafe" themselves – most game menus use the more semantically transparent "move left" and "move right" instead. However, "strafe" is firmly established in gamer jargon.

See also straferunning and circlestrafing.