Master game-designer Greg Costikyan's article, "Talk Like a Gamer," is an etymological excursion into gamer's argot. It reminds me of my favorite learned book on jargon, The Big Con, a book about grifters' slang, which I reviewed here.
Some games have separate gameworlds devoted to roleplayers and to power gamers–those who play primarily to become more powerful in the game world and can't be bothered with such fripperies as pseudo-Elizabethan chat. Power gamers seek to power level, increase in ability in the game quickly–often with the help of a more powerful character who provides buffs to allow the character to gain experience rapidly. This practice is called twinking–gaining quickly in power or level in a semi-illegitimate fashion through assistance from a more powerful character. The term is obviously derived from Twinkie, but the association with a sugary snack is not obvious–I surmise that the usage may come from gay slang, in which a "twinkie" is a cute young man with an older lover.
