Nerf: Meaning explained simply

The meaning of the term Nerf contains something negative for many gamers. In many cases, however, it contributes to the balance of a game. It is a permanent change, for example, to a character or a weapon.

This is the meaning of a nerf

A nerf is used in video games when the status of a particular character is lowered. This does not happen temporarily, as through a debuff, but in the long term. Then the character is actively weakened by the developers to maintain balance in the game.

• The term has its origin in the Nerf gun with its foam arrows. The weakening was derived from not taking damage from the arrows.
• The nerf of a character is often done in the beta, or testing, phase of a video game to adjust characters to the balance in the game.
• So a nerf is not always a bad thing, even if some players perceive it that way. It is thus also the opposite of a buff, which describes the strengthening of a character.