Glossary Entry: Tank
Quick Definition
As you know, a tank is a heavily armored vehicle used by the military. Gamers took this concept and ran with it, using the term to describe a type of character and an action said character can easily do.
A tank, in gaming terms, is a character who can withstand an unusually large amount of damage. The related term tanking essentially means running face-first into enemy fire, either as a distraction, a means to clear a path, or -- since most tanks are also close range combatants -- a way for the player to get close enough to the enemy to do some real damage.
An enemy tank is usually a miniboss or a boss; for example, in the Left 4 Dead series, the overly muscular Special Infected miniboss is explicitly called "the Tank" after this term.
A tank, in gaming terms, is a character who can withstand an unusually large amount of damage. The related term tanking essentially means running face-first into enemy fire, either as a distraction, a means to clear a path, or -- since most tanks are also close range combatants -- a way for the player to get close enough to the enemy to do some real damage.
An enemy tank is usually a miniboss or a boss; for example, in the Left 4 Dead series, the overly muscular Special Infected miniboss is explicitly called "the Tank" after this term.
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