[Ads-l] wasted (gaming)

[Barretts Mail]

At eight seconds into "Monster School : BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE CHALLENGE - Minecraft Animation" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqyxdSqekYg <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqyxdSqekYg>), red letters appear saying “wasted.”

I thought the character who had just been killed was on alcohol or drugs but was told that it’s a term from Grant Theft Auto meaning your character is dead.

“Wasted” (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wasted <https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wasted>) on Know Your Meme says: "Wasted" is a slang term indicating that a person has been killed which is displayed on screen in the open world video game series Grand Theft Auto if a player runs out of health. It dates the term to 1997.

Urban Dictionary (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wasted&page=2 <https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wasted&page=2>) has this meaning defined by krevin on April 22, 2007 (I didn’t check any further through the entries): To run out of health on Grand theft auto.

10 Amazing GTA ‘Wasted’ Moments From Real Life (https://www.goliath.com/gaming/10-amazing-gta-wasted-moments-from-real-life/ <https://www.goliath.com/gaming/10-amazing-gta-wasted-moments-from-real-life/>): If you’ve ever played a Grand Theft Auto game, you will be very familiar with the “Wasted” screen when your character inevitably bites the dust.

Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasted <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasted>) and the OED both have health-related meanings.
MW: impaired in strength or health
OED: Diminished or reduced in substance, bulk, strength, health, etc.; worn, decayed.

The OED’s most recent citation for this meaning is 1919, "Ribs and bones showed through their wasted bodies.” While similar, this does not adequately cover the meaning in games like Grand Theft Auto.

The OED definition of “waste” is closer: To beat up, kill, murder (someone); to devastate a place, to kill its inhabitants.

Amid The Ruins HIGHLIGHTS. (https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Thread:233237 <https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Thread:233237>): YES! that awesome episode where not even single character got wasted!

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org