Newbie

The term "newb" or newbie (also spelled noob, n00b, also sometimes said as nub, nubcakes, or, in very rare cases, narb) is a standard derogatory term used in gaming culture. "Newb" usually is used against players who are newer to a game than others, while "noob" is usually used against players who intentionally make the game less enjoyable.

When spoken rather than typed, it is hard to differentiate which word is being used.

Origin
It is unknown exactly where and when the general term originated, but it came before the release of Halo: Combat Evolved. From the longer term "newbie" (meaning "new guy"), the two vowels at the end were taken off, making it a single syllable word.

Variations
There are many different variations on the word. Some include:
 * Newb - New guy. "Ugh, we have a newb on our team."
 * Noob - Person who uses unfair tactics due to lack of skill. "Noob, stop teamkilling!"
 * Nub - General insult against another player. Also, in uncommon cases, it can be referring to erect male genitalia. "Get out of my way, nub."
 * Narb - Sarcastic variation, usually used amongst friends. "Don't make me teamkill you, you narb."
 * N00b - An insult used to refer to people who deliberately make the game less enjoyable. It is widely considered to be synonymous with insults such as "idiot". "Stop being such a n00b!" It should be noted that "n00b" and "noob" are somewhat interchangeable.
 * Nerb - A combination of Noob and Nerd, user used to mock or make fun of a person who spends alot of time in the game. "How the heck did you get the katana that fast you nerb?!"

Usage
While initially used mainly to describe one whose skills are generally less, it's also frequently used against someone who exploits certain unbalanced features of the game during multiplayer play, such as camping, Janitor/Janitorial, screenwatching/ScreenPeeking, using the "Noob Combo", overusage of power weapons such as Rocket Launcher and the Energy Sword, and spawn killing.

However, it can be argued that some tactics traditionally considered to be "noob tactics" require an appreciable amount of skill to use or, in the infamous words of a "Zealot" from Red vs Blue, that "it's a legitimate strategy".

Newb vs. Noob
Though they are pronounced identically, the words "newb" and "noob" have very different meanings.

The term "newb", as said in an above paragraph, is a term used generally to describe a new person or a person who lacks skill in a multiplayer game. An example of such is: "Hey guys, I'm kind of a newb to this game mode, so I am sorry if I die a lot.".

The term "noob", on the other hand, rarely is used to mean a person who is new. The term "noob" is most commonly used as a derogatory term against a fellow player to show anger or annoyance. An example of the term "noob" being used is: "The red team has a freakin' noob that camps with a Shotgun.". A denoting sarcastic remark that rebukes the opposing team. This term is usually applied to one who plays the game for a respectable time interval, but he or she still does not meet the standards of a "good" player (i.e. dying a lot, walking off cliffs, requiring heavy weapons to kill someone, betraying team-mates for weapons, camping near spawn points for unjust kills, etc.).

To differentiate between the pronunciation of noob and newb, use a "you" sound in newb and a basic "oo" in noob. Newbs are often are beginners at the game and have not yet gotten used to the controls and factors of the game. Noobs often betray other players 'for the fun of it'