The term "newbie" or "newb" is used to refer to people who are new or inexperienced at an activity. The closely-related term "noob (also spelled "n00b" or "nub") is an insulting term used as a synonym for "idiot" or "troll".
When spoken rather than typed, it is hard to differentiate which word is being used. In speech, a "you" sound ("nyoob") can be used in the word "newb", and a simple "oo" sound can be applied to "noob".
Origin[]
It is unknown exactly where and when the general term originated, but it was created long before the release of Halo: Combat Evolved. The phrase "new guy" likely led to a modification of the word "new", resulting in the synonym "newbie"; at some point after that, the two vowels at the end were removed, resulting in the monosyllabic "newb".
"Noob" is likely a corruption of "newb", in the style of "lulz", "noes", and "pr0n". Like "lulz", the meaning of "noob" has been altered with a negative connotation. ("Lulz" specifically refers to "LOLs" at someone's expense, whereas "noob" often refers to someone who acts "newbish" deliberately.)
"Nub," "narb," and "nerb," can be considered further corruptions of "noob".
Another theory is that "Noob" comes from the fighting game "Mortal Kombat". There is a character whose name is Noob Saibot on it. The character has a lot of "Cheap" combos and tactics. So, when anyone calls someone a Noob, they are saying you use cheap tactics.
Variations[]
There are many different variations on the word. Some include:
- newbie, newb
- New guy. "Ugh, we have a newb on our team."::General insult against another player. "Get out of my way, nub."
- General insult against another player. "Noob" is particularly used to insult a player's intelligence or integrity. "Noob, stop teamkilling!"
- nub
- New guy. "Ugh, we have a newb on our team."::General insult against another player. "Get out of my way, nub."
- narb
- Sarcastic variant of "noob", usually used amongst friends. "Don't make me teamkill you, you narb."
- phoob
- A player of higher skill, but acts extremely childish.
- nerb
- A player who talks like a nerd, abuses power weapons, and teamkills. "Stop teamkilling, Nerb."
Usage[]
Though they are pronounced identically, the words "newb" and "noob" have very different meanings.
The term "newb", as said above, is a term used generally to describe a new person or a person who lacks skill in a multiplayer game. An example: "Hey guys, I'm kind of a newb to this game mode, so I'm sorry if I die a lot.
The term "noob", on the other hand, is rarely 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. The term can refer to someone who deliberately upsets other players, inhibits the progress of their team, engages in unfair tactics, or deliberately demonstrates a lack of skill. An example: "The red team has a freakin' noob that camps with a Shotgun."
Traditional "noob tactics" in multiplayer include camping, janitor-like behavior, screenwatching, Noob Combos, overusage of power weapons like the Rocket launcher and Energy Sword, and spawn killing. It can be argued that some tactics traditionally considered to be "noob tactics" require an appreciable amount of skill to use. A quote from Red vs Blue very effectively presents another viewpoint regarding such tactics: "it's a legitimate strategy".