A period of heightened activity in an online multiplayer game when new players arrive in droves.
During this period, veterans help acclimate the newcomers (by fragging them over and over), while the game hosts deal with the increased server demand (and the coincidental flood of vets complaining about flood-induced lag and outages).
Typically caused by said players acquiring the game for Christmas—often months or years after the game was first released—but also on the rare occasions that a paid game becomes free to play.
During this period, veterans help acclimate the newcomers (by fragging them over and over), while the game hosts deal with the increased server demand (and the coincidental flood of vets complaining about flood-induced lag and outages).
Typically caused by said players acquiring the game for Christmas—often months or years after the game was first released—but also on the rare occasions that a paid game becomes free to play.
by unce unce June 25, 2011