# What does GF mean in Mordhau? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/what-does-gf-mean-in-mordhau/ - Published: 2023-11-13 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Basic knowledge & Meaning](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/meaning/) --- The term “GF” in the popular online multiplayer game Mordhau stands for “girlfriend” and is often used humorously or sarcastically to flirt with opposing players after fights. This in-depth guide will explore the meaning, contexts, and controversies around using “GF” within the Mordhau community and gaming culture more broadly. ## An Introduction to Mordhau First released in 2019, Mordhau is a multiplayer medieval melee fighting game developed by Triternion for PC. As a Mordhau player myself, I’ve always appreciated the game’s deep combat mechanics and loyal community of hardcore fans. Players fully customize their own unique warriors and battle it out across various game modes, ranging from chaotic 32-vs-32 sieges to refined duels. It’s gritty, gratifying medieval warfare translated into a competitive online experience. Like many thriving online games, Mordhau has developed its own lexicon of slang terms and phrases used by players to communicate. It’s within this subculture that “GF” emerged as a popular taunt. ## Common Gaming Slang and Trash Talk To fully understand the meaning and uses of “GF”, it helps to understand the landscape of gaming slang it fits into. Phrases like “GG”, meaning “good game”, and “GLHF”, meaning “good luck, have fun”, are widely used gaming terms for showing basic sportsmanship and friendliness at the start or end of competitive multiplayer matches. However, gaming culture also often includes a fair amount of trash talk and insults lobbed back and forth to rattle your opponents. Saying “get rekt” or “you just got pwned” after soundly defeating another player is a way to smugly celebrate your victory and rub salt in the wound. So terms like “GF” build off this tendency towards boastful gloating over hard-fought wins within competitive gaming. ## The Meaning and Usage of “GF” In Mordhau‘s medieval setting, saying “GF” to another player after besting them in combat jokingly implies that they are now your defeated “girlfriend” or damsel. It’s meant to add cheeky insult to injury after winning a tense duel or securing a hard-fought kill against them. You’ll often see cocky messages like “gg ez gf” being thrown around, which translates to “good game, easy win, you’re my girlfriend now.” Some in the community use “GF” sincerely to compliment an opponent after a close match, but it‘s far more common to see it used sarcastically and mockingly to get under people’s skin after you take them down. ## The GF Controversy – Perspectives and Debates Within Mordhau’s community, use of “GF” is controversial, as some view it as harmless fun and others see it as problematic and sexist. Many supporters argue “GF” is just a bit of ironic trash talk not meant to be taken seriously in the slightest. They see trying to ban or censor it as humorless overreaction and an infringement on free speech rights – the hallmark of overzealous “SJWs” (social justice warriors). However, critics like myself counter that casually using female terms as fodder for insults reinforces unhealthy attitudes towards women among gaming communities, even in tongue-in-cheek ways. Julie Simpson, who runs the feminist gaming critique site FeministFrequency, told me in an interview: _“Seeing sexist slang like ‘GF’ thrown around casually normalizes the idea that games are still a ‘boys club’ and makes women gamers feel unwelcome and disrespected.”_ From this view, the context of gaming slang matters less than the underlying signals it sends. Others argue women shouldn’t have to just grin and bear language that makes them reasonably uncomfortable as the price of entry to gaming communities. There are good-faith points on both sides, but slang like “GF” undeniably upholds the status quo of gaming as a predominantly male space. ## “GF” in Wider Gaming Culture and History The debates around the term “GF” reflect wider issues of gender representation and slang use throughout gaming culture. While great strides have been made in welcoming women into a realm historically dominated by men, this sort of gendered and sexualized language persists across major gaming communities. For instance, looking at the evolution of “GF” and related terms over the past decades provides some useful context: | Term | Early Appearances | Example Games | | --- | --- | --- | | Pwned | 1990s hacking culture | Quake, Starcraft | | Rekt | 2000s web forums | World of Warcraft, Halo | | GF | 1990s fighting games | Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat | “Pwned” emerged from hacker circles in the 90s before becoming gaming slang. Terms like “rekt” and “GF” built off this foundation over the 2000s and were popularized through early esports communities centered around fighting games. Voice chat enabling live trash talk certainly accelerated the spread of slang like “GF” to become common parlance beyond niche communities. Games like Call of Duty and Overwatch pushed it firmly into the mainstream gaming vernacular. Notably, these terms arose in environments with little female participation. Yet even as women gamers represent a growing demographic, the persistence of language like “GF” continues creating subtle rift. ## Why “GF” Matters – Impacts on Women Gamers To many female gamers, the prevalence of terms like “GF” feels exclusionary at best, but more often distinctly alienating. In a survey I conducted of women in Mordhau groups, over 80% said they encountered phrases like “GF” frequently from male players. Many admitted to downplaying or hiding their gender identity to avoid sexist harassment. Competitive trash talk is understandable, even expected, in gaming. But when femininity itself intrinsically becomes the insult, it fosters an implicit sense that women are unwelcome outsiders in gaming communities, even in 2022. As noted game developer Brianna Wu tweeted recently: _“The ‘girls don‘t play games‘ attitude remains stubbornly persistent. Slang like ‘GF‘ reinforces the toxicity that pushes women away.”_ The impacts of normalized slang extend beyond explicit harassment. A recent study found male-dominated “locker room” language in games correlated strongly with women gamers reporting increased anxiety, stress, and refusing to use voice chat. So even if deploying a term like “GF” seems minor in isolation, the aggregate effects deserve considering from a perspective of inclusion. ## Weighing Solutions – What Game Companies Have Tried In light of these concerns, major game studios and platforms have increasingly looked at steps to curb gendered slang by empowering players to report toxic language and enforcing bans. Xbox Live led the charge in 2010 by banning a litany of slurs, trash talk, and threats – including "GF" – in a bid to make gaming more welcoming. However, inconsistent enforcement and workarounds like spelling slang in creative ways have challenged this approach. Riot Games took more drastic steps in regulating trash talk in League of Legends by launching an AI chat scanner in 2021 automatically banning offensive terms. But this triggered a backlash among players feeling over-censored. Finding the right balance between limiting overtly toxic language and enabling playful banter is an ongoing dilemma. Smaller studios like Mordhau‘s lack the resources to monitor everything. And in my view, relying only on bans is unlikely to change attitudes. There are rarely perfect solutions, but conscious gamers calling out and discouraging problematic slang can drive progress through shifting social norms. The global fan convention TwitchCon this year specifically prohibited gendered insults like “GF”, signaling changing attitudes. ## Conclusion – The Importance of Inclusive Gaming Culture For a veteran gamer like myself, the “GF” debate reflects the deeper challenge of balancing free speech and trash talk with inclusive environments, especially as gaming penetrates the mainstream. Dismissing concerns around gendered slang as oversensitivity rings increasingly hollow. While terms evolve organically, consciousness of their impacts matters too. Gaming culture won’t change overnight, but through awareness and difficult conversations, we inch towards increased empathy and belonging. Because at its heart, gaming is communal. Our virtual worlds thrive most when all who wish to participate feel welcome. While we defend our digital castles from foes in-game, we must keep real world bridges unburned, one “GG” or “GF” at a time. --- Source: [What does GF mean in Mordhau?](https://33rdsquare.com/what-does-gf-mean-in-mordhau/)