GG (or lowercase gg) is an abbreviation for “good game” that has been widely used as shorthand in competitive multiplayer video game settings. Before voice technology largely replaced text-based chat rooms, it was customary for players to send each other GG as a closing salutation at the end of a matchup. Not doing so would have reflected poorly on a player’s etiquette and sportsmanship.
In the same context, a leading competitor who sent GG before a match was truly over could be perceived as arrogant because of their implication that the fate of the game was already certain. Similar connotations could be drawn from GGEZ, which stands for “good game, easy,” although it was sometimes used ironically if the winner sent it to the loser after a long, arduous match.
Another version of GG is GGWP, short for “good game, well played.” Players would often use this extension to express their sincere congratulations of a job well done. In some cases, a losing player might have sent GGEZ as a way of complimenting the winner of a blowout game, to which the winning player might have humbly responded with GGWP.
