FPS stands for two things in gaming: frames per second and first-person shooter. Frames per second is a measure of performance. A game running at 60 FPS looks smooth. A game at 30 FPS looks choppy. Competitive players want high FPS. It gives them a split-second advantage. The number matters.

First-person shooter is a genre. You see the game through the eyes of the character. You hold a weapon. You shoot enemies. Call of Duty, Halo, and Counter-Strike are FPS games. The genre is one of the biggest in the industry. It is fast, competitive, and often violent.

Context matters

• FPS (performance): how smoothly a game runs.
• FPS (genre): a type of game where you shoot from a first-person view.
• FPS drop: a sudden decrease in frame rate, causing lag.
• FPS cap: a limit on frames per second to save power.

The double meaning can confuse. "I play FPS games at 144 FPS" is a coherent sentence. It means the person plays shooters at a high frame rate. The acronym is efficient. It packs two ideas into three letters. In gaming, context is everything.