Strafing

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Strafing (adaptation of German strafen, to punish, specifically from the World War I humorous adaptation of the German catchphrase "Gott strafe England"), is the practice of firing on a static target from a moving platform. The term is usually applied to machine gun fire from an in-flight fighter, and sometimes attack runs by light bomber aircraft.

[edit] Gaming

This term has been adopted by gamers with the meaning "sidestepping", primarily in first person shooters (FPS); it refers to the movement alone, even when no weapon is being fired. The origin of this usage is uncertain, but is most likely derived from a misunderstanding of the military term. The word "strafe" was used in game menus at least as early as the popular FPS Doom, indicating the first use was most likely by developers. Sidestepping is an integral part of any first person shooter as it allows the player to dodge incoming fire while keeping their view aimed at their target.

It should be noted very few modern first-person shooters use the term "strafe" themselves; most game menus use the more semantically transparent "move left" and "move right" instead. However, "strafe" is firmly established in gamer jargon.

See also straferunning and circlestrafing.