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FTW – What does it mean?

FTW stands for “for the win”. It is mostly used in computer gaming, especially in the type of games that are played over a network or the Internet. There are so many games created and developed nowadays. And people from all over the world can play a lot of these games simultaneously simply by connecting to the game server using their Internet connection at home. Although online gamers mostly use the term FTW, it is certainly not limited to digital games alone. It can be used in any other game provided that a player has power to create a move in order to win the said game.

FTW or “for the win” is believed to be first used in a popular game show called the Hollywood Squares. Since then, a number of other game shows followed suit, mostly in games that entail a player to do a specific strategy so that they will win. In game shows however, it is the hosts that usually utters the phrase. They usually tell it to the particular player who is on the verge of winning.

Still in a live game show context, FTW is usually spoken in an enthusiastic manner so as to induce excitement, both to the players and the game viewers. But there are also times that it is delivered in a sarcastic manner for the players who had several times attempted to bag the win but it seems all too elusive for them. FTW is a common message or a sentence ender in these situations.

Going back to the online games are context, FTW is usually used in strategy games such as World of WarCraft. In this game, a group of players may form a team and attack all their opponents as one to ensure victory. In this case, it is not the hosts that says the phrase, but the players themselves.

For the win or FTW has a counterpart, and that is FTL. FTL means “for the loss” and it is the exact opposite of FTW. And just like “for the win” FTL is commonly used in online gaming and other gaming-related occasions.
There are other definitions of FTW, if used in other circumstances. FTW, for one, is the abbreviation used by the Amtrak station for Fort Worth, Texas. And in the world of the notorious biker gangs, it definitely means something you don’t want to hear about.