If you've just joined a GTA Online Roleplay server, then you must be overwhelmed with the number of unfamiliar abbreviations and terms that are being commonly used amongst the GTA roleplaying community. The two most commonly used abbreviations are VDM and RDM. VDM and RDM stand for Vehicle Death Match and Random Death Match, respectively.

If you are on this page, chances are you are already familiar with the concept of GTA roleplay and what it is. But, even if you're not, let's first discuss what exactly GTA roleplaying is. GTA 5 roleplaying is a user-created multiplayer mod for the PC version of the game that adds a whole new immersion level to the game.

If you are playing on one of these roleplaying servers, you can expect yourself to be indulged in a much more civilized lobby instead of the regular chaotic "Oppressor Mark II griefing" lobbies. As the name suggests, you take on a fictional character's role on these servers and play out that character. You can be anyone you want, such as a doctor, a cop, a thief, lawyer, judge, etc. The catch is, you must act like one in the game. Everything is realistic in GTA RP including the way you talk, walk, and even drive vehicles. There are speed limits for certain areas. Your vehicle has fuel and the engine can burn out.

As mentioned earlier, you will find that these servers are much more organized and have a "civilized" environment thanks to the strict rules that all the roleplaying servers enforce. These rules are set in place by the server's admins to ensure that all the players have the best and most immersive roleplaying experience on the server. If there were no rules, then you might as well play the regular GTA Online. Failure to comply with the rules of the server usually results in an instant ban.

Now that you're familiar with GTA RP let's move onto some of the most common abbreviations, including VDM and RDM. The fictional roleplaying world is considered a virtual world where real life is imitated. Like in the real world, you cannot kill other people on the server unless there is a valid reason in the context of the roleplay leading up to it. That would obviously be a "crime" on the server. This is where Vehicle Death Match (VDM) and Random Death Match (RDM) abbreviations are used.

• VDM: VDM stands for Vehicle Death Match. It is a bannable and kickable offense on most of the roleplaying servers. For example, VDM occurs when you hit someone with your vehicle for no valid reason. If you do not roleplay it out and solve the situation as per your created fictional character, you can be kicked from the server.
• RDM: RDM stands for Random Death Match. This is also similar to VDM, but instead, it involves random players. RDM occurs when either you kill someone, or someone else kills you without any valid reason or roleplaying events leading up to it.
• EMS: EMS stands for Emergency Medical Service. You can use the EMS abbreviation to alert the players who are roleplaying doctors and medical staff to heal you during a serious illness or injury.
• Metagaming: Metagaming is a term used to refer to the usage of real-life knowledge and tactics out of the RP world to influence your RP experience and, ultimately, the outcomes. It gives an added advantage to the player who resorts to metagaming, of course.
• Powergaming: Powergaming is a term that is used to describe the usage of in-game mechanics, external information, or a roleplay concept that gives you an added advantage to your own story or roleplay character.
• IC: IC stands for In Character. It means that whatever you type in chat while in the IC mode is written as the fictional character you are playing on the roleplay server.
• OOC: OOC stands for Out Of Character. While you are in OOC mode, whatever you type in the chat is written as your real self and not the fictional roleplaying character on the server.

The above-stated abbreviations are just a few out of hundreds of abbreviations, including custom abbreviations, that are exclusive to most of the roleplaying servers. You can always find the abbreviations list and their meaning on the website of the server you play on.

By now you might be wondering, how do I play GTA RP? It is simple, you need to install FiveM. There are thousands of servers to play on if you install FiveM, the unofficial server hosting and joining software dedicated to providing third-party GTA Online servers.