Retiring Guy's Digest: According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of ‘noob’ occurred in 1995

Print headline: New York Times, 3/30/2026

Dictionary definition: Merriam-Webster

Emmanuel Morgan reports for the Times:

But video game adaptations can still flop, and it has become clear that flourishing requires appealing to a game’s native audience.

Zach Cregger, who is directing this year’s “Resident Evil” after breaking through with “Barbarian” and “Weapons,” said in an email that he warily crosses his arms whenever he hears of a project inspired by a game he loves.

“I’m like, ‘Don’t ruin this for me,’”

Cregger said. Video game adaptations may be a life raft for the movie industry, whose audiences have not returned in prepandemic numbers because of the convenience of streaming. Blockbusters are more important than ever, even as interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has waned. [emphasis added]

“It’s not like Hollywood discovered games, it’s that games became bigger than Hollywood,” said Derek Douglas, the head of Creative Artists Agency’s game division.

Merriam-Webster offers this instructive example of usage: