I've seen it for going on 5 years now. I honestly have no idea why it happens, but it does. The general FFXI player is a complete retard in using MMO Metaphors. I didn't mind until lately, when people have been throwing the term "Zerg" around inappropriately. "Zerg(ing,)" or the more commonly used "Rush(ing,)" does not refer to burning through fights as fast as motherfucking possible. Citing it's original source, the very popular RTS StarCraft, you'd clearly see both why your average Joe Otaku would not understand the metaphor, and just use it because they've heard or read it when used in a sentence regarding a boss or other difficult monster from another MMO.
The Zerg race was the weakest of the three, and in no way could they properly burn down Terran or Protoss units, who were more powerful, in a unit for unit fight. The key to a player using Zerg, were it's production cost, and speed of fielding units. Generally speaking, Zerg units required less resources and time to build up(Specifically the Zergling, from which the tactic is derived from.) The benefit to this was it enabled the player, as a Zerg Overlord, to develop a keen ability to disregard unit survivablity for a Human Wave-style offensive. This results in completing your objectives at the result of heavy casualties.
Thats right, reading FFXI Player. The term "Zerg" in an MMO is used to describe a battle in which you have no regard to the penalty of death. This means, in a round about way, you just swarm a monster with as many players as you possibly can muster, and if they die, they retrieve their corpse(or are resurrected with the cheapest/fastest option available) and fight again, likely dying a second, third, or nineth time. As many and as often as it takes until your target is defeated. Quite the opposite to how you, or maybe a linkshell member uses the term, "Zerging" is often a slower tactic compared to a well constructed one. Although a quick and properly executed strategy has very little room for error, Zerging is built entirely on error. You accept it will happen, because in all likelihood, it will. Over and over again.
However, due to a seemingly unlimited about of players fighting the target because of running back to the fight shortly after dying, you eventually overcome your foe and defeat it. This makes using "Zerging" to describe a tactic in FFXI impossible because of how corpse mechanics operate - and paints anyone who uses it to look like a buffoon to a non-FFXI Player(or a FFXI Player more knowledgable to other MMOs.)
On another note: Only really used by pick up raids, "Zerg" is not a label to be throwing around proudly, as it is almost exclusively used tactically by the most under-equipped, or under-experienced players.
A solution to your problem with this metaphor, is to use something else - something more applicable to a hastey kill - Burning down, racing, blitzkrieg, etc.
The Zerg race was the weakest of the three, and in no way could they properly burn down Terran or Protoss units, who were more powerful, in a unit for unit fight. The key to a player using Zerg, were it's production cost, and speed of fielding units. Generally speaking, Zerg units required less resources and time to build up(Specifically the Zergling, from which the tactic is derived from.) The benefit to this was it enabled the player, as a Zerg Overlord, to develop a keen ability to disregard unit survivablity for a Human Wave-style offensive. This results in completing your objectives at the result of heavy casualties.
Thats right, reading FFXI Player. The term "Zerg" in an MMO is used to describe a battle in which you have no regard to the penalty of death. This means, in a round about way, you just swarm a monster with as many players as you possibly can muster, and if they die, they retrieve their corpse(or are resurrected with the cheapest/fastest option available) and fight again, likely dying a second, third, or nineth time. As many and as often as it takes until your target is defeated. Quite the opposite to how you, or maybe a linkshell member uses the term, "Zerging" is often a slower tactic compared to a well constructed one. Although a quick and properly executed strategy has very little room for error, Zerging is built entirely on error. You accept it will happen, because in all likelihood, it will. Over and over again.
However, due to a seemingly unlimited about of players fighting the target because of running back to the fight shortly after dying, you eventually overcome your foe and defeat it. This makes using "Zerging" to describe a tactic in FFXI impossible because of how corpse mechanics operate - and paints anyone who uses it to look like a buffoon to a non-FFXI Player(or a FFXI Player more knowledgable to other MMOs.)
On another note: Only really used by pick up raids, "Zerg" is not a label to be throwing around proudly, as it is almost exclusively used tactically by the most under-equipped, or under-experienced players.
A solution to your problem with this metaphor, is to use something else - something more applicable to a hastey kill - Burning down, racing, blitzkrieg, etc.
