If you know anything about Dead by Daylight, a survival horror game developed by Behaviour Interactive, you know that there is an opposition between Survivor players and the Killer player. The Killer’s goal, as can probably be deduced, is to kill the four Survivors by hooking them on large, suspended meat hooks and preventing them from escaping the match. The Survivors must work as a team to complete generators to power the escape doors, avoid the Killer, and save their teammates from hooks. There is a large plethora of roles that Survivors can take on during the match, special perks to assist in those roles, and strategies to overcome the Killer. It’s an incredibly immersive and thrilling game.

As an amateur player, I have found that there is an interesting communication between Killers and Survivors. There are some matches that are not played seriously, where the Killer’s objective isn’t to win the game. These are called “farming matches”, where the players are farming for points or trying to complete challenges. For example, a challenge might be to stun the Killer a number of times within a match. These challenges can be easily completed during a “farming match”, so they tend to be beneficial for both Killers and Survivors.

In order to initiate a “farming match”, there has to be contact between the Killer and the Survivors, so the Survivors know that they won’t be hunted during the match. There is no live chat during the game and no way to verbally communicate with the Killer or Survivors.

So how is it done? A Survivor has the ability to:

• Crouch
• Nod
• Point
• and Beckon

as actions in the game.

Each of these actions signifies something. The most obvious is point and beckon. You can point in the direction of the Killer to alert your fellow teammates or beckon a teammate over to heal them. Crouching and nodding, I find, are the actions used to communicate with the Killer.

In most multiplayer video games crouching many times in a row at your opponent is called “tea bagging.” It’s a taunting action to communicate to a player “I’ve beaten you.” In Dead by Daylight these rules apply, but only to the Killer. If a Survivor “tea bags” at the Killer, it is a sign of disrespect, but if a Survivor “tea bags” at a fellow Survivor it can mean “thanks” or “hello.”

I find the workarounds of limited communication in the game really interesting. It adds a layer of difficulty for the Survivors to coordinate and forces them to work with what they’ve got. The result is this movement-based video game lingo and, just like in real life, if you can’t speak the language you miss out on the culture.

In my first few months of playing, I made the mistake of “tea bagging” at a Killer when my intention was to thank them for sparing me. I had the experience of a language barrier between myself and the Killer. I now know that a Survivor can thank a Killer by nodding. This is done by moving your camera up and down rapidly and it makes your character appear to nod.

Since then, I have learned that there is a whole other level to Killer-Survivor communication. Certain Killer characters may respond to specific actions. One character in particular, The Pig, might spare you if you crouch and point at her. This is known as “booping the snoot”, like you would “boop” your cat on the nose. Unfortunately, these rules aren’t set in stone and the Killer may chose to ignore your plea for mercy.

This is the case with all of the examples I’ve given. The success of your communication depends on the type of people you are playing with, whether they are responsive and friendly, or purely interested in winning the game. Some people may react badly to being “tea bagged” at and some won’t be bothered.

I highly suggest you try playing both Killer and Survivors in Dead by Daylight to get the most in-game experience and learn all the lingo. Good communication within your team can often be the factor in a win or a lose. It’s an incredibly fun game. It supports cross-platform gaming, it has some gore for the horror fans and adrenaline pumping game play, as well as lots of famous horror characters to chose from. Highly recommend.