The verb "коллить" is formed from the English to call, meaning "to summon, to name, to announce". In Russian-language esports slang it has two main meanings, and both are tied to voice communication within a team.
Two meanings of the word
The first is naming information. A player who sees an enemy or hears footsteps reports it to the others: "calling one mid", "calling low HP" (meaning the opponent has little health left). Such short lines are called calls or callouts (from the English callout, "a shout, a designation"). In shooters like Counter-Strike 2 this is the foundation of team play: every spot on the map has its own name, and everyone understands from it what is being talked about.
The second is proposing a decision. When a team is choosing how to play a round or what to do in a contested situation, a player "calls" a plan: "calling a rush on B", "calling not to push, we play defense". In this sense, to call means to take the initiative and voice a decision that the others then accept or reject.
Caller
The player responsible for tactical decisions is called a caller, and in Russian speech more often an in-game leader (IGL). They choose the strategy, adapt to the opponent and change the plan during the map. The word "caller" can also be used more broadly: jokingly, anyone who talks a lot in voice chat may be called a caller.
How the word sounds in the game
Here are typical phrases in which it appears:
- "Who's calling this round?": who is making the decisions today.
- "If you're not calling, don't interfere": if you are not taking on the leadership, don't interrupt.
- "Nice call": you suggested a position or plan well, and it worked.
- "We call it and play it": we agreed on a plan and are carrying it out.
An important trait of a good call is brevity. A full sentence like "it seems to me that possibly one opponent is somewhere near the center" is useless: by the time it is spoken, the round is already over. That is why teams usually agree on short wordings in advance and stick to them.
Where the word comes from
The English call in a gaming context has long meant "to announce a decision": it is used in card games and team sports alike. The word came into esports along with the English-language terminology of shooters and MOBAs, and then acquired the Russian ending "-ить", like many other borrowings: "фармить" (to farm), "пушить" (to push), "гангать" (to gank). The form "коллить" has become familiar in chats, on streams and in comments.
The word lives not only in games. In ordinary speech it is sometimes used outside the gaming community too, but the meaning mostly stays the same: to share information or propose a plan of action.