permadeath

American  

[pur-muh-deth] / ˈpɜr məˌdɛθ /

noun

1. (in a game, often a video game) the permanent death of a defeated character, after which the player of the game cannot continue with the same character.

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Etymology

Origin of permadeath

perma(nent) + death

Example Sentences

The slick trick even allow a player to choose a permadeath option that will eliminate any currently used character if he dies, offering another layer of decision-making strategy to the recruiting process.

From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2020

The older Fire Emblem games were famous for permadeath, which is the video game term for, uh, death.

From The Verge • Dec. 18, 2019

The best was perhaps ZombiU, a fascinating survival horror title with a neat permadeath mechanic, set in a post-apocalyptic London that made inspired use of the GamePad as both an environment scanner and a cellphone.

From The Guardian • Feb. 3, 2017

Hard mode would be obviously a permadeath hard reset, where you do not get another shot and one mistake can cost you everything.

From Forbes • Nov. 24, 2014

While there is no permadeath in regular combat, your choices in the game’s narrative can result in the death of a character.

From Forbes • Jan. 17, 2014