Origin of the term "strafe" as sidestepping...?

[Reaper978]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/strafe

...Hahaha? When did this term come to mean sidestepping in computer games? I vaguely recall having seen "strafe" in Dark Forces, but maybe I'm just imagining it. I've never heard anyone mention this question before. Of course when I hear the word I only think of sidestepping, rather than planes coming down and machine-gunning ground forces.

[Aliotroph?]

The oldest game where I've seen the term is Wolf3D. I figured they came up with the term when one of them tried doing it with a chaingun on a bunch of guys. I don't think they've ever talked about it.

[Csonicgo]

It was the side sweeping motion of an airplane during an aerial attack.

[Quast]

Strafe as terminology, in regard to fpser gaming, is old as hell. Certainly predates doom.

[DoomUK]

Wherever the origin lies, I'm surprised gaming terminology like this hasn't found it's way into mainstream English dictionaries, considering internet slang has.

[Maes]

This interpretation of "strafing" surely would put a whole other meaning to Strafbattalion... just pray that there weren't any Circle-Strafbattalions ;-)

Speaking of which... this bad boy here can actually perform an airborne circle-strafing maneuver without losing stability (however the technical term in military aviation seems to be "the funnel").

[Koko Ricky]

Reminds me of something funny. My dad has been watching this late 80s Vietnam-era show called "Tour of Duty" and the term "frag" was used. I was a bit surprised since, assuming the show is accurate, meant the term was more than likely used as early as the mid to late 60s, maybe even earlier. I was always under the impression it was a much more modern term.

[Gez]

Frag comes from "fragmentation grenade". Used as a verb it meant killing a fellow Marine with "friendly" fire. Since the Doomguys are space marines, it kinda made sense that killing their fellow marines was also fragging.

Also, "frag" is one of these short and hard words that English slang loves. Like fuck, frig, shit, dick, jerk, etc., so it quickly caught up. It sounds dirtier than "kill".

[Koko Ricky]

Uhm, I wouldn't say it sounds "dirtier" than kill, it just had more punch because "kill" ends with a soft, harmless "ill" sound, and frag has a harsh beginning AND end.