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Lag, from "lag behind", is a slang term for slow Internet speeds, or internet latency, sometimes due to a server problem, but more frequently due to the connection between client and server.
In language, the term "lag" could be used as follows: "Gee, anybody else noticing that Google is lagging periodically, or is it just me?" This statement illustrates that lag is experienced differently by different clients and perceived differently by different users.
In computer science, proposals to alleviate lag are part of Quality of Service.
Lag Slang
A lagger (occasionally, High Ping Bastard or HPB) is someone who uses a slow 56 kbit/s modem to connect to the Internet, then joins a multiplayer online game (usually a first-person shooter) and who has a high ping time. In synchronous games, where all clients must know the exact game state, a single "lagger" will slow down the game for everyone, since the server has to wait for the client to get every communication packet. However, many online games use an asychronous communication model, allowing the clients to continue even if they drop occasional packets. A high-pinger who does not inhibit the overall performance, just his own, is sometimes known as a High Ping Bait.
Low Ping Bastard or LPB is a phrase that originated during the time when Quake was a highly popular multiplayer online first-person shooter. The term came into common usage when broadband Internet connections first came into the reach of home users and were competing with people limited to a 56 kbit/s or slower modem connection. This term was so widely used because of the havoc wreaked upon the other users of these servers by the low ping bastards due to their overwhelming advantage in reaction time afforded by their connection.
A 56ker is a slang term for a person using a 56 kilobit modem connection. These connections are slow and generally result in lewd complaints by many other participants in the game or channel.
Movie Connections
The Mamuro Oshii movie Avalon, in which large parts of the portraied society play an immense online virtual reality game, features lag as a phenomenon to which players react with bodily symptoms (convulsions, nausea).
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