What Does Choom Mean In Cyberpunk 2077 (2024)

Cyberpunk 2077 has impressively realized its setting of Night City, right down to the slang used by its denizens, including the often repeated "choom." The term of endearment is heard throughout the game, and the protagonist, V, is referred to as such frequently. Night City and Cyberpunk 2077's slang, however, were not created by developer CD Projekt Red. Both predate the video game by some time, and have their roots in the wider Cyberpunk franchise, so understanding the meaning and prevalence of the slang term choom requires a bit of background.

Developer CD Projekt Red has earned a reputation for crafting intricate, story-centered open worlds, which are on full display in Cyberpunk 2077. Just as the Witcher franchise has a reliance on Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy series of the same name, Cyberpunk 2077's Night City and its wider fictional universe were canonized by other works. The game is based closely on the established lore of Cyberpunk, a roleplaying series originally introduced in the first edition of the 1988 Cyberpunk tabletop game. Set in a grim future controlled by corporations, the RPG is stuffed to the brim with satirical twists on the tropes of the emerging cyberpunk science fiction genre. Alongside these conventions, Cyberpunk also introduced a number of peculiar ideas that helped to make its take on the genre unique.

The Origin & Definition Of "Choom" In Cyberpunk 2077

The second edition of the tabletop RPG, dubbed Cyberpunk 2020, helped codify Night City itself and its vernacular. According to Cyberpunk 2020, choomba/choombatta is "Neo-Afro-American slang for a friend or a family member." As in modern-day America, non-Black residents of Night City have appropriated this piece of African-American culture, and are also prone to calling one another choomba. Choom, then, is an abbreviation analogous to "bro" in the real world. Night City isn't technically part of Cyberpunk's New United States, but it is the primary locale of a setting that mainly satirizes facets of modern American culture.

Choom, Slang, & The World Of Cyberpunk 2077

Outside the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG, "choom" is heard in both Cyberpunk 2077 and the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime. Given neither provides players nor viewers with an explicit explanation of the phrase, it's understandable as to why some would feel a little lost upon hearing it. The sentiment extends to much of Night City's lexicon as well, as V being unceremoniously dropped into the streets at the beginning of a Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough quickly leads to a number of esoteric conversations. "Choom" serves as an example of how deep the world of Cyberpunk actually goes, as well as how language can influence world-building.

Choom's parallel to present-day slang and appropriation seems to be intentional. Cyberpunk is the creation of game designer and author Mike Pondsmith. As a Black game designer and an enormous fan of science fiction, Pondsmith used the vehicles of the cyberpunk genre and tabletop roleplaying to create social commentary on racism and capitalism, with the setting extending to many other topics, such as transhumanism. Streetslang helped characterize his world of warring corporations and racial divisions. Since Pondsmith worked with CD Projekt Red, he may have had a hand in making "choom" so ubiquitous as a term of endearment in Cyberpunk 2077.

Choom roughly translates to friend, but like so many elements of Cyberpunk 2077, the slang term is derived from a specific cultural context and carries a touch of sardonic weight grounded in the pointed satire of the earliest entries in the long-running Cyberpunk series. Science fiction as a genre is known for extensive world-building, but usually uses the future as a means to reflect on the present. Star Trek's centuries of in-universe conflict and Dune's nearly unrecognizable far future accomplish – at a base level – the same goal as Cyberpunk 2077's extensive use of slang: pointed critique of modern society.