Particle

A point containing data that controls how the effect behaves and looks. You can attach sprites or meshes to particles for different results. Particles are emitted in particle systems and they are the backbone of a Realtime VFX artists toolbox.

Further explanation of particles use in film can be found below. In realtime, they have some limitations (particlecount, interparticle collision and rendering) that are not covered, but the videos give a good overview.