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[Evil Monkey DTT]

Game feels like the term movie to me. "It's called a movie because the pictures move and we are super 1920s in the way we talk". Are their better names, of course their are. But it could be worse, they could be called "computer applications"

 

[Feffe]

It looks like that like comic book fans had to invent the "graphic novel" terminology because look, "comics" are too childish, now video game fans have to do the same.

Personally I'm fine with "digital toys".

 

[Duchess O'Death]

Yes, it's holding back many good games because people would say they're not "gamey" enough. Not every piece of interactive entertainment needs to be "gamey".

Today's Game Informer podcast had it on point while talking about Hellblade. I don't have the exact quote but they talked about that people are calling it a walking simulator and all that. Art is not supposed to be always "fun". Even the game director had talked about this game is not about "fun".

Interactive Entertainment can be a work of art and it should not be held back by the term "video game".

 

[Taliban Stan]

It fits fine for me.

I think people will mention stuff like Heavy Rain, Telltale, etc as examples but to me those are totally games. Just when you think they might purely be an interactive story and not a game, they throw in some crappy game element to make sure they can still fit the definition. They go from maybe something totally new to simply a game with a lot of story and pretty simplistic mechanics.

When I think of "games" that really push the definition of a game, stuff like Mario Paint, MTV Music Generator, Spider-man Cartoon Maker, etc... those were like software programs released on consoles or PC as games because they were for kids and I honestly think people had an idea that there are kids who would be into Pro Tools and Photoshop if it was dumbed down, but they didn't really know how or where to market something like that outside of video games. They're sold in the same area as games and run on systems that also run games, but it's like they're only they because PCs and video game systems are the only things that a bunch of kids have with the power and interface to not be a nightmare.

"Video game" is too narrow a term when people are pushing the boundaries and challenging if "digital and interactive" means something must be a game by default. I think the industry has banned itself from making content that pushes up on that, so the term fits just fine.

If we're talking about blurring the lines between other mediums as being what makes "video game" a limiting term, I don't think a game studio will be behind that. They may be partnered with for tech, but I think the majority of the push will come from the other medium. I think a game studio will always self-regulate and throw in elements that undeniably make it a game, for better or worse.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Nah, I think its fine. Just that any game that tries to be more like an "interactive entertainment" we can just call it a walking simulator or a some lousy Telltale game.

 

[nkarafo]

Video games is perfect.

"Games" already imply interaction and entertainment without being a mouthful. "Video" implies you need a monitor/TV so that differentiates them from toys or other kinds of games (like board games).

The only exception is board games that also require a screen (like Mansion of Madness). I consider these a hybrid between board and video games.

 

[jtb]

Considering the homogeneity of roughly 99% of the medium, uh, no.

 

[Rodolink]

The "correct" (usual) term in media studies is "digital games" and I also think is to broad since not all digital experiences are "games" and even defining "games" is debatable and a big topic in Game Studies.
Also I don't like to say I'm "playing" a game since it doesn't feel like something to be taken seriously as for example "reading" a book or "watching" a movie. so I guess we'll have to find out new words

 

[gafneo]

I sometimes call it "interactive entertainment" or "interactive art" but the latter sounds pretentious.



Playie?

Gamie?

Enteractie?

I like the term art thrown in there. Carts would be nice. Stands for computer arts. Hey Beth, want to hang out, watch a movie, play some carts with me? It's also a play on the physical media cartridge that we no longer have. By naming the media that, we preserve the times we had from the age of physical hardware.

 

[EGM1966]

It is but I agree with others that like "movies" it's just the popular term now and widely recognised.

Only really issue about it is when people argue against stuff like Gone Home not being video games.

They're not games but they sure are video games.

 

[Weltall Zero]

I like what people have been saying about interactive experiences.

As others have pointed out though, too long of a phrase to catch on.

Inties! Then you have AAA inties and indie inties!

All labels are bad, more important to worry about meaning than semantic dictionary definitions.

Signaling depth can often have the opposite effect than intended if your audience is aware of it.

 

[Human Trashcan]

Yes, it's holding back many good games because people would say they're not "gamey" enough. Not every piece of interactive entertainment needs to be "gamey".

Today's Game Informer podcast had it on point while talking about Hellblade. I don't have the exact quote but they talked about that people are calling it a walking simulator and all that. Art is not supposed to be always "fun". Even the game director had talked about this game is not about "fun".

Interactive Entertainment can be a work of art and it should not be held back by the term "video game".

It's not holding anything back. Hellblade still exists, and the people that don't like it wouldn't like it more if it wasn't called "videogame" (and Hellblade is 100% a videogame so that's an odd example). And if it wasn't called a videogame it's not like it would suddenly reach a much wider audience.

Let language do its thing. There is no word or term that will perfectly capture what videogames can be that isn't awkward as hell. Videogames (or video games) is fine. Language evolves. It's okay if not every videogame adheres to the traditional definition of a game.

This discussion feels more like hand-wringing over "my hobby won't get taken seriously if it's called video games" than any pressing need to come up with a new label for videogames.

 

[kraspkibble]

i think video game is fine.

or just game. that's what they are and nothing more.

 

[cakely]

Sure, and I also feel the same way about "Comic book".

I don't get a say in changing how the genre is referred to. Insisting that people call the medium "Graphic Novel" or "Sequential Art" just makes me sound foolish.

It is what it is until the mainstream decides otherwise.

 

[ViviOggi]

Yes, it's holding back many good games because people would say they're not "gamey" enough. Not every piece of interactive entertainment needs to be "gamey".

Today's Game Informer podcast had it on point while talking about Hellblade. I don't have the exact quote but they talked about that people are calling it a walking simulator and all that. Art is not supposed to be always "fun". Even the game director had talked about this game is not about "fun".

Interactive Entertainment can be a work of art and it should not be held back by the term "video game".

But this is an issue with the audience's general attitude, not with the term that happens to have stuck to describe the medium - which is really as fine a term as any. As the medium matures people will stop expecting every game to be tailored for their own tastes and simply gravitate toward styles that appeal to them.

We'll get proper videogame critics and academics eventually, and they'll come up with the much needed additions to the medium's vocabulary. But I guarantee that they won't attempt to call them anything other than videogames as that's simply a futile effort.

 

[Clessidor]

.
Also I don't like to say I'm "playing" a game since it doesn't feel like something to be taken seriously as for example "reading" a book or "watching" a movie. so I guess we'll have to find out new words

But when an actor is playing a role suddenly the act of playing is considered seriously. Why is playing a game not serious then? That's just a social stigma which might pass away from time to time through video games with serious topics/themes.

 

[Proc]

I prefer plastic play things.

 

[Aleh]

I like the term video games. It has nothing inherently negative in it, and some people wouldn't stop having negative opinions about them even if they were called differently anyways.

 

[Nestunt]

Sometimes, that crosses my mind. But, in the end, I think that the main issue resides in the fact that the concept of "Game" has not evolved in common-sense language the same way it has in many fields of academic/scientific discourse.

I think that, as we become more and more "Homo ludens", the concept and its usage will gain the reach Academia gives it (probably even more) and day-to-day discourse will be more generous towards what "Gaming" means.

 

[Nitpicker_Red]

Games, in software form: Video Game

Playable software: Playware

 

[Council Pop]

The problem with the term 'Interactive Entertainment' is that we don't just play video games for 'entertainment'. Not only does does that definition exclude experimental, conceptual games, educational games, and games with difficult subject matter (not sure anyone would claim That Dragon, Cancer was 'entertainment'), but it also excludes high level competitive multiplayer gamers, who are playing for sport, not for entertainment. They may find it entertaining at times, but it's still sport, just like playing football or whatever.

 

[gafneo]

Here we go, let's call them Digies, Digime or Digi Games. Hello Mark, put on the digi we can play till we wait for a picnic at 5pm at night at Lisa's backyard where we throw the football.

 

[Astral Dog]

Vidies sounds more appropiate

 

[MutFox]

So the words that most people are coming up with are:

Interactive
Digital
Electronic
Arts
Video
Games

Probably be able to create some words out of that.

Vedia Videa Vige Vegi Dive etc...

 

[Shifty]

I like the idea behind calling it Interactive Entertainment, but it's twice as many syllables as Video Game. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Probably be able to create some words out of that.

Interactive Digital Electronic Art Video Games

we're done here

 

[meerak]

Signaling depth can often have the opposite effect than intended if your audience is aware of it.

They're not aware duder. Far from it.

Don't be so afraid of less than simple ideas and jump to fight them huh?

Basic concept of a "good label" for games is utterly laughable, and that's ok. After all, we have so many great labels for everything else right...

In all seriousness, I don't look down on people for wishing for helpful labels, but it's the wrong wish. Wish for understanding and a world where definitions aren't simple. Not one where the definition fits what *you want*. It's ok for definitions to be liquid. There is no good name, not for games, not for anything. Promote conversation, not definition.

 

[Metalmarc]

Ultra cool looking sprite thingyjama bob

 

[Wulfram]

So the words that most people are coming up with are:

Interactive
Digital
Electronic
Arts
Video
Games

Probably be able to create some words out of that.

Vedia Videa Vige Vegi Dive etc...

Video Art Games In Novel Arenas

 

[Canklestank]

Should we call them Inties/Enties?

Really the only problem I have with the term "video games" is that the term "video" doesn't really make sense to describe what a video game is. Digital game? Computer Generated Interactive Entertainment? Yeah, I'm just going to stick with video game. It has a nice, simple ring to it.

 

[Weltall Zero]

They're not aware duder. Far from it.

You (unsurprisingly) misunderstand. I mean that your audience is aware of your transparent attempt to signal depth.

Don't be so afraid of less than simple ideas and jump to fight them huh?

OK, so we've gone from platitudes to straight up grammatically nonsensical sentences. I'm out.

 

[LegendofLex]

And while motion picture is a term still used (and as a venerable and/or historical marker i.e. the MPAA was formed in 1922), film and movies tends to be the norm nowadays.

"Film" refers to a medium that's almost never used today.

"Movie" is literally just a colloquial abbreviation of "moving picture."

Meanwhile, all video games use video as a content delivery medium and rules to facilitate interactivity, so they continue to be "video games." (Vs. non-video content and non-rules-based interactivity.)

Unless you're going to invent a game that can be played only with sound/smell/touch/taste inputs, or a form of interactive entertainment that doesn't use rules (this is basically impossible because of the way software works), alternatives like "interactive entertainment" lose descriptive precision and gain basically nothing.

 

[Refreshment.01]

Interactive Media.
Imedia.
Imed. or Medi (Media Interactor)
Imid.
Interware.
Iware.

The medium is not only visual or enteritement focused. Look at something recent like 1 2 Switch which goes beyond looking at flat images on a TV and some games rely on sound mostly.

What distinguishes the medium is the "interaction" and the software is composed or focused around the interactivity using different types of media (touch, sounds and/or images).

Interactive Experience. Intex?
Video Game is too ingrained in pop culture to be replaced at this point tbh.

Imedia is good, and it's kinda catchy. Sounds like an Apple product though lol

Apple didn't cross my mind when writting some of the terms... but you do have a point. Is a testament of the marketing prowess of Apple and how engrained in culture they have become.

As for suggestions from other members "Interactive Experiences" is an interesting one. But maybe abreviated as "Inex" instead of Intex?

"Interactive Works" could also work. Abreviated "Inworks" ?

Another one but less encompassing could be "Interactive Play". Abreviated "Inplay". Yes, with all due respect to "Interplay" the company XD Great name btw.

Using the word "Play" as the user: Interacts playing a game. Playing a role. Or been an actor in a virtual play.

The "Inplay(s)" word and plural seems fitting in a VR context also. "Inplays" sounds a bit like "In Place" which is one of the main goals of VR in terms of transporting the user to a virtual place.

Inties! Then you have AAA inties and indie inties!

i thought about the exact same term when some other members where talking about a "Movies" like equivalent. Specially because is a play of the "Interaction or Interactivity" words which is at the center of the medium.

"Inties" is probably the most catchy one while not the most original.

 

[MoonFrog]

There are games that are meant to educate, test, and learn about humans that are completely "serious" in nature. Consider war games, LSAT logic games, or games used as sociological or psychological experiments.

I don't see why video games can't also push what you can do with a game.

 

[meerak]

You (unsurprisingly) misunderstand. I mean that your audience is aware of your transparent attempt to signal depth.

OK, so we've gone from platitudes to straight up grammatically nonsensical sentences. I'm out.

Grammar is worthless outside initial education. I'm not a prescriptivist. Those people ruined the world. You're dancing around "signalling depth" without saying what you actually feel / think about anything. That's a communication failure far greater than "grammar".

Complete your thoughts - I can't read minds.

The audience is aware... and what?

What about it?

 

[Nafai1123]

I like Interactive Entertainment, or IE for short. Just like television has been shortened to TV.

"Can't go out tonight guys, gonna play some IE."

Or, since "games" has already become synonymous with it, we just change the name to Graphical Assisted Media Entertainment and call them games (which we already do). Nowadays the word game is more associated with video games than any other kind of gaming, which is why you have to specify when you're talking about "board game night" or whatever.

 

[Budi]

Nah I don't think the title is narrow. It's just that some people have really narrow view of what video games are and can be.

 

[Weltall Zero]

"Inties" is probably the most catchy one while not the most original.

Eh, originality doesn't rank very high in the list of qualities I look for in a term. Hell, if anything it means other people think it's an appropriate term, which is a plus, not a minus.

Grammar is worthless outside initial education.

Holy shit, no wonder half of your posts are incoherent ramblings (I'm not even sure you're not drunk or high).

I'm not a prescriptivist.

I thought you hated labels?

Those people ruined the world.

Hahah, sure. Fuck global warming, perpetual wars or consummerism, the true bane of humanity is people who insist on calling things by their name.

You're dancing around "signalling depth" without saying what you actually feel / think about anything.

What I actually think is that you are signalling depth. It is a 100% precise term with a very defined meaning, which I know aren't your forte. Do you even understand what I mean when I say you're signaling depth? Google "signalling" if you must.

That's a communication failure far greater than "grammar".

I am 100% in agreement that there is a communication failure.

Complete your thoughts - I can't read minds.

Apparently you can't even read words. Or care to write them in a coherent manner.

The audience is aware... and what?

What about it?

For fuck's sake. Fine, I'll spoon-feed it to you.
The audience (GAF) is more intelligent that you give them credit for. We are aware that your attempts to sound deep are exactly that, attempts. There's zero true insight or depth to your trite, worn, regurgitated platitudes, not a shred of original or intelligent thought; the equivalent of cookie fortunes.

Hence, "signalling depth". Using language without an intent to actually communicate, only to appear in posession of a certain virtue.