Poll: An alternate name for video games.

[Lenin211]

It has been said that video games need a new name to be taken seriously and not thought of as toys. I thought of the name Interex as an alternate name for the medium. Short for Interactive Experience in much the same way Movie is short for moving picture. So fellow escapists, Do you like the name Interex for our medium? If not post your idea for an alternate name for video games.

 

[Proteus214]

Your portmanteau is incredibly...bad. The problem with making a portmanteau like that is that there is no consideration of the etymology of the new word. In this case it literally means "out from within" which to me sounds like...pooping.

The problem is that we haven't really come up with a concise way to describe a gamified simulation program.

My best alternative would just to use the abbreviation of the above phrase: a "GSP". I'm an engineer so I'm admittedly not very good at that kind of thing.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

Interex sounds painful and like I'll need a bucket and a mop to clean up after it.

I always thought the actual name for 'movies' was Cinema and movies was used in a similar way to talkies and magic picture box.

I'd offer up SimuTainment, although preferably I'd keep calling them games. The term Game is likely, if not already, going to lose negative connotations over the next few Decades/Century anyway.

 

[Damura]

Interex is the best you've got? Holy shit.

 

[VanQ]

Does anyone even call games "video games" anymore. I thought the video part had been pretty mush dropped out altogether once games on TVs/PCs became popular enough that it was pretty much implied. I think "game" is fine, especially since as the younger generation ages, a larger portion of the population has learned to drop the negative connotations of the term. I don't think we need to try so hard to be something different. Just stay the way you are and people will eventually get used to you. If we keep trying to change then people will assume it's because even we don't like ourselves.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Interex sounds like something you'd take to clear up some kind of fungal infection...

OT: Just keep calling them games, that's what they are.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Heh, I was going to say Interactive Experience, but then what would we call the works of Tale of Tales?

I think just 'game' works, as the person above me suggests. Trying to make a new name now is like with people trying to claim all comics are 'graphic novels' as a way to boost maturity.

 

[Hungry Donner]

Your portmanteau is incredibly...bad. The problem with making a portmanteau like that is that there is no consideration of the etymology of the new word. In this case it literally means "out from within" which to me sounds like...pooping.

It's going to be difficult for this idea to come back after that.

 

[erbkaiser]

I vote we keep using the term 'game'. If we must use another term, use 'interactive fiction' or 'interactive media'.

Just because the medium of games can also be used for non-game material, doesn't mean it's not part of the medium. Take books for example: a manual, a textbook for school, a fiction novel, a poetry collection, and even a graphic novel can all be described as books even though other than the medium they appear on they have very little in common.

 

[steeple]

interactive entertainment, because thats basicly what it is!

 

[Phishfood]

Does anyone even call games "video games" anymore. I thought the video part had been pretty mush dropped out altogether once games on TVs/PCs became popular enough that it was pretty much implied. I think "game" is fine, especially since as the younger generation ages, a larger portion of the population has learned to drop the negative connotations of the term. I don't think we need to try so hard to be something different. Just stay the way you are and people will eventually get used to you. If we keep trying to change then people will assume it's because even we don't like ourselves.

I disagree, I will refer to them as just "games" when the context is clear but I do tend to say "computer games" to differentiate from "board games" or "card games" or "[sport] games".

I don't think changing the word will really help attitudes. You can call someone "follicle challenged" and we all know it still means "bald ****" just now we can call them a bald **** without being considered rude.

 

[MisterM2402]

I don't think we can just call them "games" - how does that separate them from board games and the like?

A more decriptive term than "video games" would be "computer games" (they are all games that run on computers, right?). People already call them that - whether that's maybe just a British/Scottish thing, I don't know - so I don't see the need for any change.

"Interex" reminds me of the episode of The Simpsons where Homer is trying to think of names for his new internet company: "This industry moves so fast it's really hard to tell. That's why I need a name that's cutting-edge, like CutCo, EdgeCom, InterSlice...".

 

[CargoHold]

interactive entertainment, because thats basicly what it is!

So int...ent? Intent?

Portmanteaus are clearly not the answer.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

Well, following the tradition of using Greek/Latin...

Lego? (play) Yeah let's call it lego.

 

[steeple]

interactive entertainment, because thats basicly what it is!

So int...ent? Intent?

Portmanteaus are clearly not the answer.

why do we need to shorten it?

I guess inter-tainment would work, but that sounds like the industry of hookering...

 

[GonzoGamer]

I don't think we need to get all pretentious and start coming up with new names.
They ARE games so maybe we should just call them games. There's nothing wrong with a grownup playing a game.

Also, calling them something different wont get people who think they're childish to think of them any differently, we just have to leave them to their knitting and their cats and let them think that they're the only really mature people in the world.

And as for games taking the flak whenever some kid goes berserk: we just have to wait until another big trend that kids enjoy comes along. Maybe we can fool them by pretending to like some really horrible music that nobody really likes. The point is that grownups know that every time some kid goes berserk that it's a failing on their part, so all the politicians and preachers need to tell the parents that it isn't their fault so the parents keep giving them money.

 

[Trolldor]

How about 'video game'. It's both a video and a game an--- oh, wait.