What term/phrase in gaming bothers you the most?

[X-pert74]

For me, it's easily the term "AAA". I see this term used all the time on the internet, and I always find it annoying. Usually it goes along with the mentality that only "AAA" games (whatever the fuck people can agree the term actually refers to at any given time, but usually games with the biggest marketing budget) are actually worth playing, which is something I heavily disagree with. There are good big-budget games, but they're by no means the "only" good games out there. Whenever I hear someone claim that, I feel bad for the fact that they're missing out on a number of smaller games that could very well end up appealing to them a great deal.


What about you?

[Ike]

"Metroidvania" is frustrating for several reasons. Mostly because it's such an awkward portmanteau of the two series that define the genre best (even though they certainly aren't the only ones) and especially because I can't think of a word or phrase that's more concise and describes it better.

[Weasel]

Thankfully some of these aren't as prolific as they were a few years ago...

SKU or Stock-Keeping Unit. This kind of terminology should really be kept to the store management crowd, not thrown about to the general public.

(game)-killer. Okay, back when Descent came around, magazines were calling it "the Doom-killer." Unreal was billed as "the Quake-killer." I've seen some aggressive marketing, but as time goes on, this is about the dumbest type of marketing possible - it all came to a grinding halt when I saw sites like Gamespy referring to Breed as "the Halo-killer." Halo didn't need killing; it committed suicide with that Library level. =P (Not to mention Breed sucked.)

(game)-clone. This is just as bad as (game)-killer, except it's perpetuated by the gamers, not by the companies that make the games. When something's called a "Halo-clone" or "CoD-clone" it's often not a favorable comparison; I often see this term flanked by other words like "uninspiring" or "crap." Often times, games are given the title of a "clone" even if they're not even remotely trying to compete with the previous title. I swear, I hear "Call of Duty clone" being attached to stuff like Serious Sam 3 BFE!

[Warchief Onyx]

I really hate the term "(game)-killer" as it's just a hype tool thrown around by PR people and the gaming press. Nine times out of ten, the game is astoundingly mediocre, or at the very least doesn't come close to deserving that title even if it is a good game.

[Deleted]

Immersive simulation or whatever that term for kings field games was that was floating around here a month ago. It sounds really pretentious for what amounts to "hey, fps without HUD indicators.". It just kind of sounds like something "thistroper" pulled out of their ass.

Sorry. Hatris gonna h8.

[munchy]

Reboot, because it almost always denotes an impending tidal wave of retardation.

[steven]

To be honest, I don't get bothered much when it comes to gaming terms. I'm naturally mellow by nature and if I happen to see something I don't like (like a profusely ignorant take), I simply take my eyes elsewhere.

However, one term that has slightly irked me is how much/easily people throw the term "obscure" around these days. I remember back in 2003, you didn't see that word so much. Then with the boom of blogs and YouTube channels, you got everyone and his brother talking obscure games. That doesn't bother me per se, but the overuse and sometimes even improper use of the word has watered down its meaning for me personally quite a bit since 2003

[Snarboo]

Aug 19, 2011 19:01:17 GMT -5 munchy said:

Reboot, because it almost always denotes an impending tidal wave of retardation.

This, a thousand times this. Of course, they used to use the term "remake" so I'm not sure which is worse.

[kyouki]

SKU
Franchise
IP
core gameplay/mechanics
gameplay

"Gameplay" is not worth discussing since you are either for the word or against it and nothing anyone will say on either side will convince anyone.

However, I gotta talk about "core gameplay." Not only do games have gameplays, but now they have core gameplays, and so I guess that means they also have other gameplays closer to the surface. Multiple gameplays per game! That's why games cost $60 retail now.

I have no clue how "franchise" came to mean "series of games." I guess from sports? Still makes no sense.

IP is a word used to distance the speaker from the fact that he or she is talking about videogames. It's business lingo, pure and simple. But it's hilarious when a game reporter uses it. Repeating a bunch of words you heard Reggie say during a presentation doesn't make you a serious journalist!

[Snarboo]

I always took "gameplay" as being a fancier way of saying "game mechanics". Usually when someone says they don't like how a game plays, they usually are referring to game mechanics, say how Mario jumps in SMB or turn based battles in an RPG.

[Warchief Onyx]

I usually use "franchise" for a big series of games (including spinoffs and non-game things like movies and books) that make mad bank. Which makes sense. Like I wouldn't call a niche series a franchise. But something like Mario, Halo, or Final Fantasy? Definitely.

It has its origins in the term "media franchise," which is mainly used in the US. And could be used for just about any video game series without being wrong.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_franchise

[Jave]

Risk/Reward

It's a legitimate term, to be sure, but it's overused to the point of nearly losing all meaning. Yes, games typically reward the player for doing something that he/she might not succeed at doing, could we please reserve this particular turn of phrase for situations where players are rewarded for deliberately doing something, you know, risky, like as in when a non-risky alternative would have been available?

Puzzle

Likewise, is it just me, or is just about everything in games that isn't "kill him in the face" referred to as a puzzle these days? Do we not have a more appropriate word? Or hell, do we even need a word for it? Are we really that averse to the idea that an action game might require thinking from time to time?

[Ike]

What context is "SKU" being used in that's bugging you guys? I have no idea what that's supposed to mean to anybody who isn't working in a store.

[justjustin]

Retro: A fine term if used properly, but 99 percent of the time it's used to just mean "old." It's only retro if the game is new, but designed to be like an older game.

LTTP: At first I didn't understand why people kept using the acronym for A Link to the Past, but eventually found out it meant "late to the party." Late to what party? It makes it sound like you were supposed to play this objectively awesome game, but missed out, so you have to apologize and say you were late on playing this game just because everyone else loves it.

Bomba: I think this is a NeoGaf thing, and I hope it stays there. It basically means an earlier than expected price drop due to poor performance in stores. Just say sale, or price cut. Please.

Gameplay: I'm another gameplay hater. I eventually realized there's no consistent place to drawn the line between the different elements in a game that make this mysterious "gameplay." Where do you mark it off? The "mechanics" are directly linked with the art used in the game to represent it. Sometimes the same mechanic/gameplay in one game is far superior than in a different game. Gameplay can't explain this, and never will.

[derboo]

Aug 19, 2011 19:08:49 GMT -5 Snarboo said:

Aug 19, 2011 19:01:17 GMT -5 munchy said:

Reboot, because it almost always denotes an impending tidal wave of retardation.

This, a thousand times this. Of course, they used to use the term "remake" so I'm not sure which is worse.

Then what would you call Resident Evil 1 on Gamecube in relation to Resident Evil 1 on PSX?