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Vague Words, Buzzwords, and Idiot Words


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Author Topic: Vague Words, Buzzwords, and Idiot Words  (Read 6362 times)
DJ Orwell
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« on: March 19, 2011, 02:53:02 pm »

Feel free to contribute, as always.

  • "innovative" — perhaps the mother of all videogame-related buzzwords.
  • "gameplay" — "The most important part of any game is the gameplay."
  • "graphics" — "Better technology = better graphics. Newer games = better graphics. Always."
  • "immersion" — this word literally means nothing.
  • "depth" — frequently confused with complexity and content.
  • "Adventure Game" — now a buzzword thanks to the Legend of Zelda franchise. When proper qualifiers are applied such as action-adventure (which is what Zelda is) or graphic adventure or text adventure it ceases to be a buzzword.
  • "replayability"
  • "content"
  • "Survival Horror" — this has no commonly accepted definition, and the phrase itself taken literally applies to a ridiculously broad spectrum of games. Most games are about survival (as in not dying) and many games feature horror elements. Is DOOM a Survival Horror game? Is Castlevania a survival horror game? Meaningless.
  • "rewarding" — Exactly tough enough that the person in question didn't find it easy. Alternative usage: meaningless.
  • "frustrating" — Tough enough that the person in question no longer finds the game rewarding. Alternative usage: see cheap, otherwise meaningless.
  • "quarter muncher" — An open admission of credit-feeding. Person who uses this term is to be immediately discredited. Exception: when an arcade game does require multiple credits to complete or otherwise enforces the use of continues, such as many Midway titles (Gauntlet especially).
  • "art"
  • "meaning"
« Last Edit: March 23, 2011, 10:25:30 pm by DJ Orwell » Report Spam   Logged
HardCorpse
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« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2011, 01:05:15 pm »

"mindless"

Usually tossed at arcade games by RPG fans who think "I want to be a dragon" is an exercise in philosophy.
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Hella Slow
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« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2011, 06:54:01 am »

"Survival horror" is meaningless in the same sense that "JRPG" is, but they're both genres. If you only look at semantics then Half-Life 2 is as much of an adventure game as Monkey Island (you go on an adventure). But only games with certain mechanics are called adventure games. Same thing with survival horror.

"Next gen" is possibly the dumbest buzz word around. In common usage it really means nothing at all. Like, I recently saw someone call Oblivion "the first next gen game." Another dumb word is "HD" because usually it's just a synonym for "good graphics," even though that's not what high definition means.

Other buzz words: "retro" and "emergent."
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HAL 9000
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« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2011, 10:43:38 am »

'Innovative' (and 'innovation') are frequently used buzzwords everywhere, from videogames to education to politics to economics, etc. Also, 'immersion' isn't totally meaningless; when you are immersed in a game, you are completely absorbed in it — it's just that the word is used as filler. A much more concise word is 'fun.'

Also: 'creative.' (Well, along the same lines as 'innovative' anyway.)
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DJ Orwell
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« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2011, 01:23:53 pm »

Quote from: Hella Bro
"Survival horror" is meaningless in the same sense that "JRPG" is, but they're both genres.

The difference is that JRPG has a commonly accepted definition whereas Survival Horror does not.

Quote from: Hella Bro
But only games with certain mechanics are called adventure games. Same thing with survival horror.

So exactly what mechanics are required for a game to be considered survival horror?

Quote from: Hella Bro
"Next Gen", "HD", "retro", "emergent"

I will get around to adding these to the list. Thank you.

Quote from: HAL 9000
'Innovative'

Absolutely a buzzword. Should I put "means literally nothing" or a type of quote (WII WAGGLING GIMMICK) where it is frequently used? All great games innovate. In a sense, every videogame innovates (unless it is a carbon copy of an earlier videogame). It's a meaningless word.

EDIT: Hey I already have this AT THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST wtf man?

Quote from: HAL 9000
'immersion' isn't totally meaningless; when you are immersed in a game, you are completely absorbed in it — it's just that the word is used as filler. A much more concise word is 'fun.'

The thing is WRPG fans have somehow found a way to adapt the word exclusively to their genre — when you take the word by its proper definition all good videogames would apply to it, and thus, meaningless.

"Engrossing" would be a better word in most circumstances. In fact, maybe all.

Quote from: HAL 9000
Also: 'creative.'

I don't know if this is misused frequently enough to be a buzzword. "Generic", on the other hand, definitely is.

Quote from: HardCorpse
"mindless"

Oh, this is a good one.

mindless — Person using this word is likely either playing horribly or credit-feeding.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2011, 01:27:22 pm by DJ Orwell » Report Spam   Logged
Hella Slow
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« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2011, 02:11:26 pm »

The difference is that JRPG has a commonly accepted definition whereas Survival Horror does not.

So exactly what mechanics are required for a game to be considered survival horror?
Well, Wikipedia's definition seems about right:
Quote
Survival horror is a subgenre of action-adventure videogame inspired by horror fiction. These games make the player vulnerable by providing them with less ammunition and fewer heavy weapons than other action games. Although combat can be a part of the gameplay, the player is in various ways made to feel less powerful than in typical action games, because of limited ammunition, health, speed, or other limitations. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas, and solve puzzles at certain locations. Games make use of strong horror themes, and the player is often challenged to navigate dark maze-like environments, and react to unexpected attacks from enemies.
Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Amnesia are examples of survival horror, and they're all very similiar. But I guess these days people are also calling games like Left 4 Dead survival horror, so the definition might indeed be murky now.
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DJ Orwell
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« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2011, 03:22:01 pm »

Quote from: Wikipedia
These games make the player vulnerable by providing them with less ammunition and fewer heavy weapons than other action games.

DOOM did this (not every level has heavy weaponry or plentiful ammunition). Castlevania does this.

Quote from: Wikipedia
Although combat can be a part of the gameplay, the player is in various ways made to feel less powerful than in typical action games, because of limited ammunition, health, speed, or other limitations.

In other words, shitty controls and horrible camera perspectives.

But yeah, DOOM does this. Castlevania does this. Not sure what the **** "typical action games" is supposed to be. There is no such thing as a "typical action game".

Quote from: Wikipedia
The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas, and solve puzzles at certain locations

DOOM does this. Castlevania does this.

Quote from: Wikipedia
Games make use of strong horror themes, and the player is often challenged to navigate dark maze-like environments, and react to unexpected attacks from enemies.

DOOM does this. Castlevania does this.

Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill don't have much in the way of "dark, maze-like environments" though. In fact most of DOOM's original levels were this.

Buzzword as hell.
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DJ Orwell
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« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2011, 03:30:33 pm »

Hey look, more self-contradictory bullshit on Wikipedia!

Quote from: Wikipedia
The player character is vulnerable and under-armed,[3] which puts emphasis on puzzle-solving and evasion, rather than violence.

Resident Evil and Silent Hill have MUCH violence and combat sections necessary to progress, ESPECIALLY in the case of the former. DOOM has even more potential to avoid violence as there are very few mandatory fight sequences. You can almost always find a way out or around the enemy. There are virtually no scripted combat sequences, as the standard DOOM engine allows for a very rudimentary level of scripting (local event flags only).

Quote from: Wikipedia
Games commonly challenge the player to manage their inventory[5] and ration scarce resources such as ammunition.

DOOM, Castlevania, etc.

Quote from: Wikipedia
Another major theme throughout the genre is that of isolation. Typically, these games contain relatively few non-player characters and, as a result, frequently tell much of their story second-hand through the use of journals, texts, or audio logs.

DOOM excessively. Not so much Castlevania.

Quote from: Wikipedia
"Survival horror is different from typical game genres in that it is not defined strictly by specific mechanics, but subject matter, tone, pacing, and design philosophy."

okay I'm going to stop reading this now
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Hella Slow
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« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2011, 03:44:42 pm »

Putting aside Wikipedia, those games I listed are all very similiar and considered typical examples of survival horror, and they certainly aren't anything like Doom or Castlevania. I think you are just reading too much into this.
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DJ Orwell
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« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2011, 03:50:39 pm »

Putting aside Wikipedia, those games I listed are all very similiar and considered typical examples of survival horror, and they certainly aren't anything like Doom or Castlevania. I think you are just reading too much into this.

You're missing my point. If DOOM and Castlevania fit Wikipedia's paradigms of the "survival horror" genre then why are they not considered survival horror games? It is a vague, useless classification and several of the given examples violate the stated principles, as I pointed out.

and what the **** do you mean I'm "reading too much into this"?? Am I supposed to take it facetiously? Am I supposed to ignore logic and evidence? What the **** does that mean?

EDIT: holy god Wikipedia is stupid

Quote from: Wikipedia
Starting with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the genre began to incorporate more features from action games, which has led game journalists to question whether long-standing survival horror franchises have abandoned the genre. Still, the survival horror genre has persisted in one form or another.

THERE IS ACTUALLY A QUOTE FROM LEIGH ALEXANDER ON THAT PAGE

Quote from: Wikipedia
Leigh Alexander, the news director of Gamasutra, argues that this represents a shift towards more Western horror aesthetics, which emphasize action and gore rather than the psychological experience of Japanese horror.

Needless to say it's idiotic, and I'm sure her elaboration on that point is even more so.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2011, 03:59:13 pm by DJ Orwell » Report Spam   Logged
HAL 9000
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« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2011, 05:55:03 pm »

Absolutely a buzzword.

I wasn't disagreeing with it.

Quote
EDIT: Hey I already have this AT THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST wtf man?

I was just commenting on it.
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Hella Slow
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« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2011, 01:52:24 am »

You are right about Wikipedia, and if it's a representation of how survival horror is viewed today then it's true that it doesn't mean anything. But I've always thought the genre is pretty clear-cut.
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Zed Di Dragon
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« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2011, 02:35:46 am »

Quote from: Wikipedia
Although combat can be a part of the gameplay, the player is in various ways made to feel less powerful than in typical action games, because of limited ammunition, health, speed, or other limitations.
I can think of exactly one game that doesn't have limited speed.

I submit 'limited' to the list.
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Anttichama
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« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2011, 03:39:28 am »

We can just drop the Survival Horror label and call them Horror Action games. Then we include Doom and other scary games into the genre. Would that be less vague?

The difference is that JRPG has a commonly accepted definition whereas Survival Horror does not.

Would you explain how this commonly accepted definition can fit both Final Fantasy X and Tales of Phantasia into the same genre? People even go as far as calling Action Dungeon Crawlers like Demon's Souls JRPG sometimes.
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Hella Slow
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« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2011, 03:45:14 am »

We can just drop the Survival Horror label and call them Horror Action games. Then we include Doom and other scary games into the genre. Would that be less vague?
Is Doom anything like Resident Evil? Or even Amnesia?
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Anttichama
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« Reply #15 on: March 22, 2011, 03:50:59 am »

Is Doom anything like Resident Evil? Or even Amnesia?

Not really. But is Amnesia anything like Resident Evil either?
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Hella Slow
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« Reply #16 on: March 22, 2011, 04:28:24 am »

Not really. But is Amnesia anything like Resident Evil either?
Both are horror-themed action-adventure games. You explore, collect items for your inventory (sometimes combining them) and solve puzzles (in both games there are also lots of notes scattered around). In RE you can fight, but it's cumbersome and you have very limited ammunition and inventory space. In Amnesia you can't fight at all, you can only hide and run away. Instead of trying to find ammo and weapons you have to collect lantern oil and tinderboxes.
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Anttichama
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« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2011, 05:24:49 am »

Amnesia isn't even close to being the same genre as Resident Evil. All games in the RE series, including 4 & 5, are the same genre. The main elements of Resident Evil is shooting things, tank controls and managing items.
These elements are present throughout the series.

Amnesia is the same genre as games like Clock Tower and Haunting Ground. They are all about running and hiding.

And I don't like defining a genre according to filler elements like notes and "puzzles".

Actually, **** it. I changed my mind on the whole "Horror Action" thing.
There is no "Horror" genre in videogames. If that word should ever be used for describing a game, it should only be used to describe the theme, in a similar way that we use the words sci-fi, steampunk or World War II to describe the themes of games.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2011, 08:13:11 am by Anttichama » Report Spam   Logged
Hella Slow
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« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2011, 06:01:51 am »

The similarities outweigh the differences. I put RE and Amnesia in the same genre.
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« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2011, 10:33:35 am »

  • Pixel Art: I love pixels and sprites, but come on, would that be valid?
  • Ground breaking, revolutionary (I guess that's the same as innovation, right?).
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