If they weren't called "video games", what would you call them?

I was just sitting here thinking gosh, "video game" does sound a bit silly, even though we're all completely used to it now and it's probably fine. Still, other mediums have such simpler names with a certain reverence to them now - books, movies, music, art . . . video games. It's no sillier than "motion picture" was before being simplified, but it's never quite rolled off my tongue nicely.

So . . . what would you call them? Is there even a better name?

Zertubuu

Games is pretty much the movies of video games. Short and sweet, over-encompassing, simple. You understand what someone's talking about by context, and if you need a more explicit approach you can always just say "video games" to clarify. The same as someone talking about movies, then maybe needing to specifically refer to a "feature length film" or something.

Now, if you want to be fancy, it's hard to beat Ben's interactivities shout.

I actually don't use the term videogames that much.

I mostly go with console games, pc games, smartphone games ..etc

They're cursed with being called video games for all eternity. On some podcast, either the bombcast or the brodeo they were tackling this topic and someone came with Denties, short for digital entertainment and I think about that every once in a while. I feel like Vidjas has also done pretty well for itself in the long run.

digiblast. or compuboom.

alternatively: electrasport. not to be confused with e-sports.

@rokuthirteen: Yeah,"interactivities" definitely stuck with me as being the "film" of video games. It's such a good/"good" term.

I look forward to the day that I see Jeff G and his collection referred to as an "interactivities archivist."

I just say games, also, it's totally fine, but that isn't a particularly accurate name all the time, either. I didn't necessarily 'play' Firewatch, for example. There's a reason Jeff asked what it was fifteen times, even though it was just funny, and I think it's because it transcended the word 'game' almost entirely. I progressed through it, I controlled a thing, definitely, but it was more than gaming because the mechanics were unimportant. All other types of games rely on mechanics or rules completely, but some (maybe a lot) of video games don't. The only constant is interactivity, so "interactivities" is much more consistent of a name to me; I like it.

Hardly some serious issue, ha, I'm just not satisfied with the term sometimes. There have been some great responses; so glad I made this thread. God, I wish they were called digiblasts. So much worse of a name, yet better.

Computer games, because honestly, that's a lot more accurate to what they are and people still know what you're talking about.

Time wasters

We all know it's true.

The Marios

Entertainment apps or play apps.

@gamer_152: it is correct but the word computer usually refers to personal computers. Although, it applies to consoles and smartphones but the public is used to computers being personal computers.

Now, that i think of it a couple of countries calls consoles as "Games Computers"

I had my time where I felt the word "games" hurt the medium's chances of being taken seriously as an art form, and that even the usage of the word "playing" in regards to them trivialized thier seriousness.

Nowadays I don't really care. Games are fine. I don't even have a problem with the word "gamer", though I see a lot of hate for it.

Indoortainment.

Funmakers, joyboys, buttontouchies.

But yeah, "video game" isn't nearly as silly sounding as "movie". "It's like looking at a photograph, but more... movey!"

Isn't that true with everything you could possibly do in life though? Ultimately when you think about it you're simply trying to not be bored before death. Thus is the meaning of life.

Computer games.

It’s what people of a certain generation know them as. Before home consoles, it was either computer games or the arcade. It might be more of a European thing I guess as we had Commodores and Spectrums etc.

My in-laws still refer to them as computer games even when the game is being played on a PlayStation or an Xbox.

multimedia

Controlfilms

Definitely computer games. Or just games for short, but I do that anyway.

Electronic thingamabob

Going by the movie logic of moving pictures --> movies, it would fit to go from "controllable media" to "controllies". Alternately, "conbits" or "visibits" for "controllable/visible bits" since we so often talk about them as being 8-bit games, having a 16-bit aesthetic, etc and it fits in with "films" getting their name from being on rolls of film.

I could also see calling them "digital/virtual plays" since being a "video game player" has so many similarities to being an "actor playing a role" in a play. If you want to get really short and lazy with it, you could even call them "acties" since you, the player, are always acting out some sort of role (excluding games like Tetris which have no characters).

Basically, anything that sounds kinda lazy and serves as a shorthand for "what they are" or "what they do" works since that's how a lot of other mediums are named. I mean, we even already do it for most actual video game genres like "Role-Playing Game", "First-Person Shooter" and "Platformer". Even "Walking Simulator" follows this rule, if in a rather derogatory way.

All that being said, I'm fine with "video games" even if it doesn't always fit.

Well, if moving pictures are movies then I guess video games could be called screenies. You know, on account of video games usually being played on some sort of a screen. Feel free to not ever use that term.

@onarum: yeah, "digital time wasters" is what immediately jumped to mind.

game videos

TV games seems like the alternative logical evolution of the name. Some languages, notably Japanese, use that term.

Electronic games probably.

cyberdrugs

Electron Fiddlers
TV Tweakers
Neuron Noodlers
Tapes for the Fun Box

found the winner. it even abbreviates to electrafidz. lectrofidz? FIDZ! gotta get my FIDZ.

actually i take it back- neuro-noodz is easily the best, because then we get noodzstop and noodzspot.

Electronic interactive media > Interactivities > Interacties

Durgers

For whatever reason when talking to people who arent into games themselves I always default to Computer Games.

Verby Gerbs

Money pits.

I'd have called them, Chazzwazzers.

Clickies.

This logic doesn't really work because motion pictures is already an established phrase which is shortened to movies. If you went from video games to, like, "vidies (viddy? videe? vidii?)" it would make more sense.

It's too bad "games" is such a broad term that it can't be automatically associated with video games *ahem* videes.

@casepb said:

Not really, to me our brief sojourn down here in this place is an opportunity to challenge and grow ourselves, and video games don't exactly do that (this coming from someone who spends 30+ hours gaming weekly, laziness is a bitch).

BUT this begins to enter in a philosophical discussion which is not the intent of the thread of course.

@banefirelordWhat if you don't use a mouse though?

Games

Funbits.

The blippin and the bopping and the pewdepoops

"Actives" (shortened from "Interactive)

I genuinely think the fact that "game" is in the title holds the medium back.

There was an article about this on the Video Game History Foundation recently.

https://gamehistory.org/a-video-game-by-any-other-name/

I'm a big fan of Poolhall Thrill.

@onarum: Pressies.