GameSetWatch

Poking around the Interweb, we stumbled into a post from the 'Notes From The Copy Editor' blog discussing the whole 'video game' vs. 'videogame' discussion - or even video-game - from a reasonably neutral, non-gamer perspective - though the blogger is not actually a professional copy editor. And it's interesting stuff, providing you're not bored with the entire thing already.

He references the AP and New York Times' wish to spell it 'video-game' at times, but plumps for videogame as his preference, noting gleefully: "I'd imagine that proponents of video game are just as irked by videogame as I was (and still am) by the AP's preference for adviser over the much more common advisor." He also references both David Sirlin and Benj Edwards' refutations of the IGJA's choice of 'videogame' - and then Sirlin turns up in the comments looking endearingly upset.

His conclusion is contrary to my beliefs, but hey, I'm still printing it, folks: "The writers behind the Videogame Style Guide no doubt knew the various connotations that people attach to these different spellings, and they probably anticipated many of the arguments against their unlikely choice. Nevertheless, for this styleguide they had to mandate one of the two options. I think they chose the right one, but I believe them when they say that they didn't make this decision lightly." Fair enough!

Comments

"Notes from the Proofreader" and "Notes from the Quality Assurance Editor," didn't have quite the same ring, and I'm hoping to get back into straight-up copy editing at some point. I'm also an avid gamer, though I have nothing to do with that stuff professionally.

(Scoop! As they say.)

Thanks for the link. Edwards' rebuttal of IGJA's argument is prettymuch the strongest case for "video game" that I can imagine.

Posted by: Dan | October 6, 2007 8:43 AM

And here English can learn something from it's close brother Dutch.

In Dutch this would be a non discussion since where allowed to take two random words, glue them together to make a new totally legit word.

Personally I don't have a problem with videogame or cardgame. As a matter of fact that's how write it down if I don't pay attention.

Posted by: Huigelaar | October 6, 2007 9:40 AM

Funny, I just finished reading a post on Bill Walsh's blog about "onewordization." I'm a big fan of Walsh's, and the entry (and the blog in general) is worth checking out:

http://theslot.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-recently-lodged-protest-when-copy.html

Posted by: jeffk | October 6, 2007 11:07 AM

I've yet to hear a compelling argument for not just using 'game'.

"Video game" (two words, as English is not German or Dutch) tells me nothing except that the writer didn't want to use "computer game", and was labouring under the misapprehension that a general readership would not be able to tell that they weren't talking about any other kind of game and/or wishes it was 1982.

Something that is much more confusing and clearly inappropriate is referring to the games industry (or companies, sector, etc.) as the "gaming industry". The gaming industry are the guys that run casinos.

Posted by: Robin | October 8, 2007 2:38 AM

I enjoyed reading Dan's intelligent and level-headed take on the debate. Thanks for finding it, Simon.

Posted by: Benj Edwards | October 8, 2007 9:52 PM