Name of the Game

As video games have become more prominent, there have sometimes been attempts to coin new terms for the medium or its genres which may be more descriptive, have different connotations, or may be simple abbreviations to make it easier to type or say. This page will contain a list of some examples, and perhaps some new proposals.

• Vidcon – combined abbreviations of “video” and “console,” somewhat excluding games on PC
• * seen in Barkley's Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley Saga, by Tales of Game's Studios
• Vidya – from “vidya gaems,” a 4chan-ism
• Disportechny – a macaronic term from English “disport,” an amusement, with a literal origin meaning “carried away,” and Greek “tekne,” the root of modern English “tech”

• Fightman
• Versus Fighter – an attempt to distinguish from beat 'em ups, where there are many opponents at a time

• Shmup – abbreviation of “shoot 'em up,” to distinguish from first-person shooters, etc.
• STG – syllabic abbreviation of “ShooTing Game,” possibly originating in Japan; often used out of distaste for “shmup”

• Ego Shooter – from “ego,” self, denoting that they are played from a first-person viewpoint