Katamari Creator: Video Games Need a New Name

Katamari and Noby Noby Boy creator Keita Takahashi, speaking at a conference exploring the “role of the video game in adult life,” has said that he feels the moniker “video game” is too cliquey, and needs to be changed.

“It sounds harsh, but I think it would be great if we took the ‘video’ out of ‘video game,’ and replace the word ‘game’ with ‘play’… The connotations of ‘play’ are to have fun – in fact, we could just change the word ‘play’ to ‘fun’ too. I think that would open games up to become more accessible, but I’m aware that some gamers are very… protective,” Takahashi said. Just bear in mind that this idea has come from the brain of the man who invented both Katamari and Noby Noby Boy, two of the strangest things ever created.

In particular, Takahashi was trying to point out that the advent of games on iPhones, Facebook, and other more mainstream sites are becoming incredibly popular, and the inclusive nature of “gamers” is hindering the progression into harder drugs more hardcore games.

So, just stop calling them “video games”, and start calling them “fun”. Just walk into your local gaming shop and say “Shopkeep! One unit of ‘fun’, please!”

[Via GoNintendo]

Please Recommend RipTen on Facebook

TAGS: , , , , , ,

Related Articles

  • http://www.poisonmushroom.org David Oxford

    While I’m not sure about the direction, I have agreed with the sentiment for some time now. With some programs not even being “games” (language teachers, 100 Classic Books, cooking programs, maybe some fitness stuff), and the fact that I worry “games” invites trouble from people who think the term is exclusive to children’s fare, maybe another term would be better.

  • http://www.ripten.com/author/Sam%20Naylor/ Sam Naylor

    You have to think about the medium being respected as an artform. If it was called something silly, it would be (as you say) too child-associated. I think whatever common parlance is will reign supreme no matter what.

  • http://www.poisonmushroom.org David Oxford

    Eh, I’m not too concerned about the art form thing. Odds are, if it ever does receive widespread recognition as such, it will probably be long after we’re old and irrelevant. Movies no doubt went through the same thing.

    If it happens, it happens. But it will probably be slow to happen, as generations pass and games become more and more widely accepted. And odds are, the name won’t matter.

    Still, at least movies have “motion pictures” as a pseudonym that sounds sort of classy. What have we got? I kind of favor “interactive entertainment,” myself.