Overused Video Game Terminology

[Luke]

Can we retire a few of these words for a while?

Epic.
Clips of a drunk guy throwing a hadoken on youtube is not epic. Not every good game should be labeled as epic. We've been blessed with some incredible games the past decade, and I'm sure I've played most of the "perfect" games out there, but very few are epic. I love FFX, but wouldn't quite call it epic. The only game I can think of that actually fits as being epic would be Shadow of the Colossus.

Surreal.
I think a lot of people want to say, "Man it was so real at that moment", and use the word surreal incorrectly. It just seems everyone throws around the word surreal to describe anything these days. It's like how everyone use to say "how ironic" when there was nothing ironic about the situation. Ya know what is ironic? Nothing in the song "Ironic" is actually ironic. Now there is some irony there.

Immersion.
This has more to do with the developers than the gamers, but it's definitely a buzz word that is catching on with full steam. BioShock is one of those games that I haven't had a chance to play yet, but I've been told that it achieves immersion through Rapture. That makes me want to play it, because I believe it. But, I can't see how people can say they get immersed into Madden 2010 or SF IV. Very few times have I actually felt that feeling of immersion. Probably the last time I felt like I was almost in the game would be Doom 3 on the PC.

So, those are my big three. I'd add "meh" to the list, but it isn't really video game related.

And it's not that these words or the misuse of them grate on my nerves, I just think they are way overused.

Any other terms you guys see way too much when referring to games?

[fuctfuct]

Can we retire a few of these words for a while?

Epic.
Clips of a drunk guy throwing a hadoken on youtube is not epic. Not every good game should be labeled as epic. We've been blessed with some incredible games the past decade, and I'm sure I've played most of the "perfect" games out there, but very few are epic. I love FFX, but wouldn't quite call it epic. The only game I can think of that actually fits as being epic would be Shadow of the Colossus.

I have nothing to add. But i %100 agree with this. Especially the bold part!

[t0yrobo]

I'd have to glean over Kotaku to find more, but the one that pops to mind is "sandbox/open world".

[Luke]

I'd have to glean over Kotaku to find more, but the one that pops to mind is "sandbox/open world".

Well, in all fairness, that just defines a type of game, just like the label rpg.

[fastbilly1]

Hardcore

[latenitevacancy]

yeah, I'm actually beginning to hate the word "epic" altogether. I have a friend that uses it constantly for every situation every where, and I really don't think everything needs to be labeled "epic".

[CRTGAMER]

RROD, YLOD and BRICK.

[dsheinem]

What a surreal thread for hardcore gamers to immerse themselves in. I'm sure it's going to be epic.

RROD, YLOD and BRICK as overused terminology? meh.

[Hatta]

I can think of a bunch of shmups that would qualify as epic.

Surreal, I haven't heard abused much. The only game I can think of that fits would be Psychonauts.

Immersion, I'd agree that it doesn't mean what people seem to think it means. The most immersive games I've played would be Nethack and Civilization. After an hour of playing either of those, everything else ceases to exist. Realism has nothing to do with it.

[fuctfuct]

What a surreal thread for hardcore gamers to immerse themselves in. I'm sure it's going to be epic.

RROD, YLOD and BRICK as overused terminology? meh.

lul