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I have noticed disparity among spellings of "videogame." Some choose a two-word approach ("video game"), while others choose a compound word approach ("videogame").
As the medium gains prominence in multiple fields – and especially as it’s carving out an academic niche, where these things are exceedingly important – I think it’s pertinent to clarify which representation is most appropriate.
(It’s also a good thing to hash out during the infancy of this forum.)
On one hand, "video game" emphasizes the game-ness of the phenomenon with its adjective approach. The term denotes a certain kind of game – one played on a video screen. Ludological approaches to the phenomenon are thus justified by the term viewed in this fashion.
On the other, "videogame" is way of denoting a phenomenon whose meaning transcends those of its root words. It’s a way of showing videogames are not merely kinds of games. Yes, they’re games, but they have properties and capacities that are a bit different from "traditional" (for lack of a better word) games.
"Videogame" is most appropriate, I think, because the phenomenon deserves its own word (not merely a modifier attached to an older term). |
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