Today's most stylistic video: "video game" vs. "videogame"

by Kyle Orland { Feb 26th 2008 at 1:00AM }

It's a debate that's at least as old as our 2005 poll on the subject (which ended in a statistical dead heat) -- should the term "video game" be one word or two. Copy editors, designers, and journalists have all weighed in on the subject (as well as a certain book author and blogger). Now, finally, we have an official answer from a well-respected, authoritative source: the fine fellows over at College Humor.

The video does a great job of skewering the self-importance of those that obsess over such a pointless argument (present company included). But then they link to an official petition (currently down) that purports to support College Humor's preferred, one-word spelling. Are they taking themselves too seriously, or is it just another layer of the meta-joke? We report, you decide.

Tags: debate, journalism, one-word, space, space-bar, two-words, video-game, videogame

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Wilhelm @ Feb 26th 2008 1:06AM

I'm going to go play some videogames.

idiot @ Feb 26th 2008 1:36AM

I'm so glad they tagged this "space-bar." I rest easy knowing that the NEXT time I search for space-bar articles this one will come up.

Platinum_Skeet @ Feb 26th 2008 1:36AM

Damn right and pwned should be a real damn word...

Mister Kay @ Feb 26th 2008 2:35AM

I'm going to go play some video-games

Stu @ Feb 26th 2008 1:24AM

1. It doesn't matter.
2. See point 1.

embassy @ Feb 26th 2008 1:28AM

isnt the term "video games" ( videogames, whatever) kinda archaic at this point?

you would think after 30 odd years we would've come up with a more accurately descriptive/representative name?

maybe?

blah, who cares...

i'm gonna go play some interactive multimedia entertainment discs.

DarkNessBear @ Feb 26th 2008 4:46AM

I hate the word "videogames" I can barely type it out. It makes our favorite past time seem so immature and childish. Ive always hated it... I usually say "games" or the name of the game. I feel "videogames"*shudders* is the same thing as saying Retard or Midget.

Tiptup300 @ Feb 26th 2008 3:37PM

What the hell.....what does "accurately" mean?

Squeek @ Feb 26th 2008 1:28AM

I don't want to start something here, but it's two words.

Video game.
Console game.
Arcade game.

If you're going to space one set of similar words, you've gotta space them all. Consolegame looks stupid. The word is "video game". The end.

klitorisaurus @ Feb 26th 2008 3:02AM

100% agreed. Kinda makes you wonder why certain words get conjoined though. Like backpack or mailbox. Any English teachers care to weigh in? Any English teachers even play video games? They're kind of the antithesis of books.

Naught @ Feb 26th 2008 5:59AM

I don't think you're understanding what the word videogames means now. Console games, PC games, and other interactive video-based entertainment can be labeled as videogames. Calling it "video games" makes you sound like you're 80 years old. "It is a game which is played via a video-producing device!" Language evolves.

DCBlack @ Feb 26th 2008 9:32AM

Well, I am an English grad, could go for a teaching certification if I wanted it but changed my path for OT.

Anyway, the only reason I can see for conjoined words such as backpack is to unify two words to designate one object, which is why I tend to spell it as "videogame." I can understand either spelling, even if you prefer to use a hyphen, it's just not a big deal.

And many videogames (!) today are almost like interactive movies in a way, and many if not most movies are film adaptations of novels. But to me, saying that an English teacher wouldn't be into gaming is like saying that an athlete wouldn't be into gaming. One really doesn't have much to do with the other.

Blue_Falcon @ Feb 26th 2008 1:38AM

Personally, I hate seeing it as 'videogames' It's always annoyed me.

video games > videogames.

Joe P @ Feb 26th 2008 1:49AM

I type "videogame" into word, it doesn't tell me I'm wrong. The computers have spoken.

AlexxelA @ Feb 26th 2008 3:08AM

Did you mean: video games
Google > Microsoft Word

CB @ Feb 26th 2008 2:08PM

When I type "videogames" in Firefox with auto-spell check, it tells me it's wrong.

The BPM Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine @ Feb 26th 2008 1:55AM

I think "videogame" just looks awful, personally. It doesn't make any sense to make it one word.

However, I do agree that pwn should be a word.

Covarr @ Feb 26th 2008 2:23AM

If people are going to spell it "videogame", then they should also use words like "cheddarcheese", "alarmclock", "plasticexplosives", "tabletennis", and "floppydisk".

Just because the words are used in conjunction so much does not mean that they can be arbitrarily merged into a compound word.

aristokrat @ Feb 26th 2008 6:25AM

I'm sure that never happens at all. Mail boxes, back packs, etc. have all existed since words began! Language never evolves. Now I'm off to go hunt me some ourang-outangs.

spiral-soldier @ Feb 26th 2008 3:46PM

A back pack is a pack for your back.
A mail box is a box for your mail.
A video game is a game for your video?

I spell it as one word, but I tend not to use the term at all. Vidjagaems or vidyagames are my more common usages.

G @ Feb 26th 2008 2:32AM

Um, either way they're all games. Why not just call them games????

datwig @ Feb 26th 2008 2:32AM

I'll just call them interactive entertainment mediums

Pajama_Man @ Feb 26th 2008 2:41AM

I know this is stupid but...

"video games" 827,000,000 Google search hits
"videogames" 86,600,000 Google search hits

All right, back to loony land.

ThornedVenom (Patapornographer) @ Feb 26th 2008 6:04AM

Quotation marks included or not? If not, then it doesn't count because it'd count all of the results with just "video" and "game" somewhere in the page, but not necessarily together.

=> "I didn't like the video in this game."

greatslack @ Feb 26th 2008 8:02AM

I confirm these numbers, with quotes

Slaziman @ Feb 26th 2008 2:49AM

I just call them games. Kinda like you always say "I'm a gamer" and not "I'm a video gamer"

I don't get why you would even add 'video' to it as a game journalist, since it's pretty obvious you aren't talking about board games or card games.

Silliness @ Feb 26th 2008 5:02AM

Everyone damn well knows it's vid cons.

vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2008 3:21AM

I had a really long post ready to go in Notepad explaining why it's supposed to be one way, but then I forget how to copyandpaste.

Marty @ Feb 26th 2008 3:37AM

It's two words. Deal with it.

Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 3:44AM

I'm sorry but I'm not going to bow down to the ignorant masses just because a handful of teens on gamefaqs.com write it "videogames."

Next thing you'll want to add a new meaning to the word "bash."

*** I call for an internet-wide ban on the usage of bash for anything other than being hit by a blunt object. ***

Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 3:46AM

The whole "videogame" usage got popular around the time "videogames.com" became popular, honestly I think less people would us it in that form if gamespot never existed.

Long live video games, with a space.

schwal @ Feb 26th 2008 9:55AM

youve already lost that battle. see bash.org

The BPM Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine @ Feb 26th 2008 11:23AM

+1 for the phrase "ignorant masses."

Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 3:54AM

Joystiq needs a poll over which version is more acceptable by us and then post a video of their own. Hopefully the poll will put this stupid issue to rest.

aristokrat @ Feb 26th 2008 6:31AM

I agree with this stance, and though I'm personally for the 2-word style myself, I can go with the majority opinion. Common usage of word groups is what causes them to become single compound words (as it has throughout the history of language), so it just might be time.

Kye Wii60DF @ Feb 26th 2008 4:42AM

It's two words.

I have spoken!

Just_a_guy @ Feb 26th 2008 4:45AM

god can't we all just play our videogames

I used to spell it this way and by god I'm going to continue to do it.

ScottyGEE32 @ Feb 26th 2008 4:56AM

Who the hell calls it "video games" or "videogames" anyway? The way I see it, only ignorant parents and TV presenters call them that...

Who really would say it in context anyway? "I'm going to play some video games" would never be said because these "video games" have titles. You'd say "I'm gonna play Halo 3"

So really, who cares how its spelled/typed out, noone but silly people would use it anyway, and I don't care for those people ;p

dbeech @ Feb 26th 2008 5:07AM

They should be called 'vidjagames' and only referred to when prefaced with the phrase 'them dang'.

markhill66 @ Feb 26th 2008 5:08AM

I think we should spell the Vide O'games.

Chase @ Feb 26th 2008 8:56AM

Well, maybe if it had a penchant for the booze and eating potatoes.

WHERE IS ME BOX O LUCKY CHARMS

Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 5:14AM

Games should imply video games from now on. All other games shall play second to video games and be refered to by their full name while "video games" shall recieve the title "games."

ThornedVenom (Patapornographer) @ Feb 26th 2008 6:05AM

I always spell "videogames" but Forefpx disagrees. D:

ThornedVenom (Patapornographer) @ Feb 26th 2008 6:05AM

Firefox**, just owned myself.

aristokrat @ Feb 26th 2008 6:35AM

Or maybe Firefox was wincing in pain after being subjected to such a misspelling, and it owned you. =P

Egon Pax @ Feb 26th 2008 8:58AM

As with many people here, does it really matter?

Anyways, who still says "video games?" Politicians and Jack T. who call them violent, etc?

I usually refer to a specific game and/or platform when talking about gaming, especially to gaming friends - shoot, even non-gaming friends.