FPS is not the same as "shooter."

[freedomweasel]

The thing is, most people understand what is implied by "shooter".

When I say shooter, only five people on this site think of Ikaruga.

Yeah most people don't think of that one specific game. Look whatever the popular concensus is is irrelevant.

But it's not. Popular consensus is what gives words their meaning. Thats why people (in general) don't say they had such a gay time at the party anymore.

 

[TriGGeR_HaPPy]

FPS games are, in fact, "shooters."

Saint Bernanrds are dogs.
So are labs, collies, pugs, and dachsunds.
Referring to any of them as "dog" is perfectly fine. It's just not specific.

It's one thing to unify terminology, and it's another thing to ignore the convenience and utility of "general headings" that can include more than one specific subgenre.

I acknowledge this. The problem is that the term "shooter" is treated as synonymous with FPS.

Ah. Then perhaps you should switch the name of the thread?

"Don't call an FPS "shooter." Numbnuts!" - This says you're telling people not to call an FPS a shooter, when you just admitted it was ok to do so.
Instead, try "Don't call a "shooter" an FPS. Numbnuts!"
Or even get rid of "numbnuts" entirely, it's up to you...

EDIT: Plus, since this rewording of the title is so small, your arguments throughout the thread still stand.
Nit-picking, I know. But I thought I should point it out anyway.

 

[jboking]

I think, and I could be totally wrong, that this phenomenon has a ton to do with the idea of increasing specificity.

If anything specificity (I'll take for granted that that is an actual word and not just a mispelling of specialization) has decreased. Which is why we're not seeing so many of the genres I mentioned in OP.

For your other response see what I said to dastardly.[/quote]
I think I can agree that specificity with which gamers refer to there games has been decreasing, but I see very little problem. If they say shooter, they are likely not trying to give an apt description of the game, but just using the general term to group some very different games. I do understand there are some issues with people assuming instantly that shooter = FPS, but I acknowledge that it is a mindset that likely won't be changed anytime soon. We have to wait until FPSes are not the most common form of shooter for that to change.


Side note: Did you really think specificity was just a misspelling of specialization? Their definitions are pretty damn different.

 

[TheComedown]

-snip-

Do me next do me next, You haven't applied your special brand of stupid to any of my posts yet, I'm feeling left out.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.239631-Dont-call-an-FPS-shooter-Numbnuts?page=2#8627291

You should do that one first.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

You guys ask so many questions, it's hard to keep up. At leastI can ignore the image macros and "troll" 1 liners by random people that have been on the site for a shorter time than me.

unnecessary distinctions...

I seriously cannot fathom how you can think we don't need to sort Time Crisis and Contra into different genres. Quit talking about games if you can't understand something so obvious.

And seriously, Time Crisis. I don't even call it a shooter, it's an Arcade game because, mostly, it sits in the Arcades and if I actually owned it and felt the irresistible urge to correct people on my own interpretations of the content within I would have to shoot myself for being such a complete and utter fucktard.

You wouldn't even call it a shooter? These terms aren't based on what you and your buddy decided to call something they are terms with precedent created by experts and adopted by scientifically minded sites like Wikipedia among other places. The terms like FPS were created for a reason and theirs nothing stoping you from using it.

You have no clue what Gun Shooting is (holding a gun-like controller) or Run n Gun (sidescroll shooter with your feet on the ground.)

Yes i do understand these meanings and you're being very rude simply because your thread did not go your way.
A game mechanic (i.e. the medium of play) is entirely different from a genre which is the culmination of aesthetic and atmosphere. Please know your terms before you approach threads. And your language. The escapist is a respectable website, not a flame arena.

Game genre's are defined SOLEY by their mechanics. Besides survival Horror but that's a bad term anyway.

Games aren't books their genres are never defined by aesthetics and to do so is decadent. And a genre is just a set of conventions it can apply to mechanics aesthetics or whatever. For video games it's obviously the former.

What? books are generally defined as fiction, none fiction, biography. Sub divisions are done thematically "this book is based on romance" those are aesthetics. You are being told which emotions are likely to be evoked by reading the book. A romance novel is not on the shelf as a "first person, time compressed social interaction story"

In what way is this decadent? How is defining something by it's emotional stimulus degrading the underpinning values of society?

It's decadent because games must focus on mechanics. Calling Go "romantic" is completely decadent. The same decadence as animation not focused on movement or poetry with free verse.

 

[David Bray]

hold up, I'm not certain that's right either. You see, the game itself, before you consider what the content of it is, is the medium. It is the form through which the information of the game (being the gameplay style - FPS, RPG, RTS, etc.) is transmitted or communicated to the player. I believe that the genre is very much a sub-medium.

but let's be honest...we're going to devolve into semantics here aren't we?

Yeah. Phuket, I think shooter's fine. Nice talkin'.

 

[mParadox]

Why shouldn't we call FPS games shooters?
It's in the title, First Person Shooter and you shoot things in the games.

This sentence summarizes the entire argument. Therefore, i conclude that this thread is made of fail.

 

[David Bray]

Now having a pile of mediums stacked on each other feels a bit inaccurate. Shouldn't they be sub mediums or something? I mean FPS's don't exist outside of gaming.

Certainly, but method of play is NOT a genre. Ever. Sub-medium is clunky but fine.

 

[Unrulyhandbag]

It's decadent because games must focus on mechanics. Calling Go "romantic" is completely decadent. The same decadence as animation not focused on movement or poetry with free verse.

Right. are you on the internet? good. Type in the name of your local area and follow that with "remedial English language" now enroll in the resulting course at your local learning establishment.

 

[Crashage]

http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Usi#Elitists

I thought such a well read and intelligent individual such as Halo Fanboy might enjoy an article written just for him, all about him, because he's so important and clever. Boy I wish I had the balls to cuss at everyone on the interwebs D:

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I acknowledge this. The problem is that the term "shooter" is treated as synonymous with FPS.

I have been here for quite a while. I read magazines, news, and attend conventions, meetings along with other programmers at my job.

Where did you get the impression that the two terms were treated as synonymous? The fact that some people could use the two words without distinction doesn't mean it's the case for everybody.

Here is a thread focused on Call of Duty.

It's not really that odd. The latest sales figures that I've been able to dig up indicate the PS3 has only sold about 3 million units less than the 360, and those are figures that have the 30th of June for PS3 numbers and the 23rd of July for the 360 numbers.

As for what I think of it... Eh, there might just be more PS3 owners in your area than there are 360 owners. Either that or the 360 owners in your area aren't interested in shooters as much.

A 360 owner who doesn't like shooters would probably be better off buying a brick, they'd get more use out of it.

In general if you hear someone say "best shooter of the year" they usually mean FPS but as I said the term could include include Deathsmiles or something. Considering that no valid comparison between Reach and Deathsmiles can be drawn we have to realize that the phrase "best shooter of the year" is a ridiculous statement.

 

[Dublin Solo]

I acknowledge this. The problem is that the term "shooter" is treated as synonymous with FPS.

I have been here for quite a while. I read magazines, news, and attend conventions, meetings along with other programmers at my job.

Where did you get the impression that the two terms were treated as synonymous? The fact that some people could use the two words without distinction doesn't mean it's the case for everybody.

Here is a thread focused on Call of Duty.

It's not really that odd. The latest sales figures that I've been able to dig up indicate the PS3 has only sold about 3 million units less than the 360, and those are figures that have the 30th of June for PS3 numbers and the 23rd of July for the 360 numbers.

As for what I think of it... Eh, there might just be more PS3 owners in your area than there are 360 owners. Either that or the 360 owners in your area aren't interested in shooters as much.

A 360 owner who doesn't like shooters would probably be better off buying a brick, they'd get more use out of it.

In general if you hear someone say "best shooter of the year" they usually mean FPS but as I said the term could include include Deathsmiles or something. Considering that no valid comparison between Reach and Deathsmiles can be drawn we have to realize that the phrase "best shooter of the year" is a ridiculous statement.

Okay, that's for a thread where shooter and FPS seem to be treated as equal terms. Now, I'm sure you can find threads where a FPS isn't a shooter, or vice versa.

But I will sincerely stop here, I really feel I can't contribute to this thread anymore.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Yes, but most people aren't big enough numbnuts to not realise what is implied when you call something a shooter.

[small]zing![/small]

When a child says "can I go to the bathroom," you understand them. But that doesn't mean you don't try to correct them.

 

[Nannernade]

I get you, message received loud and clear guvnor. I still need a handy single term to refer to both FPS and third person shooters though so from now on I will call them man baby toy soldier games or MBTSG to avoid confusion.

Good idea. I was actually thinking about that when I made this topic. Of all the genres those are the only mechanically similar ones.

I doubt your word will catch on though

Yeah I doubt it either, ooh I know let's call them shooters since even though you posted this thread, everyone knows that all shooters can and will fall into different categories and nobody really gave two shits about the terminology. Oh yes, and have a nice day at The Escapist. =)

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Okay, that's for a thread where shooter and FPS seem to be treated as equal terms. Now, I'm sure you can find threads where a FPS isn't a shooter, or vice versa.

But I will sincerely stop here, I really feel I can't contribute to this thread anymore.

At least you tried to take this thread seriously unlike many others. Thank you.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Sorry what? Why cant I be unspecific? People ask me what type of music I like, I say metal or hardcore, I'm not going to list out things like grindcore/metalcore/deathcore etc etc, most people would look at me funny and say "what?" Most people dont know that shit, nor really want to know. How is that being anti-intellectual? that statement in itself is so mind numbingly stupid I dont really know what else to say.

Don't know music so I can't fully understand the comparison but as a general rule, if you want someone to understand you then you want to be as specific as possible. You can talk about what bands you like or something. Overly general conversation is shallow chatter.

 

[Tiny116]

Mate, you're taking this far to personally.
Chill out!
While I go play my Favourite Shooter Fallout 3 [sub]I'm kidding ok[/sub]

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

I'm starting to see a pattern. Someone starts a somewhat controversial (this is definitely not the word I'm looking for) but completely honest thread, and someone else (+5) immediately calls troll. It bugs me a little.

As for the terminology issue, I haven't noticed it. Now that you bring it up, I realize that it doesn't bother me that much. If someone says "shooter," I'll ask for clarification. It's not totally important.

Exception: there was that one thread a while ago that said something along the lines of "players that play shooters have better reaction/judgement compared to non-players." If you're gonna make news articles, I think that's a point where it's important to be specific about what you're talking about. I was starting to get proud of myself because I play Bullet Hell. Then I read the article and they were talking about Modern Warfare.

Edit: Oh, one last thing. In the future, try not to call everyone "numbnuts" in your title and saying idiot/retard in your post. For this, people might still say you're nitpicking, but they might take you a bit more seriously too.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

^ Thank you Et3rnalLegend64.

Topic title and OP changed.

 

[Super Toast]

Welcome to the Escapist!

Do you really want a term that can be used to describe everything from Starfox to DooM to Muchi Muchi Pork? Stick to correct terminology if you don't want to look like an idiot.

Meh. If they have things that shoot things, it makes sense to me, so why not?

A failure in language usually lead to a failure in logic. Like calling Ninja Gaiden and Diablo "hack and slash", or comparing action adventure like Zelda to real adventure. Even a "puzzle" game like tetris is at least half action. Lets not even get into how misunderstanding of the term RPG lead to the whole genre being pratically whiped from computer gaming.

Evidently, genre names are serious business.