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<blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 8652787" data-attributes="member: 5142">I agree that jargon can represent a barrier to entry. However, what sometimes this point sidesteps how much of a barrier jargon actually represents. A lot of jargon is gradually absorbed through participation in a subculture or field over time. But there are often resources out there, especially in this day and age, where people can use their Google-Fu to find out what the jargon means. It's not like you need a law degree to look up and understand what a &quot;hexcrawl game&quot; is. Outside of this small bubble of a hobby, there is a tremendous amount of jargon floating around in the field of video games, jargon used to describe different genres of games, jargon used within game-specific communities (e.g., Call of Duty, etc.), jargon used with types of games (e.g., MOBA: Jungler, Bruiser, Carry, etc.), broader gaming communities (e.g., Speed Runners, eSports, etc.), or within game design communities (e.g., clipping, FPS, bots, Easter Egg, Whales, etc.), or the entire market (e.g., DLC, Pay-to-Win, microtransactions, etc.). As you say, a lot of this was born within the hobby rather than on an academic level. But that is often the way of things: Hobbyists -&gt; Hobby Companies -&gt; Hobby Academics. Hobbyists are processing and discussing trends in the hobby with far greater alacrity and dispersion than academics. So over against what some have said about jargon, I don't think that jargon represents Ivory Tower thinking. IME, it's often hobbyists grappling with discussions in the hobby and its various subcultures. Jargon is a part of education and community-engagement. It can be off-putting if you have little interest in it at a certain level, but as you learn and engage these communities more and more, you learn the jargon, whether conscientiously or not.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Aldarc, post: 8652787, member: 5142"] I agree that jargon can represent a barrier to entry. However, what sometimes this point sidesteps how much of a barrier jargon actually represents. A lot of jargon is gradually absorbed through participation in a subculture or field over time. But there are often resources out there, especially in this day and age, where people can use their Google-Fu to find out what the jargon means. It's not like you need a law degree to look up and understand what a "hexcrawl game" is. Outside of this small bubble of a hobby, there is a tremendous amount of jargon floating around in the field of video games, jargon used to describe different genres of games, jargon used within game-specific communities (e.g., Call of Duty, etc.), jargon used with types of games (e.g., MOBA: Jungler, Bruiser, Carry, etc.), broader gaming communities (e.g., Speed Runners, eSports, etc.), or within game design communities (e.g., clipping, FPS, bots, Easter Egg, Whales, etc.), or the entire market (e.g., DLC, Pay-to-Win, microtransactions, etc.). As you say, a lot of this was born within the hobby rather than on an academic level. But that is often the way of things: Hobbyists -> Hobby Companies -> Hobby Academics. Hobbyists are processing and discussing trends in the hobby with far greater alacrity and dispersion than academics. So over against what some have said about jargon, I don't think that jargon represents Ivory Tower thinking. IME, it's often hobbyists grappling with discussions in the hobby and its various subcultures. Jargon is a part of education and community-engagement. It can be off-putting if you have little interest in it at a certain level, but as you learn and engage these communities more and more, you learn the jargon, whether conscientiously or not. [/QUOTE]

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