作者：Gerard Martin Cueto

谁创造了“电子游戏”这一词与《最后的守护者》或《半条命3》是否会问世一样都是一个巨大的未解之谜。不管是谁创造了这一词，如今的“电子游戏”已经不能包含我们不断进化的媒体的所有元素和创造性了；不管是新的呈现和输入技术还是你用两个手都很难数得过来的类型。“电子游戏”可能是用于描述雷达般的屏幕上可以动的标志，当然也有一些名字描写的不只是过去以及现在的电子游戏的情况，同时还涉及到其未来的状态。

这便是本文的初衷，即从“娱乐软件”到“沉浸式技术”，以下是我认为比“电子游戏”更适合用于描述电子游戏的名字。

1.互动娱乐

据说早在1981年“互动娱乐”这一词便出现了，即可能是由雅达利销售和市场营销副总裁Conrad Jutson所创造的。前雅达利总经理列举了互动娱乐作为个人计算机的一大主要功能；引用了策略游戏（桌面游戏）和技能游戏（街机游戏）中的娱乐作为主要例子。同时，娱乐消费者协会（ECA）主席Hal Haipin也宣称“互动娱乐”代表了“主机，掌上设备，在线和计算机游戏领域的集合。”

Interactive Entertainment（from gamasutra）

上述的这两种描述都适用于如今的电子游戏。所有的游戏类型都带有技能和策略元素；而不同平台的集合正是以跨平台游戏（例如PS3到Vita）或那些第二屏幕应用的方式呈现出来。更重要的是，互动娱乐对于电子游戏的定义是不管类型或平台；互动能够将我们的爱好与电影等其它娱乐形式（游戏邦注：其观众仅仅是旁观者）区别开来。

2.沉浸式技术

来自北卡罗莱州的公立学校的研究者描述“沉浸式技术”为能让用户沉浸于虚拟世界的“一系列硬件，软件，和基于应用的程序”。同样的，《计算机和业务研究国际期刊》一篇已发行的文章也认为沉浸式技术是“基于实体，空间和视觉维度对于现实的一种计算机模拟。”

为什么说“沉浸式技术”是比电子游戏更好的名字？首先，沉浸式元素能让玩家穿上鞋子开始探索寻宝猎人，空间电子人以及蓄着小胡子的管道工人的世界。此外，像VR耳机，触觉反馈以及讲话/行动识别的新兴技术更是带给玩家一种更加自然且更有趣的控制和参与。所以在游戏呈现出沉浸感的同时，当前以及未来的技术开发必然会将这种沉浸感带到一个全新的高度。

3.cyberdrama

Janet Murray是乔治亚理工学院的教授，同时也是麻省理工学院的前研究员，正是他提出了“cyberdrama”去描述电子游戏的叙述方面。Murray致力于数字媒体研究，并强调了受玩家驱动/控制的游戏故事，并结合“体验设计，计算机图像以及人工智能”所带来的沉浸感和转换，最终创造出了cyberdrama般的体验。

我们很容易看到像Telltale的《行尸走肉》或《骤雨》被划分为cyberdrama；但是像体育类游戏或《Pong》这类型不是以故事为中心的游戏该怎样划分？Murray认为“游戏总是关于故事，甚至是像西洋棋或《俄罗斯方块》等抽象游戏也是如此，它们是关于胜利与失败，将玩家作为与敌人战斗或与环境战斗的英雄。”她还补充道，游戏作为一种媒体比之前的媒体都包含有更多讲故事的元素。

4.互动艺术

电子游戏是一种艺术形式。它们提供了让人难忘且会影响玩家情感的创造性体验。当然，引起这种体验的关键因素便是互动性。卡耐基梅隆大学的研究者将互动艺术描述成是“基于计算机的高互动性作品。”这些研究者所涉及的模型也列出了如下内容作为互动艺术的主要组件：一位人类艺术家，一个能够意识到艺术家的意向的艺术代理，互动，包括来自人类“玩家”的输入以及来自计算机系统的输出。

显然，上述描写的模型也能够应用于电子游戏中。游戏开发者是艺术家；我们的用户是是通过控制器或运动传感器等输入方法与艺术品互动的玩家，系统的输出内容呈现在像电视或头盔式显示器等屏幕上。更不用说“互动艺术”贴着我们最喜欢的消遣方式的标签了。

5.娱乐软件

娱乐软件分级委员会（ESRB）成立于1994年，即在其最终确定使用这个名字之前。决定使用“娱乐软件”而不是“电子游戏”是一种前瞻性的运动，即考虑到自从ESRB成立以来这19年间媒体的发展。娱乐软件是一个更广泛且更合适的术语，能够包含所有的电子游戏类型，平台以及技术。同样地，互动数字软件协会（IDSA）在2003年决定改名为娱乐软件协会（ESA）。之后ESA主席Douglas Lowenstein解释“娱乐软件”指的是能够在PC，电子游戏主机，手机以及网络上以娱乐为目的游戏的软件。

以上便是我所认为的比“电子游戏”更适合电子游戏的5个术语。在这5个名字中都有一个共同的主题，也就是它们均呈现了不同媒体，艺术形式以及呈现/输入技术的集合。从我个人来讲，我认为这便是关于电子游戏的过去，电子游戏的现在，以及电子游戏未来发展的最好体现。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Five Names for Video Games That Make More Sense than “Video Games”

by Gerard Martin Cueto

Whoever coined the term “video game” is as big of a mystery as whether The Last Guardian or Half Life 3 will ever see the light of day. Regardless of who coined the term however, “video game” now fails to encompass all the facets and innovations of our constantly-evolving medium; from new display and input technologies to more genres than you can count with two hands. Seeing as “video game” was probably coined to describe movable blips on a radar-like screen, surely there are names that describe not just how video games were in the past and how they are in the present, but also how video games will be in the future.

And that’s where this article comes in, from “Entertainment Software” to “Immersive Technologies”, what follows are five names that I think better describe video games than “video games”.

1.Interactive Entertainment

The phrase “Interactive Entertainment” is believed to have been used as early as 1981 and was probably coined by then Atari Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Conrad Jutson. The former Atari executive listed Interactive entertainment as one of the primary functions of personal computers; citing entertainment gotten from strategy-based (board games) and skill-based games (arcades) as examples. Meanwhile, Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) president Hal Halpin now claims that “Interactive Entertainment” represents “the convergence of the console, handheld, online and computer gaming sectors.”

Both of the descriptions listed above apply to the video games of today. Skill or strategy elements are present across all genres; and the convergence of different platforms is in full swing as shown by games that are cross-platform (PS3 to Vita for example) or those with second-screen applications. More importantly, Interactive Entertainment defines video games regardless of genre or platform; as interaction differentiates our hobby from other forms of entertainment such as movies, whose audiences are mere spectators.

2.Immersive Technology

Researchers from the Public Schools of North Carolina describe “immersive technology” as “a range of hardware, software, and application‐based programs” that  enable users to become immersed in virtual worlds. Similarly, a published entry in the International Journal of Computing & Business Research states that immersive technology is “a computer-generated simulation of reality with physical, spatial and visual dimensions.”

So how does “immersive technology” figure in being a better name for video games? First off, the element of Immersion lets players step in the shoes and explore the worlds of treasure hunters, space cyborgs, and mustached plumbers. Additionally, more recent technologies like VR headsets, haptic feedback, and speech/motion recognition give players a greater, more natural sense of control and involvement. So while immersion has always been present in video games, the current and future developments on the tech side of things will surely take immersion to the next level.

3.Cyberdrama

Janet Murray is a Georgia Institute of Technology professor and a former researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who came up with the word “cyberdrama” to describe the narrative aspect of video games. Ms. Murray, who specializes in digital media, emphasized that the player-driven/controlled stories of games, combined with immersion and transformation brought about by “experience design, computer graphics, and artificial intelligence”, make up the cyberdramatic experience.

It’s easy to see how games like Telltale’s The Walking Dead or Heavy Rain can be classified as cyberdramas; but what about non story-centric games like sports games or even Pong? Ms. Murray argues that “games are always stories, even abstract games such as checkers or Tetris, which are about winning and losing, casting the player as the opponent-battling or environment-battling hero.” She adds that gaming as a medium includes more storytelling elements than any medium before it.

4.Interactive Art

Video games are an art form. They offer creative experiences that are memorable and move players emotionally. A key ingredient to these experiences of course is interactivity. Interactive Art is described by Carnegie Mellon University researchers as “highly interactive works based on computation”. A model devised by the said researchers also lists the following as key components of Interactive art: a human artist, an artistically competent agent that realizes the artist’s intentions, interaction, including input from human “players” and output from the computer system.

Obviously, the model described above can also be applied to video games. Game developers are the artists; we users are the players who interact with works of art (games) through input methods such as controllers or motion sensors, and the system’s output is displayed on screens such as TVs or head-mounted displays. Needless to say, “Interactive art” is a valid label for our favorite pastime.

5.Entertainment Software

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board or ESRB, established in 1994, was pretty ahead of its time when it chose to call itself as such. Deciding to use “entertainment software” instead of “video game” was a very forward-thinking move considering the advancements that the medium has gone through in the 19 years since ESRB’s inception. Entertainment Software is a much broader and more suitable term that encompasses all video game genres, platforms, and technologies. Similarly, Interactive Digital Software Association or IDSA, the company that established the ESRB and handles the business and public affairs needs of game publishers; decided to rename itself as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) in 2003. Then ESA president Douglas Lowenstein explained that “entertainment software” refers to software that can be played for entertainment on PCs, video game consoles, cell phones, and on the Internet.

So there you have it, five words that make better names for video games than “video games”.  A recurring theme among the names I listed is that they represent the convergence of different media, art forms, and display/input technologies. And personally, I think that’s what all video games have been in the past, how video games are in the present, and how video games will continue to be in the future.

But what do you think? Do you have a different name in mind for our much loved hobby? Sound off in the comments.(source:gamasutra)