Um, that post had nothing to do with a personal aversion to you.Originally Posted by Sephiroth
Obviously not all people reduce JRPGs to just those traits so please spare me your classic "I have a personal aversion against Sephiroth" contribution. It does not help at all. There is a reason why Squall gave this thread its name instead of just calling it "I have seen it as a Western RPG made in Japan and it is a fact that it is no JRPG".
It's simply that I think your point is relatively nonsensical and irrelevant.
You argue that "Japanese" can only be used as a descriptive element specifically discussing the origin country of the game.
Plenty of words have multiple meanings, and even single standard meanings that change in the context of how it's used (such as "Polish" having a completely different meaning if it's an adjective describing "sausage"). So your argument that there is "one true definition" that is the only one you accept is just a bad argument.
What's more, languages change frequently, and words adopt new definitions in common usage all the time, far faster than dictionaries are updated, and this has only accelerated in the information age.
Finally, you've utterly failed in the same area that EVERYONE who has ever made the argument against the JRPG/WRPG terms has: You were unable to produce a viable term to use in it's place. It's a genre. You KNOW it's a genre, because you were able to single it out and define it, and everyone knew exactly what you meant. It's a individual style of games and game design that follows distinct conventions that are recognized universally by gamers, and who have given it a clear and obvious term based on that style's origin and history.
You don't like it. I'm sorry about that, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be used. It's a label. It's a convenient way to group things, summarize things, and describe them quickly without having to write paragraphs at a time to get your point across. If I say "first person shooter", you have a basic grasp of some of the core game. You know what to expect. Same thing if I say "platformer" or "puzzle game" or "visual novel". "JRPG" is nothing more than another of these labels, created by gamers, to describe their pastimes to other gamers.
If you want the term "JRPG" to stop being used, then provide an alternative name for the genre that clearly and concisely conveys the meaning of the individual genre that we can all use. Because, again "Japanese Role-Playing Game that we know as classic with traits we are used to" is stupid when we already have a term that is universally recognized by gamers, is short, easy to type, and easy to abbreviate.
The fact that you have no alternative, and instead had to resort to a fifteen word phrase to convey what any of us could capture with four letters, shows just how helpful labels can be.
Reply With Quote