The thing I speak of is adjectivization, which has never been a word BUT NOW IS. I have a goddamned English degree and that has to count for something.
Adjectivization (with a Z, not an S; I thought long and hard about that one,) is when general society starts adding an adjective to differentiate something that never needed an adjective in its description before, but the march of time has relegated it to the fringe of usage.
I'm not talking about terms that are invented to help differentiate different versions of a product (electric & manual typewriters,) I mean when a new version becomes so dominant, that it usurps the general term, and the original is relegated to having an ignominious adjective slapped in front of it to differentiate it from the new (now normal) version.
How will that affect you? Consider; there is something, right now, in your life, be it a hobby, or a loved activity, or even simply a facet of daily life with which you are intimately familiar. You do this thing all of the time, and refer ti it by its simple, unmodified noun descriptor.
One day, probably soon, there will be a new way to do this thing. And that new way will increasingly become the norm, until your version of this concept is described with a belittling adjective.
And it will rankle. Oh how it will rankle.
For me, it was roleplaying games (yes, it's another post about roleplaying games, just shut up and read.) For those not familiar with this concept, why are you reading my blog?
But to answer that, a roleplaying game involves players creating characters and controlling their actions. Another individual (the title varies by game; Dungeon Master, keeper, Game Master, Storyteller, Kevin, etc.) creates the story, narrates the action, and adjudicates the other players actions. This can be a very involved process, and everyone contributes to the shared story that is created.
Dungeons & Dragons was the first big RPG, but there have been hundreds of successful and unsuccessful variations over the years, all falling under the heading roleplaying game.
And we never needed another descriptor.
But then came that bastard Link.
Legend of Zelda, for the Nintendo Entertainment System, that 8 bit pioneer, was probably the first widely-known video game that attempted to replicate the experience of an RPG, in this case D&D.
There had been other games of course, mostly on the PC, that tried to relicate the experience of D&D. Games like Temple of Apshai, Adventure, Castle (an awesome ASCII only game,) and series like Ultima and The Bard's Tale were beloved CRPG's, and everyone acknowledged the difference.
But Zelda was a huge hit. That gold cartridge, with its promise of being able to travel in more than one direction, and the ability to upgrade your character over time, and return to an ongoing story in between sessions, was a watershed event. Its success led to sequels, but also opened the door to imitators, as well as imports. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and a ton of other games I never played because I preferred people to pixels back then helped usher in a new genre of video game, the RPG.
And that's when my beloved hobby got adjectivized.
Suddenly, I was playing "pen & paper" roleplaying games.
Excuse me? Where the hell do your video games get off using the name of a style of game THEY CAN NEVER BE?!
It's time to face an ugly truth: NO video game will ever actually be a roleplaying game. The modern ones like Mass Effect and Skyrim come close, with so many choices for a character, but without a human mind and imagination to guide them, you can never really play a role. Your 14th level Tauren Druid is just a more customizable version of Mario, one step up from selecting Ken or Ryu.
Sorry.
Mind you, I love playing "RPG" video games, they are probably my favorite video game genre. But the only reason they are called RPG's is because the first ones were all explicitly trying to rip off D&D.
But I've come to terms with it, I really have. I play pen & paper RPG's, and that's okay, because language changes.
It's happened for generations. As far back as "collared shirts," "ready to eat breakfast cereal," and "manual" anything (until you make an automated version, everything is manual.)
I mean think about the term acoustic guitar. Before they invented the electric guitar, they didn't need a name for guitar other than 'guitar.' And do you think people in the fifties went around talking about 'analog clocks?' No, those terms came about to distinguish the different kinds of products. And those terms lived happily, side by side in harmony.
But you wait. You think adjectivization can only affect weirdos with oddball hobbies? No man, they're coming for every concept you hold dear.
Here's some words that have crept into out daily lexicon through adjectivization:
- desktop computer
- landline
- print edition (also called the 'dead trees' edition)
- SLR camera
- brick-and-mortar store
- snail mail
Fucking snail mail! The basic concept of sending letters or packages that has worked for generations is now slapped with a derogotory nickname and we all just adopted without thinking.
Think they're done? Thin again! Be on the look out for the following terms, coming soon to a teenager near you:
- 2D TV
- gas car
- nonline shopping
- non-autotuned singing (not-o-tune?)
- Cohort diploma (you know, the weird ones you get in only four years of high school? I wish to God I was kidding about that one)
- paper book
- meat- anything (this term will denote when you do something in person, with your actual, physical body, such as going on a meat-date, or having meat-sex, or even meat-meeting for the first time (if you're an old fashioned romantic type.)
Because society changes over time, and you can chart those changes with a dictionary. And while it may seem innocuous at first, in this brave new world of double speak, it will be the players who don't use steroids who have asterisks next to their names.
But then maybe it's just me.
You sold me 100% by "nonline shopping." Bravo.
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