France Bans English Gaming Slang To Preserve Its Culture

In a rather bizarre ruling, French officials have banned the use of gaming slang in the English language, replacing them with French expressions instead in order to “preserve the purity” of the local tongue.

According to The Guardian, some expressions will be directly translated into French—“pro-gamer” is now “joueur professionnel”—although some of the jargon sounds more clunky and forced, such as when “streamer” is translated into “joueur-animateur en direct.”

The country’s Ministry of Culture, which oversaw the change, told AFP that it felt the gaming sector had become too saturated with English expressions that could pose as a potential barrier for non-gamers.

As per Engadget, the regulations were issued in the government’s official journal, which means all government employees will be required to adhere to them. However, with how prevalent jargon is in the online world, it’s not certain the new French translations will catch on. 

In fact, in the past, the French government tried to replace “le wifi” with “l’access sans fil à internet,” though as The Local France notes, the attempt hadn’t been all that successful. 

Well, if this does catch on in the world of French “eSports,” or “jeu video de competition,” gamers are going to have to communicate will much more of a mouthful. 

[via Engadget and The Guardian, cover image via Norma938 | Dreamstime.com]