Terms like “streamer,” “pro gamer,” “e-sports,” or “cloud gaming” are becoming forbidden in France in an attempt of the officials to try to preserve language purity. Those are English jargons of the gaming industry that we’ve all heard about.
Instead, the gaming terms will be replaced with French adaptations, according to The Guardian. The measure may surely sound amusing to many people, but the French authorities seem to be worried about the spread of gaming jargon among people. Furthermore, non-gamers have trouble understanding their way of speaking. A term like “streamer,” for instance, will become “joueur-animateur en direct.”
Are you ready for “jeu video en nuage”?
As amusing as it might sound, “Jeu video en nuage” is the French alternative for “cloud gaming.” After all, the new rules might not be applied at a large scale across France. For the moment, only the Government officials will need to obey them in order to communicate with people in a way they believe to be more efficient.
As of 2021, roughly 36.5 million people living in France identified themselves as gamers, according to Statista. The same source tells us:
Video gaming has become a mainstream leisure activity in France and this position has only been solidified during the COVID-19 pandemic as many people turned towards gaming not only for entertainment but also for socializing purposes. Digital video gaming revenues in France are projected to reach nearly 4.44 billion U.S. dollars in 2026, up from 2.87 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Console gaming is the preferred gaming platform in France, with PC coming in second after narrowly edging out mobile.
Our guess is that there are even more gamers in France than the official stats reveal, as it probably happens in any other country. Gaming is a worldwide phenomenon that gets more and more immersive.