French government bans use of English gaming words like ‘esports’

for centuries now, French Academy He essentially oversaw the entire French language, being responsible for everything from grammar to publishing French dictionaries to serving as the “official authority on the language”. An important part of this role in recent decades has been To fend off the slow invasion of slang and jargon from the English-speaking worldto which the French people are increasingly exposed through films, music, television and now video games.

as such Watchman Reports, which was extended this week to include a “ban” on the use of certain words adjacent to games that are popular not only in English-speaking countries but around the world. The academic It cannot be forbidden to use words in everyday speech, or even in the media, and this is not within their powers or intentions, but the prohibition he is Now “binding to government employees”, which means that when talking about the topic or preparing papers, French officials need to find different ways of saying words like “esports”.

In this case, now the “jeu video de Competition” is less attractive. Cloud games become ‘jeu video en nuage’, professional games are ‘joueur professionnel’ and the streaming device should be referred to as ‘joueur-animateur en direct’.

If this is your first time hearing about the Académie – which dates back to 1635 – please don’t make this the only thing you know about them. They’re like a little wild The Vatican is for grammar geeks, with its forty members known as the “Immortals”, and appointed for life. New members can sometimes decline a temporary position if they do not like the person who previously held the seat, as they have to “eulogize their predecessor at the installation ceremony”. And they even wear their own uniform – with swords! –Which you can see below in a photo taken in 2021: