Image used with permission, courtesy of Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo
French government workers have been banned from using ‘English video game jargon’ in a bid to preserve the purity of the French language.
This includes words such as ‘esports’, ‘pro gamer’ and ‘streamer’. Instead, government officials must use the terms ‘jeu video de competition’, ‘joueur professionnel’ and ‘joueur-animateur en direct’, respectively.
The term ‘cloud gaming’ has also been altered to ‘jeu video en nuage’.
It’s worth noting it’s unlikely French people will just stop using the word ‘esports’ – these changes have been published in the Journal Officiel, making them binding on government workers only. And it’s worth noting the French president himself is actively showing his support for the esports industry in a separate story (see the bottom of this article).
The French culture ministry told press agency Agence France-Presse ‘the video game sector was rife with anglicisms that could act as a barrier to understanding for non-gamers’, reports TheLocal.fr, with the agency saying it’s part of French officials’ ‘centuries-long to preserve the purity of the language’.
“In recent years institutional communication in French seems to be prey to disorderly growth. The French language must maintain its place in institutional communication as in other areas of expression.”
Académie Française
The Académie Française, which defines the evolution of French language, said in a report in February: “In recent years institutional communication in French seems to be prey to disorderly growth. It is up to all to become aware of this proliferation and to ensure that this is the subject of questioning and research, in particular on its real effectiveness, freed from fads, as well as from appropriate professional training and finally from as wide a distribution as possible.
“The French language must maintain its place in institutional communication as in other areas of expression. There’s no reason to dismiss it. Current communication is characterized by a degradation which it is essential not to consider as inevitable.
“Making use of a French vocabulary, of French turns of phrase, whatever the context concerned, without blindly following fashions and trends, remains the best way to highlight French culture in its broadest sense, to offer it a foundation, visibility, a chance in the face of the advance of globalization, and thereby to work to maintain cultural diversity.”
The Académie Française previously attempted to replace ‘le wifi’ ‘l’access sans fil à internet’ (wireless access to the internet), but failed as people carried on using the term ‘le wifi’.
‘These changes won’t have any impact’ – Nico Besombes
Nico Besombes, associate professor in sport sciences at the University of Paris, told Esports News UK the proposed changes ‘won’t have any impact’.
“That’s BS!” Nico said, when presented with the news. “With no joke, it won’t have any impact. To highlight this, just to let you know, 10 years ago, the Académie Française proposed to call “esports” “télésport” like “télétravail” (working remotely). It never had any consequence.
“The language is alive and the communities make it live.”
Other sources may or may not have told Esports News UK that French officials said: “You silly English types, mind your own business. Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, English pig-dogs! I fart in your general direction – your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”
And here’s a clip just in case any of you failed to catch the reference:
All jokes aside – the French president is at least supporting esports
French President Emmanuel Macron recently invited French esports talent to the Elysee Palace ahead of the Trackmania Cup 2022 event in Paris, which is being watched by hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Notable guests included LEC host Laure Valée, retired Dota 2 player Ceb, Karmine Corp founders Prime and Kameto and more.
The president also said he wants France to host major esports events. He said: “Through your commitment and your victories, you have made France a great esports nation. Thank you. Together, let’s take esports even higher.”
Now, can you imagine Boris Johnson doing something similar? We’re not holding our breath at all, but it’d certainly be nice to see some support from the UK government towards esports.
The Mayor of London does back the London Games Festival each year at least, but something esports-specific of this magnitude would go a long way to recognise esports in the UK.
Related article: French Karmine Corp esports fans rage on Twitter over EU Masters artwork
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
