Insert Credit has officially banned the word 'shmup'

[ST Dragon]

Since I was young, in early 90's I've always known the genre as "Shoot Em Ups" Horizontal or Vertical. I only came across the word "Shmups" 3 years ago somewhere in the internet.

The word shmup is just quicker to right when you're refering to the Shooter genre, but it sound a bit weird.

I think Horizontal/Vertical Shoot Em Ups is more accurate.
The word "shooter" is a bit general to cover the genre as it contains the FPS genre as well.

[8 1/2]

I learned the word shmup from Gamefan magazine and that's how I found this site. I just did a search for shmups and lo and behold there was a whole site dedicated to the genre. Say what you will about that ill-fated magazine, but it led me to find shmups both as a beloved genre and website.

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

since ZZAP!64 (I think it was them) coined the term in the 80s.

I'd never heard the word "shmup" before i found this board, it wasnt as popular in the UK as some people may think. One magazine said it once in the mid-80's or something and over 10 years later it came back to "haunt" us:) All the UK game mags in the late 80's 90's ( C+VG, Mean Machines, Superplay..) all refered to them as shoot em' up's and never shmups.

I agree that the abbreviation didn't seem really widely used beyond ZZAP!64, although it was used more than just once. "Shoot-em-ups" was always the norm in those mags since their style was not to confuse their readers. Internet discussions lend themselves to arcane abbreviations more than magazines or F2F conversations do.

Those magazines also used terms like "playability" instead of "gameplay", and "lastability" instead of "replay value".

That all is true, but in today's discussion of gaming, one needs to clairify what he is talking about. By today's standards, the term "Shoot-em-up" is everything from Ikaruga to Metal Slug, to Grand Theft Auto, to Doom. Thats including Halo to boot!
All these games are fine, but there should be a difference when refering to em. The term that sets apart all the rest is, and always will be "Shmups".
Not unless of course we go back to calling em "Space Shooters"...which will exclude Lords of Thunder and include Tempest.

Speaking of opening up a can of worms!!!

Oh, and if they ever decide to do away with "Twitch-Shooters"...well, they will never see my approval!!!

[8 1/2]

When talking to the average gamer about my favorite genre I always say, "Old school shooters. You know, like 1942," at which point they usually roll their eyes and say, "Yeah..."

"You like online games right?" asks a friend of mine.
"Not really," I say.
"Oh, cuz we should seriously start a Halo 2 team. You're really good at games. We could tear it up."
"Uh. Nah. I'm just not into it."

[DEL]

I never liked the word, and you may have noticed that I've never used it

ever

I come from a time when a Man was a Man and a Shoot'em Up was a Shoot'em Up.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

It was shoot em up when I was a kid but nowadays that can mean anything. From my experience, people more or less know what kind of game you're talking about when you say "shmup".

Im not familiar with insertcredit.com but I think that guy needs to remove his head from his arse. He doesn't like the word because it's British? Hey, why don't I post a 600 word whiney rant about how I'm going to ban Americans from saying tomayto and aloominium? That'll go down great!

I could list a few decent UK shmups too but theres no point in making too big a fuss over this.

[cigsthecat]

I never liked the word myself, ironically.

[Minzoku]

I had to laugh when another god said, "but, i think someone should record a conversation in which they actually verbalize it. to their girlfriend. that'd be the most convincing explanation."

Because Kiken talking to me about them, as "shmups," is what sold me on shmups

Anecdotal evidence has limited use, though.

[captain ahar]

I actually agree with the guy 100%; "shmup" is an entirely British-created word that no American has ever used prior to the word being brought over. Even "shoot-em-up" wasn't ever that commonly used in the US.

Of course a pedantic note at this point, might be that your entire language is made up on entirely British-created words, aside from the ones you broke.

i think i'm going to eat some food with lots of ' &rbs in it. DUM

i use "shmup" occasionally, but generally in reference to other things like a "shmup-meet." when i'm talking about the games themselves, "arcade shooters" is my prefered term. like 8 1/2, i learned shmup from GameFan (ECM to be specific).

hey anyone have the PDF of issue 2 of GameGo? pm me... please.

Big freakin' deal. I kinda like the word, though. It makes me think of puppies.

undeniably a compelling argument. i may have to use it more often now.

[Stormowl]

another vote in favor of insert credits decision. i think the term sounds kiddy, but in the end really doesn't matter to me either way. i usually refer to them as "2D shooters" or "arcade shooters" when i'm talking to people.

[SheSaidDutch]

It's all Shmup to me.

[Leviathean]

Yet another vote for not using the term "shmup".
To me it's always been a weird combination of letters that's never sounded quite right when spoken aloud.

I've been playing a lot more Japanese doujin games lately, like Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night, La soeur de baragge, Gundeadligne... If we still need a shorthand term that's easy to type, maybe we could use what those games use, "STG" (ShooTing Games)?

[sffan]

i usually refer to them as "2D shooters" or "arcade shooters" when i'm talking to people.

Me too. "Shmup" sounds weird when spoken, as others have said, and no one knows what it means anyway. I don't mind typing it or reading it though.

[iatneH]

I hate this... when I say "shooter" people think I'm talking about Halo. When I say "old-school" shooter people think I'm talking about Doom. When I say "arcade shooter" people think I'm talking about Virtua Cop. There is no more hope for humanity......

[dpful]

As far as I know, nobody knows what the hell "Shmups" are, but I don't think there is ONE word that has the same definition- so it's got do stay by default. I mean, it's the ONLY word that has that specific meaning, for god's sakes, so what can you do. I mean, I hate to say it in public too, but I hate, "shooting games, you know, where your moving up the screen and bad guys are shooting down at you, like in 1942 though, not like space invaders, or sideways like in lifeforce, oh you don't know that one? How about 'Gray-dee-us'? Oh well, they're just the kind of games I really like" quite a bit worse- ironically, you've got to say all that shit right after you say "Shmups" anyways.

He're my video game vocabulary, and I really can't think of any other way to put it.

Shmups
Fighting games
Side-Scrolling-Beat'emups (I DO like that one)
Racing/Driving games
contra/metal slug games
Platformers (I hate to use that one more than 'Shmups')
"Modern games like _____ (put similar game here, perhaps metal gear solid snake or GTA)"

[dpful]

Until someone thinks of a word that MEANS "Shmup", I'm sticking with it, even if I have to move to England-- By the way, is it really a British word by now, or do you have to be a nerd to understand it there, too? All the alienated Americans would like to know the real answer to that I'm sure.

[CMoon]

The only thought in my mind is why insert credit has any say on the use of a word. So, some dude over at insert credit doesn't like the word shmup. So what? If as a community we decided not to use the word here, that's one thing, but otherwise, I see the whole notion as being rather pointless.

[LoneSage]

I'll always type shmup on a board, but I'll never say it in conversation. Try pronouncing it, you'll end up sounding like a dork.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

The thing they should try to ban is "shumps". Those (whatever they are) are reeeeally annoying.

[dpful]

If insert credit can't give me a replacement word, than I'm gonna head over there, side-scrolling-beat'emup style, and when I reach him we're going to have a one-on-one-fighter.

[Specineff]

I learned the word shmup from Gamefan magazine and that's how I found this site. I just did a search for shmups and lo and behold there was a whole site dedicated to the genre. Say what you will about that ill-fated magazine, but it led me to find shmups both as a beloved genre and website.

It's the exact same thing for me. I saw it first on GF, and later when looking for roms on Lamespy, is how I found the forum, and recognized the word.

[JBC]

I loved Gamefan. I wonder whatever happened to thier awesome artist, Terry Wolfinger?

[uwfan]

who give a shit what some guy thinks on one website.. its the same guy who criticized Ketsui in that lame review.

He clearly has no fucking clue what he is talking about.

[D]

I don't like the word either.
It sounds too much like "shmuck", but after typing "shoot 'em up" a couple of times you'll just accept the word shmup.

[Nuke]

I loved Gamefan. I wonder whatever happened to thier awesome artist, Terry Wolfinger?

Perhaps this.

[Valgar]

I might read something he writes if his insult towards Ketsui is removed and a formal apology is placed on the front page.

[Neon]

I might read something he writes if his insult towards Ketsui is removed and a formal apology is placed on the front page.

Lolz. How dare he disagree with everyone else!

If he apologized because the review was misinformed or something, that'd be different (I haven't read said review, not that I can recall at least).

[Valgar]

http://www.insertcredit.com/reviews/ketsui/

[dboeren]

There is no answer to this. All the major game genres need names which are short, unique, and clearly understood. This is not going to happen.

Shooting games can be interpreted by people as any of:
Shmups
Run & Guns
First Person Shooters (even occasionally 3rd person)
Gun games (the term I use for House of the Dead sort of stuff)
Even more tiny subgenres...

You can't even get people to standardize on "Fighting Games". I hear some people who think a fighting game is Street Fighter II, and some that think Final Fight is a "fighting game". Sorry, wrong again! SFII is a fighting game, and FF is a beat em up.

People who are serious gamers can come up with all the terms they like which are short and unique. They are useful to us, because they are precise. They are useless to the public, because they will never understand them without significant explaination.

[Ganelon]

Well, the only questionable fighter currently is Super Smash Bros. Hell, fighting game fans don't even argue about Virtual On.