Terminology. Why does it bug me and others?

[Leonas]

This is highly debatable. The first time I personally saw it was in 97, but that was hardly the first year of MMOs. It's been attributed as far back as MUDs, so I'd venture to guess both have been used nearly an equivalent amount of time.

Plus, saying "char" outloud just sounds silly to me. Probably as silly as "toon" sounds to you. We're not carebears.

So, my point still stands. Toon is just as valid, and probably as old, as "char".

Char confuses me and makes me think I'm playing Guild Wars again. :P

I've used the term "toon" ever since EQ, hell, even used it on MUDs to refer to a character.

[Alavastre]

Hate to point it out, but DPS is the correct term for FFXIV. Check your Duty Finder. Check Yoshi P on the subject.

As for the other stuff, sorry to say, no one has rules on what terminology should be used. I guess you can make a FC with friends who use the same terms as you do. Otherwise, you have no hope of fixing what people say and you're doomed to be annoyed for a very long time.

[Amberion]

People who never played WoW or hate WoW are more stuck on that game than anyone else. Terms like DPS, Toon, and Pally have been used in several games BEFORE WoW, including Everquest and Ultima Online. But all these people want to see is World of Warcraft.

I don't think most people mean that wow coined those words, more that most people learned it from there.

As for me DPS, toon, lf Heal and a few others really don't make sense.

I use DD, and I have seen it in other games besides FFXI. So why do people say it came from, or only used in, FFXI?

[Cairdeas]

I agree with the OP. I grew up with DD, PLD, Regen and Refresh and Raise, and Character or (Understood) Me. When people say "Toon" I actually have a small mental breakdown and a thousand suns die from the rage I release into the universe.

[Mythrella]

None of those terms bother me. However, I am often amused by the hipsters that blow up about video game terminology, and refuse to accept that these terms existed anywhere outside of and prior to WoW.

When people say DD/DPS/Clan/Pally etc, I’m smart (or old) enough to comprehend what they’re referring to, whether I use those terms myself or not. And I don’t care which term they use as long as the message is received. It's a video game, not rocket surgery.

Personally, I can’t stand the misuse of quotation marks, nor when people blatantly abuse the English language by typing:
Should of
Would of
Could of
…but I’m not going to create a thread about it. Maybe. Yet. ♥

[Evumeimei]

Explain how it makes any sense and isn't an incessantly childish way of referring to one's character (and other's characters) and maybe I'll divulge the obvious reasons as to why it's so infuriating and confusing. I'd also like to know where this "term" originated. And no, I'll never get used to it. It's been years since I first heard some one say it. I hate it even more now than i did then. All it's good for is trolling and/or destroying other's respect.

It's not confusing. Whether you do or don't like it is your own issue, really.

I personally just use the MMO terms I am used to using. I never played WoW, but I use words such as "DPS" and "guild" because that's what was always used. I was a bit lost when I started playing this game and the terms were different. I know them now, but I still use the terms I am used to using for things, mostly out of habit. I've been using them for years, so if I'm not paying attention I just slip back into that terminology.

And why does it matter really? Pretty much eveyone knows what you are talking about. I don't care what term is used because 90% of the time I know what people are referring to. It's not THAT complicated. In fact, in terms of ease of understanding, it's more likely that people will know the "general" terminology people in this thread are annoyed about as opposed to the apparent "acceptable" terminology used in this game (which mostly seems to have originated in FFXI).

Just because a thousand idiots use it, doesn't mean it makes sense. Just because I've heard it a thousand times doesn't make it proper terminology. Just because I know what they're talking about doesn't make it a legitimate way to refer to something.

And did I ever say it was confusing to myself? No. It's confusing to new players because it doesn't make any goddamn sense. Terminology is supposed to be a way to easily and logically express concepts/objects/rules/etc to ANYONE. There is nothing logical about "toon". I don't maneuver my wheeler down the pave to the mart, I drive my car down the road to the store.

It's called "Character Creation".

Do you call characters in non-MMOs "toons"? No, you don't, you call them characters. It's gaming terminology, not exclusive to MMOs unlike "toon". My toons go on insane murdering rampages in GTA!

You have every right to dislike the word. Also, the second part of my reply was mostly a general reply to this thread. I don't use the word "toon" to describe my characters. Never have. I find it a bit weird, but it doesn't bug me and I don't think people are idiots for using it. I guess "toon" could be confusing for new players, but, from what I've seen in-game, the words "character" and "toon" don't come up all that much. It's not like someone would be confused over that term during a boss fight or something more crucial.

[Zyeriis]

It's not confusing. Whether you do or don't like it is your own issue, really.

I personally just use the MMO terms I am used to using. I never played WoW, but I use words such as "DPS" and "guild" because that's what was always used. I was a bit lost when I started playing this game and the terms were different. I know them now, but I still use the terms I am used to using for things, mostly out of habit. I've been using them for years, so if I'm not paying attention I just slip back into that terminology.

And why does it matter really? Pretty much eveyone knows what you are talking about. I don't care what term is used because 90% of the time I know what people are referring to. It's not THAT complicated. In fact, in terms of ease of understanding, it's more likely that people will know the "general" terminology people in this thread are annoyed about as opposed to the apparent "acceptable" terminology used in this game (which mostly seems to have originated in FFXI).

Just because a thousand idiots use it, doesn't mean it makes sense. Just because I've heard it a thousand times doesn't make it proper terminology. Just because I know what they're talking about doesn't make it a legitimate way to refer to something.

And did I ever say it was confusing to myself? No. It's confusing to new players because it doesn't make any goddamn sense. Terminology is supposed to be a way to easily and logically express concepts/objects/rules/etc to ANYONE. There is nothing logical about "toon". I don't maneuver my wheeler down the pave to the mart, I drive my car down the road to the store.

It's called "Character Creation".

Do you call characters in non-MMOs "toons"? No, you don't, you call them characters. It's gaming terminology, not exclusive to MMOs unlike "toon". My toons go on insane murdering rampages in GTA!

[Sixmp]

Personally as long as i know what people mean, i don't care what people use.
As long as they don't go nuts at me when i haven't a clue what something they used means, i say huh?.... I'm covered it a wall of spit brought on by the wind of anger because i didn't understand a 3 letter acronym that he and his buddies decided to use from a game i never played.

These shorter terms are just a mixed mash of old terms, squeezed into newer games for the most part anyway

We could always just use the full words instead. From the amount of complaining i see on these boards about how slow the fight system is we all have time to use them. Personally i have been fishing so i have no clue how fast or slow the battle system is.

[BoomerOU]

Nobody likes a pedant, language evolves and grows, fighting it and constantly attempting to correct people just makes a person come off as a snob.

[tegrof]

I was thinking about this recently.

None of it bothers me in any way, but I was questioning to a friend why we call the hit point reducers "dps" or "dpsers".

They aren't damage per seconders. They are hit point reducers. Their DPS is a stat of their character, not what their character is. So when I see Damage Dealer in this game, I think, hey...that actually makes more sense.

...but then I throw out a call in my FC and say "any DPS wanna come do WP?"

like I said, none of it bothers me, but DPS makes no sense when I think about it now.