The Gaming Terms «eSports» And “streaming» Are Officially Forbidden In France
The French government has officially banned terms like “streamer” and “cloud gaming”. Looking ahead, the much more confusing terms «joueur-animateur en direct» and «jeu video en nuage» should be used for any government communications.
The Académie française has also raised concerns about English slang in games, publishing a dictionary of alternative French terms back in 2017.
The changes were made in consultation with the French Ministry of Culture, which has touted the gaming industry in the past as a French economic success story.
The French Ministry of Culture is concerned that English terms could become a “barrier to understanding” for non-gamers.
The changes have been published in the government’s official journal, meaning they are binding on all civil servants. However, it’s hard to see them catch on in everyday use or even on French websites or newspapers. Previous efforts to replace anglicisms failed.
